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If you’re getting Target Walleye for the first time, a friend probably signed you up!
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Another Lake Oahe BEHEMOTH sighting!
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Get a wide-load of this 16 lb 10 oz [!!!] walleye nabbed by SDGFP during their annual egg collection:
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More proof there’s a new SD state-record walleye swimming in Lake Oahe right now!
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What walleyes actually look like on Side Imaging.
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It’s easy to spot BIG fish on Side Imaging units, but the reality is you’re not typically gonna be targeting walleye the size of ahi tuna (lol)…unless maybe you’re Layne “only catches bigguns” Maier ( @mtnmanoutdoors) who graphed AND caught this 31-incher on SK’s Last Mountain Lake:
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Most lakes around here, it’s those 15-19″ eater-sized fish you’re after, and they’re not typically gonna drop a shadow the size of your great aunt Eleanor…. Central-MN guide Brad Hawthorne has logged a pile o’ hours behind his ‘ Birds – here’s what he’s looking for and how he dials ’em in:
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Hawthorne’s “jig-trolling” breakdown.
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I had the chance to hop in the boat last spring with Brad Hawthorne and he schooled me on the forgotten art of “jig trolling” for walleyes. Great way to cover more water and keep your bait in the strike zone longer. Something you might wanna add to your walleye-fishing arsenal this spring:
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Fish-flop Friday is back!
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Check out #FishFlopFriday over on the Instagrammy if you ever need a laugh…it’s trout heavy (slippery little buggers!) but the facial expressions are priceless. 🥴😂
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Of course it happens to us walleye fishin’ folks too – Alex Babcock ( @alex_babcock_outdoors) says to “hold your friends close but, hold your walleyes even closer.” Nice save, man!
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What’s your new boat name?
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🙋♂️ “Black Tumbler” it is…. What’s yours?
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Few of our favs from over on FB:
– Blue plunger
– Camo urinal
– Grey lady
– Silver bulldog
– Green pizza rolls
– Red roughneck
Can still play even if you don’t have a boat, and your answer might be even better:
– Transparent cats
– Non-existent safety glasses
– Invisible toilet paper
Lol! Got a good one? Let us know over on FB or IG.
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> Dan: “…will be available in 2 models (shallow and +1). Here’s a preview of the “perch” color, which is one of my favorite northern-water colors. This is a pre-production color sample without weights inside or hooks. The final bait is slow-sinking and features a tungsten weight-transfer system. More to come…stay tuned.”
3. MI releases “State of the Great Lakes” report (PDF).
4. ME to get $20 mil for hatcheries…
…in American Rescue Plan. The funds will be used to modernize 2 hatcheries, and install upgrades at all 8 of the department’s hatcheries. This news release said, “Fishing in ME has an annual economic impact of over $320 mil, supports over 3,300 jobs, and there are over 350K licensed anglers….”
5. MN: Moms can fish without a license this weekend.
“Take a Mom Fishing Weekend” May 8-9. Reminder: The “fishing opener” isn’t until May 15th this year…so gotta target crappie and bluegills, or some other “under-appreciated fish” like buffalo, sucker, bullhead, or sheepshead…. Heck, why not switch it up and go magnet fishing lol.
6. “Wear your life jacket to work day” is a real thing.
It’s Fri, May 21 this year. Sounds like a good excuse to upgrade into something a little more comfy that you’ll actually wear.
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9. MN Don’t forget about the new-ish pike regs…
…in the 3 different zones:
North-central: Limit of 10. No more than 2 longer than 26″ and all from 22-26″ must be released.
> …plagued by too many small pike…moderate to high fishing pressure and high harvest of large and medium-size pike. Pike grow slowly here, and an over-abundance of small pike is the result.
Northeast: Limit of 2. Must release all from 30-40″, with only 1 over 40″ allowed in possession.
> …pike are present in relatively low numbers and at relatively large sizes. They reproduce naturally. Although they grow slowly, they can grow quite large because relatively few anglers scatter limited fishing pressure across a large number of lakes.
South: Limit of 2. Minimum size is 24″.
> …pike are less abundant and don’t reproduce as well as in the north…high fishing pressure and a high harvest rate relative to the number of pike…however, these fish grow fast.
10. How tasty does this Lunkerhunt Bento look:
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Yup, this is real life! 🔥 Here’s your shot to win a $1,000+ stack of Blackfish Gear, including their high-end Aspire rain jacket and bibs because you can’t choose the weather!
Takes just 10 sec to enter and can share the link you get for bonus entries. 👊 Good luck!
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Splitshot rigs the original ‘finesse’ presentation?
Great little write-up from Gary Howey talking about a finesse-y presentation that was being used far before the word “finesse” was even applied to fishing techniques = the splitshot rig. His full write-up here, but a few excerpts below:
> Early-spring fishing can be tough. With the cool weather we have been facing this year and heavy winds pounding the water, it seems to guarantee a lack of success.
> In a normal spring, we usually look for warming water brought about by higher temps…. Find the warmest water in the lake and you will find walleye…. Now…water temps are in the low 50s. If we can just get a week of normal, warming weather…fish activity will heat up.
> I have a suggestion that has worked well for me over the years under the toughest of conditions. …it only works when fish are in shallow water, say 10′ or less. It’s the simplest of presentations. It’s been my go-to set up since the 1970s…so it’s nothing new, but I’m afraid most anglers have simply forgotten about it.
> …a simple hook on the end of your line. About 15″ above the hook is a split-shot about the size of a pea. For walleyes, attach a medium-sized minnow….
> Years ago, we simply used an Aberdeen style gold hook, either a Mustad or Eagle Claw, in #4. That will still work just fine, but another hook option is the short-shanked, up-eye hook used most often for walleyes. I like a #4 for smaller minnows.
> There’s a couple different kinds of splitshots. Some come with short “ears” that can open the splitshot after it’s attached to the line…but those little ears tend to hang up [in] rock-rubble areas [and] the little pulses they send up the line as they tap the rocks is irritating. I prefer to use the simple, round splitshots…tend to move across the bottom much better and will not pick up any weeds or other debris.
> Certainly don’t use anything [line] above 6-lb test and 4 is even better. There’s not much weight to get you down on the bottom so smaller diameter line is best. …I prefer fluorocarbon…it’s nearly invisible to the fish…[and] it sinks. Mono floats…really little detail, but successful fishing is often brought about by little details.
> …most walleyes will have already spawned. But you should still seek out spawning areas because not all walleyes spawn at the same time, and the smaller males will stay on the spawning grounds for at least a couple of weeks.
> In natural lakes…look for rock-rubble areas associated with the shoreline. Fish water from about 4′ to 10′. Slow is important this time of year, and one advantage of the splitshot rig is it will force you to fish slowly. You want to be on the bottom so stop-and-go trolling techniques are the best. Don’t work in a straight line…walleyes will spook out from under a boat in shallow water. If you troll in a zig-zag fashion, you will be pulling your rig over water you haven’t covered with your boat.
> I prefer long, light rods for splitshot rig fishing. A 6.5′ or 7′ ML spinning rod is perfect. The longer rod will allow you to hook fish better because a lot of slack can develop in this rig. The extra length can mean the difference between hooking up to a light-biting walleye or missing the fish.
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Every. Single. Time.Good luck this weekend if you’re getting out!
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Good luck this weekend if you’re getting out!
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“…lower limits help increase angler satisfaction because (lower limits) provide a more realistic standard of good fishing.”
– That’s a pretty funny and I’m thinkin’ spot-on quote from this write-up talking why a 4-walleye limit is good for MN anglers – loaded with a bunch of other great info from Nate Blasing (president of the Walleye Alliance).
Sounds like politics are getting in the way of the proposed 4-fish limit change…Nate said it’s “currently included in senate’s omnibus bill but not in the House,” and there’s “still time to contact politicians” to let ’em know what you think.
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Lot of negativity out there on social media, but then you come across a shot like this – from Dallas Kirkpatrick ( @kirkpatrick14) – get your feel-good on!
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What it’s all about, right there!
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Sign up another fish-head!
If you’re forwarding Target Walleye to a friend who loves to walleye-fish or want your fishing buddies to get these emails, just send us their email addresses and we’ll take care of it! (We won’t sell the addresses, use them for spam, etc.)
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Friends of Target Walleye
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Who is Target Walleye
Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Jay Kumar, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye He was discovered in Brainerd, MN after years of wondering how in the heck people break into the fishing biz. He’s in it now, but still can’t answer that question…. Brett is one of those guys who majored in marketing, only because there was no such thing as a “fishing degree” at the time…. Get him at brett@targetwalleye.com
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