Lake Ontario teener, Rippin’ Rap nose piercing, When to use fluoro

Sorry for the late send! Ran into some technical difficulties 🤦‍♂️ which seems to be ‘the yoozh’ lately, but should be all patched-up now.

This might be the only TW this week as I’m going to be on the road a couple days chasing ice, ice baby…but I’ll try to get a little something out on Friday if possible. Btw the Sea Foam “Top 5” videos are back in action after a mini hiatus thx to holidays, school closures, and our house getting down with the sickness lol. If you have kiddos in daycare or grade school, you now they’re basically a walking Petri dish HA!

Okay, let’s get on with it! 👊 Hope you enjoy….

Today’s Top 4

Lake Ontario “teener” caught!

Another “teener” walleye was recently caught on a…you guessed it: Walleye Nation Creations Reaper. 🤪Weird! This time it’s coming from the eastern end of Lake Ontario (roughly 1,500 miles away from where all those behemoths are being caught in SD) where Don Huth wrassled in the 14.52-lber that was toting a 20.5″ girth!

Congrats on the fish of a lifetime, man! 🙌

Don said he was running 3 colors of leadcore when that the big girl ate a WNC Reaper in the “golden ticket” color:

The number of big fish that have been caught on that bait (in various colors) over the last couple months is truly mind-boggling.

“Youch!” of the week. 🩹

Someone tell Bryan Bogdan that Rapala Rippin’ Raps are supposed to be used for piercing lips, not noses:

Don’t feel too bad for Bryan 😅 because:

1) He said it was (luckily) just barely in there,

2) He gets to live and fish at Wekusko Falls Lodge, MB every single day…which is one of THE most magical places I have ever been fortunate enough to fish, and

3) Dude just got done filming a new episode of Dialed In Angling with Tony Roach where they absolutely whacked walleyes on the new VMC Rattling Roach Spoon. At one point he reeled in a double like this LOL:

Taking those Canadian ape hangers for a ride! 😅

“Is it still considered ice fishing if there’s water on top of the ice?”

– That’s Sam Sommerness (@ssfishing_) getting his EARLY-ice on while just casually hoisting up an outrageously round pumpkinseed. 😳 Three more and he’d have a new set of hubcaps:

If you are sneaking out on the hard stuff – PLEASE BE SAFE. Check your way out AND back in. I’m already seeing way too many news headlines of folks going down. 😞

It’s a fish-eat-fish world….

…and WI fishing guide Josh Teigen is just living in it! He’s a multi-species angler, but this for sure takes it to a new level: Crappie eats Acme Rattlemaster – pike eats crappie. #2for1s

Does Josh eat both?

1. ME: Man drowns after falling thru ice on Quakish Lake.

> Walter Demmons, 62, and a friend were drilling holes through the ice on Quakish Lake to test the thickness before fishing…. They heard the ice crack and they spread out in an attempt to not break through, but the ice broke and both men fell into the water about 75 yards from shore.

> The two were communicating with each other as they tried to get out of the water and back onto the ice, but Demmons suddenly said he was not going to make it, and his friend saw him submerge beneath the water’s surface and never come back up. The friend was eventually able to get out of the water and call for help.

Ugh. Prayers to the fam.

2. MN deputy rescues 2 fishermen…

…who broke thru the ice in Anoka county. The body-cam footage is scary yet incredible:

Major props to Deputy Chris Fjeld who no doubt risked his own life to save others’.

3. 2025 USA Ice Fishing Team tryouts coming up.

The World Ice Fishing Championship will be coming back to the USA next year (I believe in MI). If you want a chance to fish for gold 🥇 they have 3 qualifying events coming up this season, and the top-20 anglers will get an invite to fish the Nation Championship in Rhinelander, WI on Mar 22-24, 2024. Here’s those qualifiers:

Jan 5-7, 2024 in Waupaca, WI

Jan 12-14, 2024 in Canton, IL

Feb 16-18, 2024 in Lakeview, MI

This year’s World Ice Fishing Championship will be held in Mongolia on Ugii Lake in 2024.

Here’s a look at the species they’re chasing over yonder…I believe it goes by a team’s total catch weight, so of course I’d be trying to dial-in my Mongolian burbot program lol:

4. Tour Level Gold dropped episode 9 last night. 🔥

5. Lake Ontario: Hamilton Harbour is loaded with giant, feral goldfish.

Pets that were released into the wild that “can grow to a monstrous size and destroy habitats for native species.”

I know they’re bad news, but I think this one would be headed for my wall:

Canadian researchers are using acoustic telemetry to track tagged fish so they can find where they congregate (deeper) in winter and (shallower) while pre-spawn, “which presents opportunities for control and management.” Such as using commercial seine nets for the deeper fish, modified box trap nets to target smaller goldfish in connecting channels, etc.

6. IL: DNR removed 750K lbs of silver carp from the Illinois River.

> This is the largest single removal effort IDNR has undertaken and is believed to be a record for freshwater harvest within the United States.

The definition of fish in a barrel:

7. Yamaha is coming out with a hydrogen-powered outboard?

> The prototype…shows what looks like a conventional Yamaha powerhead but features what appear to be fuel lines adapted to using hydrogen.

> “In order to achieve carbon neutrality with marine products while facing such challenges, the company is promoting a multi-directional development approach, looking to other new energy sources and technologies in addition to its electrification efforts.”

> The technology will mean that the Japanese outboard engine maker will be able to keep its conventional 4-stroke engine range, but adapt it to run on the new fuel.

But that all sounds easier said than done:

> …hydrogen needs to be kept extremely cold and must be pumped at very high pressure to fill a tank, making refueling a bit more tricky….

> Hydrogen is also difficult to store, with the atom so small it can easily slip through a tank’s wall and leak into the atmosphere. In the automotive world, a hydrogen car will lose about half its fuel over a month due to leaks.

> Hydrogen fuel tanks also need to be very bulky to hold enough fuel at the right temperature and pressure, meaning they may need to be designed into a boat that’s made to run on the gas.

Sounds like the prototype will be at the Miami Boat Show in Feb.

8. MN: Izatys Resort (Mille Lacs) on sale for $4 mil.

> …485-acre property…. The resort features an 18-hole golf course, 28 hotel rooms, conference and wedding space, and clubhouse. The 150’ of lakeshore is home to 33 boat slips and ample dock space.

9. NE: Lake McConaughy State Rec Area docks being pulled…

> “…due to wind, ice and blowing sand.”

Blowing SAND?! Is that really something you walleye folks have to deal with while throwing spinnerbaits over there?! 😅 Sheesh.

> The only boat ramp in service is at Diver’s Bay. This dock will be pulled out when ice build-up on the lake or on the ramp and dock surface makes it unsafe to use. This dock also will be pulled halfway out of the water when forecasts call for winds to blow greater than 20 mph.

10. Okuma has 50% off…

…their Limited Edition Tactical Green Ceymar Baitfeeders. Looks like it’s just their 500-size that’s left.

How fluorocarbon fishes compared to mono and braid.

First off: There’s no one specific line type that’s ideal for all situations.

That said…here’s why you should have a rod or two rigged up with fluorocarbon and how it stacks up against the other lines.

How it compares to mono

> Fluoro is going to be more ‘invisible’ than mono, making it the ultimate line in ultra-clear water or on heavily-pressured fish in community holes. You’ll really notice the difference when sight-fishing for finicky panfish in shallow water. Fewer fish hesitate to bite – try it side by side with a buddy who’s not using fluoro.

> It also has less stretch than mono, which is going to make it much more sensitive and help to feel those light bites. Less stretch means more solid hooksets, to really drive those hooks home into the tough upper snout of a walleye.

How it compares to braid

> There’s no better option for outside hole-hopping than fluoro. Braided lines will hold moisture, which can freeze up in really cold temps – especially when fishing outside the shack. Won’t have that problem with fluoro.

> Fluoro does offer a little more stretch than braided line, but that will help keep fish pinned. That slight stretch acts as a shock absorber to the fish’s thrashing head. At the end of the day you’ll have less torn-out hooks and put more fish topside.

The downside

> Fluoro’s needs to be replaced more often than braid or mono. Braided line may last you an entire season or two, whereas fluoro is going to have more memory and will get ‘the coils’ quicker on the tiny spools of micro ice reels.

> Make it more affordable by filling the spool with cheap ‘backing’ or old line, then put on just enough fluoro (say 50′ or 60′) to be able to fish for the day. When the line begins to coil, pull it off and throw on fresh stuff. That way a small spool can last you up to a half dozen trips instead of just one.

Few things to consider

One thing to consider is how running fluoro can affect the action of your bait. Some fluoro actually sinks 4x more quickly than mono. Its sink-rate helps “tighten up” the line when using lighter, non-tungsten panfish jigs.

A quicker drop could also be considered an advantage: This allow you to get your bait back down quickly when on a hot school – or to intercept that mark that showed up out of nowhere on your flasher – especially in deeper water.

Downfall? Some spoons might not get the same fluttery look on the drop – though you may hardly notice the difference with the lower lb-test and lightweight spoons that are most common for ice fishing….

Meme of the Day

I can’t remember if I already shared this meme, or if I had just sent it to some fishing buddies 😂 but I guess either way it’s too funny not to get some more eyes on ‘er LOL:

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Another killer snap from Blake Tollefson – this time he’s getting in on the last-light bite with a Eurotackle ESR Nano Tungsten Jig:

And get this: Those ESR (Enhanced Sonar Return) Nano Tungsten Jigs are specifically designed to show up better on your sonar – whether you’re rocking ‘live imaging’ or a traditional flasher – thx to the inclined flat surface on the top which is to help “sonar waves return bright and precise images to transducers.”