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Reminder: If your email program cuts off the bottom of this email, click “View this email in your browser” up top to see the whole thing. Sorry about that – email programs keep changing stuff.
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Massive Colorado walleye caught…
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…that was bigger than the state record, but it’s not a state record…. 👀
Cole Phillip plucked the behemoth out of a tiny 97-acre reservoir in Colorado. 😳
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He caught it throwing a “glass minnow” color Rapala Husky Jerk – Cole sent me a pic of the actual bait and it’s easy to see why that translucent bugger would get crushed under a full moon. Especially in a reservoir that’s chock full of gizzard shad: |
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This fish weighed 13.26 lbs on a CPW scale and was 31.75” long:
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Which actually would have been a new Colorado state record walleye based on length…had the fish been released (a new rule as of Jan 2020) but Cole opted to keep the fish so he could have it mounted, and pay his respects to it for the rest of his life. 👊
Props on the walleye of a lifetime man!
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“A day of fishing is better than a day at work!!!”
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Speaking of CountDowns catching everything 😅 Rapala just released the new CountDown Elite – couple snippets below on what’s different:
> The CD Elite is forged, Flattened, one piece through wire construction that improves durability making this a super premium balsa bait.
> Like its predecessor, the CountDown Elite is built from balsa and features the legendary controlled-sink characteristic. That classic chassis launches on the cast like a heat-seeking missile, rocket-boosted by an innovative lead-free tungsten-polymer weighting system that maximizes casting distance and accuracy.
> On the drop – as you literally count it down – the CountDown Elite will flutter tantalizingly to your desired depth, repeatedly reaching the strike-zone and remaining there throughout your retrieve. A slower sinking speed differentiates the new CountDown Elite from its predecessor – 1.5’ feet per second for the Elite versus 1’ per second for the original.
So you can count it down until it gets to the depth you want the bait to be running at, and then retrieve it there. Which all of a sudden made me wonder why I hadn’t tried playing with them on suspended walleyes using forward-facing sonar yet. Seems like a cheat code! I ordered 2 for now…but the second I get smacked by that first suspended mark, I’m ordering a zillion lol:
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FishUSA has a bunch of them in stock already here. |
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The ice season isn’t over until Jason Mitchell says it is. 🤣
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Never thought I’d see a video of Jason Mitchell in his skivvies on the internet, but yet here we are lol:
> “Go ahead and laugh. A crack opened up and the shorelines blew out so we were down to our underwear trying to find the best place to get off the ice.”
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> “Something similar happened to me 30 yrs ago. That particular day, the water was about 10’ and didn’t have a sled for my stuff. I was carrying an auger and bucket and went straight to the bottom and got stuck in the mud so had to let go of my gear to get out. This was easy peasy. Nothing like the walk of shame in your underwear in April.”
Glad it turned out to just be a funny memory, and not a sketchy one!
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Taxidermy that’s so bad, it’s good.
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If you’ve got some “bad taxidermy” pics you’d like to share, reply to this email and send me a few details with the pic! I’m working on a little something….
You know the type of stuff I’m talking about, but if not, this recent post from Andrew Ragas aka @northwoods_bass on Instagram should get you started:
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New “Top 5” vid coming in hot! 🥵
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👊 Big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for making this video series possible! |
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Those size reference photos next to random objects always get me lol. And then the write-up said it weighed “the equivalent of 6 cans of soup.” 😅
I can’t read a line like that without thinking of this screenshot:
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2. MB: New fishing regs took effect Apr 1.
Here’s the CliffsNotes version:
> The province eliminated the [non-resident] Conservation License…a lower-priced license in exchange for keeping reduced limits of several species. MB now offers a full-season “Nonresident of Canada” fishing license for $55 CAN…about $41 US [actually came down in price], along with the new option of a 1-day license for $19 CAN, or just over $14 US.
> The new regs also allow anglers to carry an electronic version of their license…carrying a signed paper version of the license is no longer necessary.
> …the provincial walleye/sauger limit now is 4, of which none may exceed 55cm, or 21.6”. The regulation also includes Lake Winnipeg, where anglers previously could keep 1 walleye longer than 70cm (or 27.5”) per year, with a requirement that they immediately record the date of the catch on the back of their license.
> Previously, anglers could keep 4 walleyes or saugers with a conservation license and 6 with a regular license.
> In addition, season for channel catfish in southern MB is now continuous, and walleye fishing on Lake Winnipeg is closed from Apr 3 thru May 19. The general opener for walleyes and saugers in southern MB is May 13, while the season on Lake Winnipeg opens May 20.
3. IA: DNR crews are doing some pig farming!
They’re out collecting walleye broodstock to reach their goal of collecting enough fish to hatch 162 mil walleye fry at their fish hatcheries. Fish are returned to the lake after eggs are removed:
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Pretty dang cool that their “Rathbun and Spirit Lake fish hatcheries are open for visitors. Contact the individual hatchery you intend to visit for visitor hours.”
4. 15th-annual MN Fishing Challenge happening Jun 3 on Gull Lake:
This year their goal is to raise $500,000 to support Mn Adult & Teen Challenge drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and help people find freedom from addiction. 🙌
Which btw I’ve got to give a big shout-out to Premier Pontoons, who graciously offered $5,000 in matching funds for donations received this last week, and that match was met. Super amazing of those folks!
5. Scott Mackenthun talks why winterkill can actually be a blessing.
In this podcast with Due North Outdoors’ hosts Natalie Dillon and Travis Frank.
6. MN: Walleye Alliance Spring Banquet is happening Apr 20.
> Join us for an evening of fun, camaraderie and fundraising for a great cause. Lots of prizes and raffles will be available!
> Marc Bacigalupi will be our featured speaker this year. Marc was the MN DNR Brainerd Area Fisheries Supervisor for 13 years and has just taken the Northwest Region Fisheries Manager position. The NW Region includes some of the state’s premier walleye fisheries, including Lake of the Woods, Upper Red, Cass and Leech Lakes.
> Join us as Marc covers the status of our fisheries, how DNR is attempting to tackle fishing pressure, technology and invasive species issues and how DNR works with associations and non-profits like the Walleye Alliance to keep great fishing in MN.
7. NY: Oneida Lake walleye derby expands under new mgmt.
8. See bottoms better with new Garmin Navionics Vision+ maps.
> Now available with 120% more relief shading coverage to deliver intricate and clear bottom structure detail.
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Making waves as Ottawa County’s only female charter boat captains.
> Juls Davis and Peg Van Vleet are redefining the concept of charter boat captain – at least in theory. They are the only female charter boat captains in Ottawa County. Of the 945 guides licensed in OH, they are among the 18 who are female.
I’ve been following capt Juls on Facebook for several years now. I don’t know anyone who posts more detailed fishing/conditions reports than her: specific baits, how many feet back, boat speed vs lure speed, water clarity, satellite images, etc. It’s pretty incredible.
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Some muddy water river tips.
Old, but interesting post from Josh Wetzstein of Muddy Waters Guide Service on catching early-season river walleyes.
> In my river experience, 90% of the big fish are caught in 10′ or less. I’ll pull Dubuque rigs in 6-15′, but I prefer to pitch plastics in shallow water.
> You’ve gotta get out of the fast current. The big fish aren’t there. Don’t be scared to cast into the wood and sticks. Walleyes feel safe there – they’ll even spawn in there. Boggles my mind that you have guys in $50K boats [probably $130K nowadays lol] who cringe at losing a bait. Burn through jigs if you have to.
> When water temps are 40-50°F I like pitching a BFishN Tackle Ringworm to find fish, then size-up to a Moxi on a 3/16-oz H20 Precision Jig. Beefier-profile plastics just do better on big fish this time of year. Stick to fluorescents and the occasional dark pattern for dirty water…natural colors like ‘oystershell’ for clear water.
> Besides brighter colors during high, muddy water, Wetzstein recommends changing cadence to full-on, aggressive rips. “Vibration is the deal during low visibility, so you have to rip aggressively to let walleyes know the bait is there. Along the same lines, don’t be afraid to grab a blade bait or hair jig, too.”
> It depends on the day, but I usually cast upstream and lift the jig off bottom, reel in slack, and keep the line tight as the current sweeps the jig. Then repeat when the jig hits bottom or lightly shake the rod tip as I reel in slow.
> You might catch a fish as your jig and plastic moves right in the front of the boat, but don’t cast back to where you got bit. Pitch right back to the exact spot where the jig hit the water before you got bit. That’s where I see guys messing up.
Josh talks way more Mississippi River ‘eye goodness here.
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This one’ll hit a few of you right in the feels:
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Whole bunch of “Steves” out there lol.
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The Two Brothers Innovations crew has a whole bunch of newness going on this season. 🔥 More on that soon…. In the meantime, I hope you have a great weekend and thanks so much for reading!!! |
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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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