Today’s Top 4
Ever seen hardwater crappies this big??
Not caught by the same guy, but seeing two slabs THIS big come through the ice in the same week is reee-diculous.
This west-metro MN crappie was so big that Austen thought it was a sheepshead at first. Was 18″ (3.24 lbs) and ate a small glow Demon Jig from Custom Jigs & Spins:
Greg Chapman was fishing with Clam pro Tod Todd somewhere in IL when he cracked this 18″ (3.63 lbs) chunk o’ salt and pepper. Tod stuck one nearly as big 4 years earlier and called it that they were going to beat the record that day:
That’s a combined measurement of 3 FEET (!), which is hard to even comprehend. Here’s a couple of panfish overlays for a little perspective — top pic has a 9″ bluegill on top, bottom pic has a 10.5″ crappie:
Are we still allowed to call them “paper mouths'” when they’re around the 4-lb mark?! #cardboardmouth
Ninja musky never trips tip-up flag.
How many times does this happen and you never even know? Betcha he’s glad he went back lookin’ through the Aqua-Vu footage:
Love watching ’em stalk the bait before they pounce. Sort of reminds us of:
Lead vs. tungsten for mid-winter panfish.
Don’t throw away all that old lead stuff! Tungsten rocks, but midwinter panfish sometimes like the slower fall and different movement of a lead jig. #BroKnows
Fishing ‘lectronics are getting ridiculous.
Scuba divers can’t even mess with your line in peace anymore:
> Kim Stricker: “Hook n’ Look’s Danny Stricker while scuba diving with video camera in hand, captured with Humminbird 360 Imaging.”
Anybody ever rigged up a 360 unit for ice fishing? Seems like it’d be dang-near cheating for tracking down basin-roaming crappies….
News
1. MI: Stop Asian carp, earn $1 mil.
> “That’s [$1-mil reward] that the MI DNR just dropped on the …show the agency a viable plan for stopping silver and big-head carp from reaching the Great Lakes and you could be eligible for a sweet payday.”
Easy – just dump in a handful of freshwater great-white sharks. Works for seals:
Seriously though: bull sharks can thrive in freshwater. We’ll take that $1 mil in straight cash please lol.
2. WI: Possible bass-removal experiment on McDermott Lake.
> “…Proposing a 5-year project to remove a significant quantity of bass and panfish from the lake to see if the walleye numbers rebound.
> “They are theorizing the targeted species are either eating young walleye before they reach maturity and reproduce, or are simply outcompeting them for food.”
Fish fry at the WI DNR’s place:
3. OH/MI: Maumee and Sandusky walleye run coming early?
> “The warm winter and no ice could mean the temperature will be right for it to start a little early. It could come as soon as three weeks from now.”
4. SD: 300K walleyes to be stocked in Oahe.
You’ve got no excuse to not catch ’em now.
5. River rats: New Moxi colors.
There’s six new colors of the AuthentX Moxi and Pulse-R from B-Fish-N Tackle. Give off a ton of vibration/action and work great in dirty water:
Can’t wait to try ’em out on the Rainy River in a couple months.
6. Reopening old holes with your Lazer auger.
Never throttle down and let ‘er buck — feather it:
FishUSA has the StrikeMaster Lazer Pros on sale right here.
7. WI: Winnebago sturgeon spearing opens Sat.
John Skahen speared this 161-lb (77″) sturgeon a couple years back. How the heck do you even get that thing outta the water? #backhoe
8. IA: Shelters need to be removed by Feb 20.
Didja know they had driveable ice that late down there?
Events
1. MN: Kraus-Anderson Walleyes on Ice tourney, Tonka, Feb 11.
Gotta check this out if you’re in the area THIS SATURDAY! Only open to 200 anglers — better hurry up and register to have a crack at some sweet prizes. Plus all the $$$ they raise goes to stocking 8-13″ walleyes back into the lake:
2. MN: Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting, Feb 15.
Talkin’ prelim results of last summer’s hooking-mortality study. Public welcome.
3. MN: Warroad ice derby, Lake of the Woods, Feb 18.
Over $30K in prizes. #ChaChing
Tip of the Day
Use hi-vis line when the bite gets light.
Hi-vis line for sure can save the day when the fish get fussy. A spring bobber can help, but only with the slight down or up bite, not sideways. ND guide Cody Roswick especially likes to use hi-vis line when fishing for deep-water jumbos:
Meme of the Day
In the name of love…for giant panfish:
Today’s ‘Eye Candy
Who wore it better: Lady Gaga, or the burbot? #superbowl
Caught her pounding bottom with a 5/8-oz Trout-N-Pout Spoon tipped with a glob o’ shiners. Also added a VMC Glow Resin Treble hook because it’s sticky sharp and screams, “Bite me!” when it’s swinging back and forth:
