NoDak zander iced, Lake trout eat frogs, Ice fishing drug bust

Think of zander as the muscle-bound European cousin of walleye that grow to stupid dumb big sizes across the pond. Honestly still can’t get enough of ’em because 1) they’re neat to look at, 2) it’s fun to imagine walleye growing THAT big and 3) I want to catch 1 or 7 someday.

In case you didn’t know:

> The ND Game and Fish Dept stocked [a lake] with 180K European zander fry and 1,050 fingerlings in ’89 after failed attempts in ’87 and ’88. The state scrapped the program in ’90 because of concerns from neighboring states MN, SD, MT and the province of MB.

Still a small population in there (and other lakes thx to high-water years) and they are reproducing successfully. I actually saw quite a few caught outta the area the last few years – mostly in the spring, but also thru the ice.

Which brings us to Dustin Wolf, who knocked a special one off his fishing bucket list…a dirty-30″ NORTH AMERICAN zander [!!!] he put topside with a Frostbite Dinner Bell Spoon on a ND slough. Check it:

If you’ve seen it, you’ll remember it.

On 8/17/2019 Sam Wenner caught the new ND state-record zander to the tune of 35 5/8″ and 15.91 lbs! Not only was it the new ND state record, it was also the biggest zander ever caught on the entire continent:

Was caught fishing an “outside weed edge in 10′ for smallies with light fluorocarbon and a small jig”:

> Sam: “I’m a bass fisherman and honestly don’t fish for walleyes. I have fished that lake about 150 times in the last 4 years – probably 250 times in the last 10 years – and have caught 2 zander ever…a total fluke.

> “Bit light like an 8-inch perch…reeled in like a wet grocery bag…pulled 10′ of line out one time while I was grabbing the net.”

Fluke or not, how freakin’ cool is that?

Still can’t get over its massive broomtail and those 🧛🏻‍♂️ chompers:

Going to be a tough one to beat. Congrats again, dude!

Feel I gotta say a couple things:

If you’re lucky enough to catch one of the few remaining zander on this side of the big pond, I would strongly urge catch and release…give somebody else a chance at catching that fish of a lifetime!

Also I wanna catch a zander as bad as the next guy/gal – but would never do the “bucket biologist” thing (moving or planting fish), hope no one else would either….

Lot of folks chase panfish around deep basins this time of year (20-40′) but there’s also a solid shallow-water bite (7-10′) all season long on clear-water lakes that support good weed growth.

This video is a breakdown of where I look and how I set up for those shallow, weed-flat crappies and bluegills.

Oh, and btw 👀 after-dark bluegills are a real thing and they’re usually better than average fish….

– Which is amazing, UNLESS you’re trying to smuggle 26,000 lbs of Colombian marijuana into the States lol…. 🤔

I came across this interesting write-up from MeatEater talking about the biggest drug bust in SD history – all thx to some folks ice fishing for walleyes on Super Bowl Sunday back in 1980. Estimated street value was around $18 MILLION at the time, which would be roughly $57 mil in “today’s money.” #inflation

> “It was that evening at sunset when a group of SD ice fishermen saw a four-propeller airplane drop into a wheat field near the bank of the Missouri River. Worried that they just witnessed a crash, the 5 anglers set off in a pickup toward the scene. The plane’s touchdown was far from an accident, though.

> “Rather, the DC-7 was parked in the middle of an impromptu airstrip that was marked by lights hooked up to car batteries. The good samaritans were already suspicious, but the plane crew’s conflicting stories threw up more red flags. One person said something about engine issues and being lost, while another muttered that they were low on fuel.

> “Shortly after the encounter, the crew fled the scene and disappeared into the hills. Concerned that they might return, the anglers pulled the pickup in front of the landing gear and deflated the plane’s tires to prevent it from taking off. While waiting for law enforcement to arrive, the fishermen started doing some investigating of their own.

> “Inside the gutted jet they found floor-to-ceiling stacks of marijuana bales filling every cavity but the cockpit.

> “…a strong southerly tailwind caused the plane to land 2 hours ahead of schedule [instead of after dark]. This costly mistake meant that the low-flying plane was clearly visible to nearby walleye anglers out for the evening bite.

> “[Walleye anglers who] immediately put down their fishing poles and drove over to assist these unfortunate downed souls. Turned out, the aircrew members were not grateful for this offered assistance.”

You just never know….

2. MI: DNR finalizes walleye mgmt plan.

3. John Hoyer’s perch-jerkin’ rods.

Here’s his 2 favorites Fenwick World Class Ice Rods for all things perch:

> The 30″ light is a great rod to pair with 4-lb FireLine and a 4-lb fluorocarbon leader for tungsten jigs and small spoons. The 28″ medium light is perfect for smaller glide baits like a #1 or #0 Moonshine Shiver Minnow.

And when Hoyer “field tests” something, he’s not doing it from his couch = dude’s a diehard:

4. Lake of the Woods’ sleeper houses aren’t always easy to find…

…but Border View Lodge runs sleepers out there! Big 10’x20′ houses (sleeps 4 and has 2 holes each) with a separate outdoor heated potty near each house.

Seems like the majority of LOTW operations are “day houses” where they run you back into shore in the evening. Nothing wrong with that! But there’s something to be said about going to sleep and waking up already on the ice.

There’s also this big misconception that you can’t catch fish on Lake of the Woods after dark. From my experience you of course don’t see or catch nearly as many fish at night in the dirty water, but you definitely still can…and usually the ones you do catch are waaaay bigger than average walleyes. Plus a bonus burbot never hurt anyone. 😉

I’m heading up there in about a week and a half – so pumped!

5. X2Power expanded its pro team roster.

If you read these TW emails then you already know that NWT pro Tommy Kemos is rocking X2Power. Would love to get in the boat with him one day – guy is a SERIOUS stick. 💪

6. If you haven’t fished the…

…Freedom Tackle Minnow Spoon, you’re missing out! Straight-up NASTY action. I still think it’s like combining a jerkbait + rattlebait + jigging spoon + blade bait = all into one unit (lol). 🤯 Have you a look:

I love fishing both just like a rattlebait, but then still able to slow things way down and flutter those picky ones into biting. 🎯

7. PRADCO announces new Production Manager, Tony James.

PRADCO = Lindy, Bandit, Thill, Smithwick, and a whoooooole lot more.

> Tony James has prior history with the company as a Warehouse Manager…. When asked what brought him back, he was quick to answer, “The family atmosphere here is what pulled me back in, this company really takes care of its employees and it shows with so many long-timers!”

8. Catch Co. appoints 2 new execs.

Lisa Kempa to chief financial officer and Elles Skony to chief people officer. Catch Co. is best known for its commerce brands Mystery Tackle Box and Karl’s Bait & Tackle.

9. MN: Minneapolis Boat Show had > 21,000 attendees.

10. Do-It Molds now has “Crank Blanks.”

High quality unpainted hard baits in 26 profiles (jerkbaits, deep divers, lipless cranks, etc).

> These baits are manufactured of the highest quality processes and feature sanded waterproof welded seams for flawless performance. No time wasted trimming mold flash, worrying about hardware coming loose, or leakers.

> …the first blanks available in the market to come “pre-masked”. No more time wasted applying masking tape to the clear lips to keep over-spray off them. After the baits are painted and clear coated, simply remove the factory plastic mask and add custom components also available at Do-It.

Blake Tollefson’s go-to phone apps for fishing.

Haven’t really seen a whole lot of info like this before, so it’s pretty cool of Blake Tollefson to share some tips on using mobile apps (weather, mapping, etc) to increase fishing success:

> Blake: Love it or hate it, the smartphone is arguably one of the greatest tools ever invented. Along with the smartphone comes an endless list of applications that were designed to make users’ lives easier. The smartphone has altered the ways in which we – as fishermen – plan a trip, and ultimately can help you become more successful on the water. The following list of “apps,” sorted into a handful of different categories, are ones that I find useful for fishing.

Check Blake’s full MidWest Outdoors write-up here or by clicking this crappie picture:

“Fact : Lund boaters are built differently.”

– That’s Roger’s Performance Marine talking about folks that are willing to hit the water no matter what sorta curveball mother nature throws at ’em. Helps when you have a Lund “Sport Top” to hide behind:

Gotta be honest: Back in the day I used to poke fun at folks running any sort of bimini top (sorry!). But now that I have one, it’s an add-on I’ll be getting on any boat I own ‘cuz they can for sure be a trip-extender or day-saver.

Of course for those times when it’s reeeeally nasty in early-spring or late-fall…know plenty of folks that’ll even throw a Buddy Heater right in-between the windshields. And when I’m out with the kiddo on a super hot + sunny day, it buys me a couple extra hours of time on the water keeping them comfortable.

When I was building my 2025 Impact, there was another option called the “Top Hider” which is a nice little add-on if you’re keeping that Sport Top in the boat all the time. Literally forget it’s even in there, but it is if/when you need it. Pretty cool.

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH