Parsons is prototyping, Huge electronics news, Why shorter trolling rods 🤔

By (mostly Brett)

Posted on June 25, 2021

> Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Navico…for $1.05 bil. As a result of this acquisition, Brunswick will add the industry leading brands of Lowrance, Simrad, B&G and C-MAP to its Advanced Systems Group (ASG)….

> The closing of the transaction is anticipated during the second half of 2021 and is subject to usual and customary closing conditions as well as regulatory review and approval.

Little insight from Gary “GP” Parsons:

> “I knew the area held good fish…we had a couple other days in practice just like this. I’m fishing one large 5- or 6-mile square area. Today I just drove around until I found the marks I wanted.

> “I bet we caught 25 walleyes or so…I know I could have caught 60 or 70 in other places. But in this area, I don’t catch hardly any small ones. Most are 2.5- to 3.5-lbers. They’re not all giants, but there aren’t any small ones.

> “I run my Lowrance graph on medium chirp with double the screen speed, and then I pump up the sensitivity. This allows me to drive around 26 or 27 mph. When you’re moving that fast, if there are any high fish, you see them. It’s a pretty good system. Once I saw the thick orange bands, I started to fish again.

> “It’s a bummer that I had my short day, because I really believe that school of fish was just starting to fire up. That’s how it was in practice too. At 2 pm, they start biting. With more time, I think I could’ve caught 40 lbs.”

Said he’s trolling with 4 different baits, including a little something special Berkley has in the works:

> “One of my best baits right now is a Berkley test bait, a prototype. It’s a 3D printed bait, and I only have a few. And to be honest, they’re more fragile, because they’re not the final plastic. It’s fun, but it’s nerve wracking. This bait won’t be out in production for a while, but it’s coming, and it’s going to be a good one.”

And in case you didn’t know…GP is currently battling inclusion body myositis (IBM), a degenerative muscle disease. Supposed to be strong southerly winds today (day 2) so he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to reach his primary area:

> “I’ll try. If it’s too dangerous, I’ll have to settle for staying closer. You have to treat these big bodies of water with some respect. With my condition, I do lean on my partners more than I used to. I can still fish, but I have to make accommodations. I’m keeping a positive mindset. I want to fish as long as I can, but I just don’t know how long. It’s nice to be in this position, and I really enjoy running with these younger guys.”

Do your thing, Gary! It’s an incredible one. 🙏🙏🙏

The final weigh-in started at 3pm EST on National Walleye Tour’s FB page and website. Can also smash refresh on the live leaderboard here.

Now I can see why some folks run Flack Jakets on their rigs. Could probably pay for themselves with one bad hop of a rock?

I also got a message from tourney nut Scott Mathson who filled me in on a sweet-looking product I hadn’t seen before:

> I use a product called ShatterX for my windshields that actually hardens the glass to help prevent that stuff. And it has hydrophobic qualities so water beads up and runs off. Lasts a year+ too.

Scott said it works great in the boat but even better on the truck, and that he hardly has to use wipers when it’s raining. For sure gonna have to check some out.

Btw – anyone else find it sorta ironic that I shared a video of Korey Sprengel talking why he runs “double bubbles” – instead of a full windshield – in the last TW email? ‘Cuz now I’m going to have a hybrid-version of both ’til I can get that center piece rebuilt lol:

First off: If you don’t know Korey Sprengel’s name by now, where ya been?? If my National Walleye Tour “math” is right…he has 5 WINS, 11 top 10s and 21 top 20s in NWT’s short 34-event history = insane! So when he talks fishing, I strongly recommend you (we) listen.

Apparently he runs a 7′ rod that’s not actually a trolling rod…. It’s a 7′ Fenwick HMG Casting Rod. Here’s why from a podcast he did with Chip Leer last July:

> Korey: “I like short rods because I have more control and they’re easier to use. Can stand closer to the side of the boat…when it comes to netting the fish I can see what’s going on – I don’t need to back up. Know when to lift the fish…know when it’s turning…know where it is compared to the net.

> “Can literally stand right over the side of the boat…makes it easier and faster for getting planer board on and off. …as long as you balance the rod action – limber enough at the tip but some backbone – you can do just as much with a shorter rod.

> “Only downfall is they’re not as high in the rod holders…so I use rod-holder extensions to get those rods propped up so those lines aren’t dragging in front of each other.”

Just one more thing Korey does that goes against what everyone else is saying/doing…but obviously works. Don’t mind me…just feeling absolutely fish-clueless over here lol:

Now there’s some more hard evidence to back that up thx to a 2-yr diet-sample study being done by the MN DNR, and:

> …research so far has shown that walleyes are not an important food source for muskies. “It’s not zero, but it’s close to that.”

Hmmm…. So if they aren’t eating walleyes, what are they eating? 🤔

> …general patterns confirmed in other lakes so far show that perch and ciscoes are very important prey across the board. When ciscoes aren’t available for muskies, they feed more heavily on bass and sunfish. Crappie predation is less common, and muskies will occasionally prey on northern pike, but it’s not super-duper common….

They also found a gull [!!!], muskrats and a couple of large bullheads so far. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the full results/breakdown from all the lakes in the study.

2. WI DNR extends harvest ban on Minocqua Chain of Lakes…

…to 2025. And:

> The board also voted unanimously to impose permanent harvest restrictions starting in Apr 2025 that will limit anglers to 1 walleye per day. …also prohibits harvesting walleye shorter than 18″ or between 22-28″.

3. MN: Reminder Mille Lacs walleye fishing closes Jul 1-15.

> …aimed at reducing the number of warmwater walleyes that are caught and released but die anyhow due to stress.

4. WV: DNR wants to amend walleye regs on 3 waters.

> A blanket regulation for walleye [15″ minimum and 8-fish limit] implemented 5 yrs ago has been under review in 3 waters of northern WV [Tygart Lake, Cheat Lake, and the Monongahela River].

On 1 of the lakes walleyes are growing too slow, and in the others they’re growing stupid fast.

5. WY: Walleyes found in Lake Hattie.

Not supposed to be there ‘cuz Hattie is a trout lake:

> “Lake Hattie is managed as a trout fishery and is stocked with more than 175K trout and salmon annually. Although bass and walleye are popular sport fish, they are seldom compatible with trout fisheries because both species prey on trout.”

6. MN: Starry stonewort found in Pimushe Lake.

That makes it the 17th confirmed lake out of MN’s 11,842. Btw “starry stonewort” is an invasive algae, but I still think it sounds like the name of a Harry Potter character:

7. WA: Charity walleye derby raised $19K+.

For Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. 🙌 Props!

8. Mustad’s TUF-Line has a new biodegradable mono.

Becomes “biomass” after 7 yrs. Supposed to maintain its strength for 1 year on the spool and have a shelf life of more than 5 yrs when stored in its original unopened package.

9. Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz starts Jun 26.

> Throughout the 9-day event, thousands of volunteers will join watercraft inspectors at boat launches in the Great Lakes states to educate boaters on how to prevent the spread of AIS, ways to identify them and how to report an AIS discovery. Aquatic invasive species are one of the most significant threats to the ecological and economic health of the Great Lakes and other waters in Great Lakes states.

10. MT’s had 7 record-breaking fish caught in 9 months.

Walleye, and largemouth, and smallmouth, oh my!

11. OK: Teen lands world-record paddlefish.

Grant Rader said catching the 164-lb giant from Keystone Lake was the best day of his life – big congrats!

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