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If you’re getting Target Walleye for the first time, a friend probably signed you up!
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Pike grab of the century!!!
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Do your fishing buddies have your back like this?
Ummmm…🤯 Tanner Talbot ( @tannertalbot11) freakin’ went for it 110%. All I know is the next time I’m soaking tip-ups on Lake of the Woods, I want this dude on my team:
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Said he “didn’t really have to lip it, but you never really know how good they’re hooked while they’re thrashing below the hole.” 🐊
Looks like the risk was worth the reward (this time). #dedication
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Oh, and in case you’re wondering…here’s the aftermath. #worthit
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Bass thumb? 🤣 That’s cute! Heck of a catch, fellas!!
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It’s been 8 years since we lost Lake Superior guide Jim Hudson.
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Jim Hudson was a well-known fishing guide, and one of the most respected fishermen in the Midwest. He was born and raised in Bayfield, and after working 10 years as a member of the Bayfield Police Dept, he left the force to devote himself full-time to growing his Lake Superior fishing guide service.
If you haven’t heard the gut-wrenching story of how he tragically broke through the ice…it’s tough to read. 😔 If it can happen to Jim, it can happen to anyone.
Yesterday, the Ice Team crew hit the ice in honor of Jim and something special happened:
> “8 years ago today [Jan 26, 2013] we lost one of our own, Jim Hudson. His memory will always live on in a lot of what we do at Ice Team. He was more than a pro, he was family. Today, we honored his legacy by making the trip to Lake Superior to fish some of his old stomping grounds, and it was fitting to see Tommy Hicks land this massive brown trout as we know Jim was there with us to help make this one happen. Somber moment for sure, but just another reminder of the impact he made on a lot of us. We will forever miss you, bud.”
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So amazing. Tommy stuck that brownie on a “gold” Clam Super Leech Flutter Spoon, and is having a replica made + memories that he’ll hold onto forever.
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These homemade PVC rod tubes look legit.
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Great idea for you DIYers from Forcier’s Fishing Guide Service. He uses 3/4″ PVC pipe – cuts the opening and plops caps on each end. Said he makes them 1.5″ longer than the rod to slide in and out of the holder:
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Glamour shots of the week!
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Not all fish pics are created equal. Here’s a few recent snaps that took it to that next level:
1) It’s not easy making bluegills look cool in pictures, BUT then there’s this:
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That insane snap [!] is from northern MN 🔨 Brent Relopez, who is fired up:
> Brent: “Bluegills. Sunnies. Bulls. Hens. Pie plates. Saucers. Brim. Dinks. Bombs. Freaks. Whatever you call them, it was probably the first fish you caught off the dock. For some reason, I still haven’t lost the love for chasing what most would call “little fish.” Give me h*ll for screaming like a 12-yr-old girl over a 10-inch fish, but you clearly don’t enlist trust in the bluegill bible.”
We see you, man!
2) There’s a new Tiger King in town – Anthony Kleinwachter iced this massive 15.25″ jumbotron while on a Fish Addictions TV shoot in the Dakotas. Said he “surprisingly caught it on a tip-up with a plain red hook. Just goes to show how important those extra lines are.” No doubt!
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5) Shout-out to Joe Calladine (@muskie_maniacs) on crushing this Bay of Quinte “teener” – his new PB and one that’s for sure going to be tough to beat!
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Awesome fish and pic, dude! But this caption is 💯💯💯:
> Joe: “I can’t tell you the feeling I have right now…this fish means so much…my dream fish. My teener!!!! A teen!!! Last year I broke both my legs…said I wouldn’t skip a beat this year. I’m on the ice more than I’m at home – I sit on the ice from 6am ’til 6pm in hopes of a fish like this. This is my life and there’s no better place. I know my momma is looking down….”
Love it, man!
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“…not all ice anglers fit the traditional image of a rugged and seasoned-looking guy decked out in overalls and red plaid jacket.”
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– That’s a line from this BarrieToday write-up chatting with fish-head Shannon Lane, who catches 38″ burbot (among other things) I could only dream of:
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I know plenty of fellas who wouldn’t even hold that thing, let alone catch it. Props to all you fisher-ladies out there!
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1. SD: Hooked on Hardwater happenin’ Feb 27.
60 pro anglers take out 60 underprivileged boys for a 1-on-1 ice fishing experience in the Black Hills. Love to see it!
2. WI: More “forever chemicals” found in Madison Lakes.
3. MN: DNR’s removing the Willow River dam…
…so fish won’t hit a deadend:
> “The old dam on the Willow River that created the Lake Stanton reservoir was breached in a 2016 flood. The MN DNR is replacing the dam this winter with a series of rock rapids that should refill most of the lake and still allow fish and other aquatic creatures to move upstream.”
4. PA: Folks are pacing the shoreline…
…of Lake Erie’s Presque Isle Bay, which they’re probably use to by now:
> Erie’s ice-fishing season on the bay didn’t happen in 2 of the past 5 years (’17 and ’20) because of a lack of ice. There have been years of moderate success, too, including ’18 and ’19, tho the season started later than normal in ’19.
> Records from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that there was full ice cover on Lake Erie in 2018-19. The prime time for ice fishing came in 2014 and 2015, when the Polar Vortex hit the area and froze all area lakes after a series of mild years.
5. Yamaha expands its “Power Pay” program.
> …contingency program that provides a cash bonus to Yamaha anglers who place in sanctioned salt and freshwater tournaments.
Includes the National Walleye Tour and AIM events this year. 👊
6. MB: If/when the border opens back up…
…I’d like to submit my application to ride co-pilot with @gaunefishin on Lake Winnipeg:
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Little semi-related side note:
I’ve fished Lake Winnipeg quite a few times…. One thing that’s always been a struggle for me is forcing myself to leave the hot sunset bite to make sure there’s enough time to get off the lake in daylight – it’s BIG water and don’t wanna get stuck out there after dark.
Buuuut if you were able to sneak a “shack” out there like that…would be able to stay as long as you wanted and maybe even stick some after-dark slobs? Haven’t really heard of anyone working the night shift on “big windy,” but maybe it’s a thing?
7. UT: Flaming Gorge Rez “Burbot Bash” happenin’ Jan 29-31.
An annual tourney (and non-profit event) to help rid the fishery of the “invasive species and voracious predator that eats sport fish that would otherwise be available for anglers to catch.”
> “Known for its ugly face and tasty flesh, the eel-like burbot is a menace to the other fish in Flaming Gorge Reservoir. It has a huge appetite and sharp teeth that are carving into the reservoir’s sportfish populations.”
Okay, but “sharp teeth?” Must grow ’em differently in UT ‘cuz we can definitely lip ’em – just like you would a bass – over this way….
8. AR stocked millions of BAITFISH in 2020.
> AGFC hatcheries produced 17.6 mil fish. But rather than producing more hungry, grown-up fish to stock in major lakes, biologists have concluded that the lakes are well-populated with adults that need forage to grow.
So about 60% of that 17.6 mil included shad, golden shiners, bluegill, redear and fathead minnows:
> “We’re really pushing habitat improvement on lakes and more forage where there is a poor forage base. At Greers Ferry Lake, we’ve been pushing forage there for a lot of years, and it’s made a big difference. Hatcheries have moved from stocking a large number of predator fish to producing the forage for those predator fish.”
Btw they also donated 254K walleye fingerling to Arkansas’ waters.
9. You dreaming of spring walleyes yet?
FishUSA has VMC Sleek Jig Kits + B-Fish-N Tackle AuthentX plastics 15% off:
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Man, Wired2Fish’s McKeon Roberts comes with a lot of baggage (lol) so pretty cool to see how he likes to organize/manage his hardwater gear so he has everything he could possibly need with:
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“I didn’t choose the bug life, the bug life chose me.”
– That’s outdoor-shooter Sam Moore getting his creative on – drone style:
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Sorta like real-life video games, only when you crash it costs $2K lol. But dude gets THE shots.
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@shayleebreanne would get some funny tan lines if she held this pose long enough:
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Sign up another fish-head!
If you’re forwarding Target Walleye to a friend who loves to walleye-fish or want your fishing buddies to get these emails, just send us their email addresses and we’ll take care of it! (We won’t sell the addresses, use them for spam, etc.)
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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 and Ron Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-nuts like you! #fishheads
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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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