Rare golden crappie caught, Pike swims up hole, Metro walleye tips

Have you ever seen one of these?

Willy Wonka was rumored to be interested in the fish….

Few quick details from this Field & Stream write-up:

> Rick Konakowitz reeled in this bright yellow xanthic crappie last week at Clear Lake [near the town of New Ulm].

> Xanthism is a genetic mutation in which an animal’s typical coloring is replaced largely by yellow pigments.

> A MN fish geneticist compares the catch to winning the lottery.

> Both [fish experts] were surprised that the 9″ long fish had survived long enough to grow to the size that it had – since it surely stood out like a sore thumb to potential predators in a natural environment.

Amazing. 🙌 Big congrats, Rick!

Had another one sent in a couple ice seasons ago that was something similar, but unique in its own way…

Matteo caught and released this southern NH creamsicle on a Clam Drop Jig tipped with a spike. Gotta love the color contrast next to that 13 Fishing “Radioactive Pickle” combo haha. Looks more like a “nuclear orange crappie” 🤣 to me but wowza:

Semi-related side note: A few years back I put together a collection of every “golden walleye” I’ve EVER come across after yeeeeaaaars of scouring the interwebz! Hope you get to see one in real life some day, but in the meantime, enjoy!

#DoWant

Not even kidding. 🤦‍♂️ I wasn’t going to talk about this in here, but it’s so ridiculous I almost can’t not comment on it.

This is what Hudson, OH mayor Craig Shubert said at a council meeting this week during a discussion about “the safety and liability issues that might arise if the city allows ice fishing at Hudson Springs Park.” Check it:

> Mayor Craig Shubert: “If you open this up to ice fishing, while on the surface, it sounds good, then what happens next year? Does someone come back and say, ‘I want an ice shanty in Hudson Springs Park for X amount of time?’ And if you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem: prostitution. And now you’ve got the police chief and the police department involved. Just data points to consider.”

Sheesh…WTHeck, guy? 🤷‍♂️

It’s actually mind-blowing that this can apparently be someone’s initial thought when the subject of allowing ice fishing in a local park comes up. And even more so that they apparently thought it was such a great “data point” that they needed to publicly address it before someone else beat ’em to it.

I mean seriously????

…if it wasn’t caught on camera! Sportsman’s Journal TV host Tyler Trampe had a northern pike swim straight up and out the hole 🤯 chasing after a bluegill he was reeling in. His laugh at the end is the only way I can think of to describe the moment LOL. Click the screenshot below to watch his 24-second clip:

Reminds me of that time a dude caught muskie on his transducer:

Few lines from the full MeatEater write-up:

> …all of a sudden, Ben’s flasher slid across the ice house floor and wedged in the ice hole. Ben grabbed the sonar unit and pulled back, revealing a huge fish hanging onto the transducer just below the surface. Ben inched up the transducer cable, and the fish’s head came into view through the hole. Jon snatched a gill plate and pulled out a 50″ muskie dead-set on consuming that transducer. Even after coming through the hole and laying on the ice, the muskie continued to chomp on Ben’s electronics.

> “We couldn’t believe it was happening. It was honestly a minute and a half before that thing let go. I kind of tickled its mouth a little hoping it would open up and it didn’t.”

Even crazier is it was caught in a lake that’s not supposed to have muskies. The fish would’ve had to travel approx 6 miles as the crow flies the muskie swims through 2 other lakes, creeks and channels to even get there in the first place.

Btw – I couldn’t agree more with what Joe Cermele said in the write-up, that trophy muskie are only caught through total dedication or blind luck. There is no middle ground. “You’re either utterly devoted to the pursuit of them, in which case you’ll find success through obsession. Or you catch muskies by completely not trying.” HAHAHA!

Here’s an actual photo of me just 17 minutes into chucking muskie baits:

Dave Weitzel and Scott Mackenthun of the MN DNR share what is needed to make a good bluegill lake. Some interesting stuff that definitely lines up with most of the best bluegill lakes I’ve fished on. Might get your wheels turning and thinking about lakes around you that have the potential to grow ’em big:

1. We lost walleye pro Mike Hanson.

Passed away peacefully with his wife at his side. 🥺

I didn’t know Mike personally – would have LOVED to get the chance to meet him. I instantly became a big fan after watching him during a H2H Fishing livestream. Take a scroll thru his FB page and you’ll see thousands of comments, photos and memories folks have been sharing in his honor. He obviously had a major impact on every life he touched, and will continue to do so while he’s gone fishin’ in Heaven. Rest in peace, fishing brother. 🙏✝️ Prayers to the family.

2. WA dude got paid $61K for catching non-native fish!

Called northern pikeminnow:

> To reduce the pikeminnow population, the Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Program pays people who register and then turn in the pikeminnow they catch on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

> Last season payments started at $5 per fish. Next season it will pay $6 each for the first 25 pikeminnow, $8 each for 26 to 200 fish and $10 for each after 200. In addition, specially tagged pikeminnow are worth $500.

Apparently he turned in 7,185 of the buggers. And that doesn’t even count the 1,700 pikeminnow his wife caught, too. 🤣 I want in on this lol.

3. MN: The Glorvigens are heading to the Fishing HOF.

I know you’ve already heard of Wired2Fish, and we’ve got Marty and Scott Glorvigen to thank for that (among a pile of other fishy things, of course). Big congrats, fellas! 🙌 Well deserved.

4. WI schools can get DNR $ for “angler education.”

Need to apply for the grant by Feb 15.

5. MN: Sea Grant study trying to increase in-state golden shiner production.

6. WI: Couple Humminbird training workshops coming up.

In Green Bay (Feb 26) and Eau Claire (Mar 12). Learn how to REALLY use your Humminbird units from The Technological Angler. 👊 Guy can run ’em with his eyes closed.

7. MN scientists want to look for toxic tire chemical in streams.

They think it might be killing coho salmon in urban streams before the fish can spawn.

8. YOLOtek PowerStick Gen4 is on sale.

Normally $90 but on sale for $69.99. If you still haven’t seen/gotten a YOLOTek PowerStick to video all your missed hooksets and dropped fish, do it! Mounts right in your nav light port and keeps your camera fully charged. I’ve been running one for 5-ish years now = slick units.

9. Ice fishing etiquette: 10 things you should never do….

10. Shimano fishing sales were up 28% in 2021.

How to catch heavily-pressured metro walleyes.

When targeting heavily-pressured ‘eyes in the big city, you gotta think differently. Many of these fish have seen it all and can’t be fooled with “typical” tactics….

We tracked down Twin Cities (MN) native Andrew Osowski for his approach to big metro gravel lizards…little outside the box, but clearly works for him!

Full write-up here on TargetWalleye.com or click the pic below:

“I know from experience that I’ll be getting calls asking what kind of electronics I have in my boat.”

– Thar’s WI guide Ben Elfelt talking about forward-facing sonar – in this case Humminbird Mega Live – in Jim Bennett’s write-up for the Osceola Sun. Here’s the full quote:

> “Being a guide I bought one for business reasons. It will help me put more fish in the boat and I’ll get more butts in the boat. I know from experience that I’ll be getting calls asking what kind of electronics I have in my boat. Anglers who are thinking about buying a MEGA Live want to see one in use before forking out $1,500 to 3 grand for a fishfinder.

> “Most of the clients I see aren’t out to see how many fillets they can put in their freezer. They enjoy fishing and love to figure out what’s going on in the water below them. This is a tool that will allow anglers to learn more, catch more fish and enjoy time on the water.”

Look at this Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba belly-dragger! Caught on a PK Ridge Rattl’r in the “chrome blue” color. 🐖 She’s kind of shaped like a burbot hahaha:

I know how much you ice-heads (🙋‍♂️ myself included) like glow, so it’s pretty dang cool that even their metal colors have a super glow added:

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH