Respect the pout, Humpback walleyes, Bimini tops cool again

…left this burbot (aka eelpout) on the ice to rot, but GROW UP:

Came across that ^ frozen waste in the Brainerd Lakes Area (MN) the other day. If you’re not going to take the time to clean what you catch = let it go for another person to enjoy.

Years ago, it used to be quite common to see the random burbot lying slaughtered on the ice – frozen and wasted. This is illegal, ignorant and frowned upon with any species, and burbot are no different. In case you didn’t know: Burbot are actually good indicators of a healthy fishery.

They provide excellent table fare. Yes, they taste muy delicioso! Boiled, deep fried, or even pan seared like scallops…burbot are known as the “poor man’s lobster” for a reason. Gotta clean ’em a little differently though – almost like cutting the backstraps out of a deer.

I realize there is [at the time of writing this] no limit on burbot in MN, but let’s practice selective harvest. Keep the smaller males if possible and let those big ladies swim. Did you know that approximately 20-30% of a big females weight is thanks to her eggs? That’s a lot of baby burbs!

Over the last 8-ish years, they’ve quickly become my favorite species to target through the ice. Hook into just a schmedium-sized ‘pout and you’d swear you were pulling up a 24-27″ walleye.

So sit back, enjoy the ride, and hope your drag is set accordingly. RESPECT THE POUT!

Whew. Okay, okay, I’m done.

Btw – I’ve heard out west-ish (Utah, Wyoming, etc?) there’s some fisheries they want them gone. But here in MN they are native to the lakes.

1) Gotta kick this one off with the biggest, most-humpiest-backest walleye I’ve ever seen – caught a couple seasons ago by John Rutten while pulling Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards on Lake Winnebago:

Some of my favorite comments under that OG Target Walleye Facebook post:

• That’s why they look like arcs on the graph.
• Make sure you use a flexible fillet knife.
• Fresh curly fish fries.
• Must have been caught near a power plant.
• Looks like my Aunt Regina…only taller. [Better hope she doesn’t see that!]

🤣🤣🤣

2) MN guide Nick Miltimore (who you’ll be hearing a lot more about soon….) put his clients on this curvy Mille Lacs ‘eye pitching Berkley Ripple Shads in 5-12′:

3) Must be something in that Mille Lacs Lake water ‘cuz Jenni Buckingham (@fishin_my_life_away) pajama’d this 27.75″ hunchback earlier this month soaking a small sucker minnow under a rattle reel at 3am:

4) Always thought the Hunchback of Notre-Dame was in Paris, but Rylee White (@aliengiirl) found this 24” Quasimodo in Manitoba:

5) Of course it’s not just a walleye thing…. Brandon Patnoe’s buddy wrassled in this humpback water wolf – maybe caused by some type of injury when it was just a little pup?

Not too shabby, all!

Your newsfeed has probably been cluttered with more sappy-love posts than fish pics lately (thx a lot Valentine’s Day!) so here’s a little something to switch it up…. Nevis, MN 3rd-grader Eli Boushee created this one-of-a-kind box to hold his Valentines! Posted by Vexilar on Insta:

👏👏👏 Love it, Eli!

And in case your brain works like mine (scary, right?):

> Comment from @d0wnbyth3riv3r: “That’s pretty awesome! Got to admit at first glance, without reading the caption, I thought someone left their Vex way too close to a heater.”

Lol.

– 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:

Where them windshield wipers at??? 🤣

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.

And Lund somehow actually made those Sport Tops look cool. Just realized I don’t have any pics on my phone of it setup 🤦‍♂️ – will snap a bunch more this summer – but here’s a couple quick selfies under it. Can you guess which one my daughter Maisie took?

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.

Andrew Whaylen sent in this pic of a 1-eyed walligator he caught on Lake Winnipeg:

Imagine the stories that one will tell its grandkids:

Might seem impressive it can track down baits with a missin’ peeper, but could it actually make it easier…? Check this random pirate fact of the day:

> Some assume pirates wore eye patches to cover a missing (or wounded) eye…but an eye patch was more likely to be used to condition the eye so the pirate could fight in the dark under the deck.

Btw I’ve never met a real-life pirate, so no way of knowing if that’s 100% legit or not….

1. H2H Pro Walleye Series partners with…

…non-profit Learn to Fish With Us, whose mission is “to grow the sport of fishing by educating and inspiring both beginner and experienced anglers.”

> “With support from the Future Angler Foundation…Learn 2 Fish With Us will be hosting clinics during each PWS event in 2021 with special appearances from PWS anglers.”

2. OH: Are folks ice fishing on Lake Erie?

Like getting out on the big water, or just protected areas?? Last I had heard it was about 75% covered in ice which to me sounds terrifying to have to play the wind direction. But I did see a write-up letting people know that Lake Erie ice fishing access is available at Camp Perry, and that’s it’s first come, first served for the 200 parking spots. So either it’s booming or they’re preparing for it to be 💥ing.

3. MN DNR’s tweaking how married couples buy combo licenses.

Basically both members will need to be present. But there is a loophole if you both can’t get in to buy one at the same time.

4. MN shelter removal dates already coming up.

Crazy to think about considering a lot of lakes have just finally got enough ice for the BIG “shacks.” Quick glance:

• Feb 20 – MN/IA border waters.
• Mar 1 – Southern 2/3rds of the state.
• Mar 1 – MN/WI border waters.
• Mar 5 – MND and SD border waters.
• Mar 15 – Northern 1/3rd of the state.
• Mar 31 – MN/CAN border waters.

5. The Jasons are going live at 8pm CST tonight.

That’s Jason Rylander and Jason Durham who are going live over on Clam’s Facebook page. Both are super knowledgeable and absolutely hilarious in their own way – get ‘em together and look out!

6. Can’t catch ’em from the couch…

…but there are days where that’d be nice – like this pic posted on the Simms Fishing Instagram that actually makes ice fishing look warm:

Beats those standard frozen blue jeans pics. No offense, we’ve all done it!

7. UT’s declaring war on pike now?

Pretty sure they want anything that isn’t just a big minnow gone (lol).

8. MN: Alumacraft is 75 yrs old.

9. Buck Knives has some great web specials right now.

Starting under just $12. Check ‘em out right here.

This 841 Sprint Pro Carbon Fiber isn’t on sale, but looks too purdy not to share a snap:

10. Merc has a new digital throttle and shift system.

One of the features:

> Active Trim automatically and continuously adjusts engine trim based on changes in GPS speed to improve performance, fuel economy and ease of operation.

11. Yetti fish house transformed into “Mobile Education Center.”

From Ice Forts Custom Fish Houses:

> “Take a look at this Yetti Shell bought at Ice Forts and transformed into a Mobile Education Center to help children with sensory disorders so that in these times they can still have a place to learn!”

Podium and all! 👀 But gotta get at least a few holes in that floor for Federal holidays….

Virginia encourages anglers to keep “musky diary.”

Not a stinky one, but a muskie one. I’m picturing something like this:

Day 28: Couple more small northerns.

Day 72: Still nothing, but it’s just nice to be out.

Day 1,347: Call mama! I had a follow!!

Hahaha props to those of you able to keep your head in the game long-enough to #TargetMuskie.

D-Bomb uses a double-uni knot…

…to connect a fluoro leader to his leadcore, and makes it look super easy. Also gotta give 👊 to the fact he’s fishing while doing the vid, instead of anchored-up. #MultiTasking

Yup, an open-water tip just snuck in here. 🤔 I’m trying to be sensitive to the fact that not everyone enjoys (or even cares about) ice fishing lol.

One of my favorite things about burbot fishing:

The bite lines up with workin’-folks’ hours…. Can eat dinner with the family, put the kiddo to bed, and still be out in time for what’s typically the best bite.

One of my least favorite things about burbot fishing:

Getting ready for work after fishing WAY too late like…

Really feeling that one today. 🥱

Love me some walleye fishin’ [!!] but it’s getting to be that time of year = #BurbotSZN

Yup, Lake of the Woods grows ‘em big! And not just talking about the walleyes and burbot…. Get a wide-load of this slough shark Travis Frank iced out of Ballard’s Resort:

Awesome fish, man!

Believe it or not, 40-inchers are hardly considered “big ones” when the bite is on 🔥 during the Mar/Apr late-ice period. If you wanna learn a little more on how to chase giant LOW pike on tip-ups, hit this TargetWalleye.com write-up.

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH