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Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Hope your day is filled with family, food and fishing…or at least fishing stories…. Heck, you might even be servin’ up walleye instead of turkey? Know this guy is:
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And If you are sneakin’ out on the hard stuff…be safe out there!! Just because you see someone else out on the ice, does NOT mean it’s safe everywhere:
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Those ice-safety charts are great and all…but they do ZERO good unless you actually know how thick the ice is = checking every step with a spud bar (aka ice chisel). Just because a spot had walkable ice yesterday, doesn’t mean it will have safe ice the next day. When in doubt, give it a few extra days to thicken up.
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Today’s Target Walleye is a special issue jammed FULL of new-ish ice baits and other stuff you absolutely “need” lol. Hope you dig it!
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We can never have enough baits!!!
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Can catch ’em lots of different ways early-ice while oxygen levels are high and the fish are active. Spoons, rattlebaits, jigs, plastics…we’ve got you covered! Lots of brand new schtuff for the 2020/2021 ice season right here, plus a few other must-haves it’s about dang time you tried! [drool emoji]:
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The “free-swinging hook” (on a singular axis) adds a “tail-whipping action” to your bait/plastics, without having to actually move your bait. For you visual learners:
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Can now get that proven spoon shape with 8 hours of red, green or chartreuse glow. They were able to keep it compact = helps cut through the water column and also seal the deal when its face-to-face with the fishes.
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> “Designed specifically for a deadly vertical presentation, the new Tikka Mino is the ultimate balanced jigging minnow for ice anglers [but has open-water applications too]. It swims and darts like a panicked baitfish, and has unique Prism Holographic colors that attract predator fish. As a 1-piece, zinc-alloy bait, the Tikka is super strong and there are no plastic fins to break. There are 14 colors in 4 sizes.”
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> Made from ABS plastic, the Live Spoon is unlike any fishing spoon on the market. Its design and composition provide a unique fluttering action…actually swims through the water….
> …features an internal rattle chamber…and is finished off with a custom treble hook. Sort of a hybrid of the rattling spoon and the flutter spoon.
> Being that it’s ABS, the paint jobs like to hold up better than your typical metal spoon — no chipped up spoons from bouncing around in your tackle box. …many of the color schemes come from the Z-Viber lineup.
Comes in 2 sizes: a 1/16-oz (1.25″ with 8 colors) and a 3/8-oz (2.25″ with 5 colors).
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Man, there’s a whole pile of Berkley and Gulp! ice treats you might not even know are a thing. Tough to pick a favorite — can check ’em out here — but here’s a few that stuck out to me right:
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> Glow-in-the-dark patterns, an enticingly bladed tail, sharp heavy-weighted short shank hooks, and a pair of thunderstruck eyes that bring everything together. Ideal for vertical jigging or extra long casts, once you see it in action both you and the fish will be hooked.
Comes in 8 colors and 1/4-, 3/8- and 1/2-oz sizes.
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The new-last-ice-season jigging spoon got a tasty new wardrobe:
> We believe in fishing glow colors in the mornings, and switching to metal colors in the afternoon…designed this lure so you don’t need to take it off all day!
Here’s “wonder bread glow” and “purple tiger glow” with the “gold hologram” backs:
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> The PK Rattle Spoon is truly a triple threat! Includes a loud brass rattle chamber that will stay on, attached #2 PK Wyoming Blade out of the packaging, and a gold hologram on one side with a cool paint design on the other. Noise + flash + action.
> Tip with a minnow head or 2-3 full minnows — find out what the fish want and use your electronics to see how the fish respond to your jigging technique. When fish approach the spoon, slowly raise the lure above the fish while slowing your jigging and hang on!
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If you’ve ever fished panfish through the ice, you’ve probably seen the Custom Jigs & Spins Ratso — I’d be willing to bet it’s accounted for putting a million fish topside over the last 30-ish years. Seriously.
CJ&S dropped a new tungsten jig for this season — molded after the Ratso — called the Tütso (pronounced “toot-sew”). It’s designed to get down quicker, keep your line tighter, and reach greater depths than the Ratso:
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> “…horizontal precision ball-head tungsten design (nearly twice the weight of lead), an ultra-sharp Mustad gold hook, a superior paint scheme and a paint-free eye. Comes pre-rigged with a super soft, slim Finesse Plastic body.”
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Added 3 new colors in the tasty 1-5/8″ (3/16-oz) size Mini Rattl’n Vibe for you ice-heads, and also in the 3/8-oz Rattl’n Vibe. From top to bottom…here’s luminescent (glow), wonderbread and luminescent perch (glow):
*** Fish not included
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Awesome shots ^ from fish-head Mark Maule, who said the Rattl’N Vibe Mini is one of his absolute favorite baits for early-ice walleyes because “it can be worked aggressively for active fish…but is small enough to fool more-finicky eaters as well.”
Has a “downward shimmy swimming action on the fall, and a really tight wobble action on the rip.”
Said he targets sand and/or rock flats in 10′ or less, and that the fish are there “to pack on weight for the upcoming winter.” Fishes ’em on 4-lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ice Line or TopKnot Fluorocarbon Ice Line (2 new ice lines manufactured right in Yo-Zuri’s Japan facilities).
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Bonus tip: Set one under a tip-up with a shiner skin hooked in the back = #Money!
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> “…highly unique in both appearance and fishability. Engineered with 3 interconnected body water tunnels, water travels through the bait and gives it an incredibly erratic action that is irresistible to any gamefish. Also equipped with a glass rattle eye for added noise.”
And here’s an “inside look” at those water tunnels:
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Awesome action [!] and still one of the more-unique designs I’ve seen — bonus points for being made by a small business in PA:
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Takes some practice but you can work it like a puppet: make it dart off and swing in a pendulum or figure-8 motion. Mix and match different plastic tails (or minnows) on the back to change the look/action.
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A new-ish ‘vertizontal’ bait design you can bet those fish haven’t seen before:
> “…features and industry first sliding head rail…allows the bait to sink vertically at incredible speeds, and with one twitch of the rod, the lure transitions to a horizontal presentation. The unbreakable polycarbonate lip gives the lure an erratic darting action and the feathered tail draws fish in.”
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Folks have been asking for this for a long time. Basically a neutrally-buoyant fly line that lasts forever-and-a-half. Best part = WAY less tangles! Has a vinyl coating that’s waterproof so it doesn’t freeze and won’t cut your hands when that slimy pike makes a big ol’ run.
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Yup, they’re a real thing! I just picked one up and couldn’t be happier. Check it:
> Handcrafted in Manitoba, these eco-friendly wallets use a byproduct of commercial fishing that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The walleye leather feels and smells like leather, with the distinctive walleye pattern. Master-tanner Clint Boyd in La Riviere, MB spent 20 years perfecting the tanning process of turning walleye skin into this premium leather product.
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BEEFY new Roto-Molded rod cases — comes in 4 different sizes: 40″, 40″ deep, 48″ and 48″ deep. No doubt spendy, but would probably pay for itself if it stopped even just 1 of your custom-rods from breaking.
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You hardhouse guys/gals are gonna love this. That bad mama jama in the middle is a 10″ version so you can see your bobber from basically any angle in the shack!
> …premium balsa wood weighted float that has a fiber optic stem and a transparent bulb at the top. It’s powered by a 3v lithium battery (included) that lights up the stem and bulb for greater visibility. Comes in 2″ or 10″ stem lengths. …features a line slot to easily change the float without cutting the line.
JB also has non-lighted “Fish House Floats” with a 10″ fiberoptic stem:
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They’re not just for inside permie shacks…I had the chance to try one during late-ice and loved it. Soaked a fathead under one as a deadstick for crappies — while I hole hopped around it — was freakin’ awesome watching ’em take it from 30′ away!
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If you (somehow) still don’t own one of these — wake up! Attaches to a cordless drill so you can peel off a pile of line right quick. Honestly not sure how I ever managed without one. Work smarter, not harder:
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Few details on the 3 new models:
> The ES44UL-XF is a solid glass 44″ rod with an extra-fast ultralight tip action to detect lite biters that smoothly transforms into a stiffer midsection and powerful enough to handle most fish that dare meet the challenge.
> The ES44L-F is a 44″ solid carbon fast-action blank that excels at small spoon presentations or light-line presentations. It weighs nothing in your hand and fishes with both finesse and authority.
> Rounding out the series is the ES42M-F, a 42″ solid carbon blank that is a master at working rattle spoons, Jigging Raps or any reaction lure presentation. The fast-action tip section parlays into a perfectly structured mid and butt section for the best hooksets and fish fighting performance.
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Soooo dang handy for popping those tiny tungsten hooks out of a crappie or bluegill mouth. Also works great for popping a deeply-hooked walleye off without turning ’em inside out…. Attach the lanyard to your bibs or jacket and don’t look back.
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I’m the type of ice-head that prefers to fish in bibs and no coat. Ran this top the last 2 years and absolutely fell in love with it. Spendy, yes…but you can’t fish all day if you’re not comfortable, and you absolutely won’t regret this piece:
> …has a 2-layer weave to keep the heat around your body. Shaped for ease of motion…thumbhole cuffs to keep your sleeves around the wrist — integrated hood and neck gaiter design block the cold from creeping in.
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Thing is actually really fun to play with — let’s you customize the color of the blade, handle and hardware…even get it engraved. I like being different (lol) so just hopped on there a whipped up this number:
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Frabill has 4 brand-spankin’ new shacks out now. Can hit the press release here or you visual learners can check this video from Steve Pennaz. Side entry makes the ice-fishing world go ’round [!] and I can definitely appreciate those glove-friendly zipper pulls:
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Go big or go home…and we ain’t goin’ home.
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No idea how MarCum fit over 2 MILLION pixels into their Pursuit HD underwater camera, but I’m not complaining! Stuffed a full HD image sensor (1920X1080p) into a compact 5″ unit = me gusta:
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Also digging the fact you don’t need any external gadgets to record HD footage — just plop a micro SD card in it and whammy.
Wait ’til you see how insanely clear this bad boy is underwater:
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That ^ compact unit is a new lightweight auger head combined with SM’s popular Lite-Flite Lazer drill. Gets 100 holes per charge with the 6″ drill and 50 holes per charge with the 8″ drill (based on 16″ of ice).
Total weight of the 6″ is 13.3 lbs, and 14.3 lbs for the 8″.
You ever go to grab something you think is gonna be heavy and it ends up being WAY lighter than you expected? Like a moving box full of can koozies…grocery bag of paper towels…or maybe an empty suitcas…. Feel like the Lithium 24V is gonna have that same effect.
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If you’re sick of your ice hole freezing over you should probably keep reading. This slick little made in the USA gadget from Cold Nation Outdoors is called the Ice Defense Pro Series. It circulates warmer water from below and “creates thermal flow on the surface to defend against slush and ice build up.”
I got my hands on one at the end of last year and thing’s legit.
If you’ve been on the fence about getting one, I strongly recommend watching this on-ice field test video (in 7-9°F) to see a time lapse of it in action — they literally dump extra slush in the hole and the Ice Defense Pro Series eats it right up:
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First off: There’s nothing wrong with doing it the old-fashioned way…
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That being said, times they are a-changin’! The term “game changer” gets thrown around a lot in the fishing biz, but LiveScope is seriously mindblowing stuff. If you haven’t heard of it, here’s a 3-second preview from Uncut Angling:
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And you can get that ^ same technology in a ready to rip ice-fishing bundle:
> …live-scanning sonar allows you to see fish swimming in real time [!] and structure up to 200′ in any direction. …locate schools of fish and know exactly where to drill your next hole.
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For sure ain’t cheap, but can you reeeeally put a price on outfishing the snot outta your buddies??? 😝
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Here we go! 🍀 Two lucky winners are each going to score an Okuma ice-fishing package worth over $200! Including:
> Okuma (C-10) Ceymar Spinning Reel: I absolutely fell in love with these egg beaters 4 seasons ago and haven’t looked back! That C-10 size matches up nicely with most all ice rods and looks reeeeally goooood while doing it. I honestly think you’ll be shocked they don’t cost more….
> Okuma Trio Ice Rod Kit: A 3-in-1 ice rod that lets you swap out for a 24″ light, 26″ medium light, or 28″ medium blank depending on the type of fishing you plan on doing.
Plus they’re throwing in an Okuma Tackle Bag, hoodie and 8-lb Soft Steel Transcend Braid so you’ll be ready to rip.
Takes just 10 seconds to enter by clicking here or on the pic below — can share the link you get for bonus entries. Good luck!
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Of course can’t fit every cool new thing in a single email…so we’ll keep sprinkling ’em in upcoming Target Walleye emails going forward. Thx much for reading!
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Sign up another fish-head!
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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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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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