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Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Hope your day is filled with family, food and far-fetched fishing stories!! Or maybe you’re hitting the water?
I mean there’s nothing better than spending time with loved ones, but….
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Chill, mom…it’s just a joke. 🤣😘❤️ See you in a couple hours lol.
Heads up: This will be the only TW this week, but it’s jammed FULL of new ice baits, open water fish-catchers, and other schtuff 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 2023/2024 ice season right here, plus a few other must-haves it’s about dang time you tried!
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1. Spoon feed ’em!
In no particular order…
VMC Rattling Roach Spoon
I got to play around with some samples a little last winter and it’s the real deal. 💪Very versatile spoon with awesome action. The marabou teaser tail breathes in the water 🎯 I didn’t even need to tip it with a minnow head and still caught picky walleyes out of clear, zebra-mussel infested lakes:
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> …VMC connected with Tony Roach to work on the Rattling Roach Spoon. VMC leaned on Roach’s experience as a heavily booked, multi-species, all-season guide on MN’s Mille Lacs Lake to develop its new killer bait.
> The Rattling Roach Spoon features an intense fluttering action combined with an exposed rattle chamber to deliver maximum sound vibrations. …a marabou teaser tail and a holographic eye…16 eye-popping colors….
> To give hardwater anglers an additional edge, 14 of the 16 Rattling Roach Spoon finishes feature an Ultra Glow finish and 3 feature a UV Bright finish. Ultra Glow colors give off a glowing effect that lasts for 15 min in dark water – all to make sure this lure is seen by fish.
Clam Jointed Pinhead Pro Spoon
It’s no secret how well jointed baits can work during the open-water season – gives the bait an extra little wobble – this was the first I had ever seen designed specifically for ice with a darting, dancing, injured-minnow profile. And that face-down design is for upward feeding fish:
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> “…can be jigged with quick short lifts of the rod, creating an upwards darting action followed by a fall with a fluttering action to imitate an injured or scared baitfish. Slower jigging strokes allow the spoon a unique rocking motion that triggers stubborn fish.”
Eurotackle Spade Blade
Flutter + rattle + flash = I can’t wait to see all of that movement underwater:
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The Spade Blade was born from a collaboration between Travis Krousie from J&S Custom Jigs and Eurotackle. More info here, but a few details below:
> The ‘Spade’ combines aspects of a variety of spoons to make the ultimate package. The spoon starts off with a metal base which is formed in a distinctive spade design. The distinctive design causes the spoon to flutter with every drop. “It’s a really unique flutter too…this isn’t your standard flutter spoon.”
> …also combines aspects of attracting spoons with the addition of internal rattles and micro blades. The internal rattle chamber is placed centrally so it doesn’t impact the fluttering action, but still helps to call fish in…. The micro blades also have their own fish-drawing power. “Obviously, the external blades add some additional sound attraction, but they also aid in visual attraction. The blades are designed to complement the overall color patterns of the individual spoons, while maintaining some contrast from the spoon itself.”
> The Spade Blade features premium quality Mustad treble hooks [and] is offered in two sizes (1/16 oz and 1/4 oz). The 7 color schemes include some familiar options, as well as some new options that have never before been seen in the Eurotackle lineup.
Berkley Vibrato
Overlooked bait (both open-water and ice) that can catch ‘em when other stuff isn’t making it happen. It’s a secret weapon of numerous folks who asked that I don’t mention their name…or the bait 👀 LOL sorry….
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> “Slow flutter rate on the fall creates flash and disturbance which allows the angler to target pressure and suspended predators by allowing the Vibrato to drop while popping intermittently.”
Freedom Tackle Flash:
> The premium zinc, UV-coated body carries an Indiana blade mounted on the belly which swings loosely on the rise and fall to maximize both flash and vibration while creating the erratic action of a baitfish in trouble.
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> Super-sharp black nickel treble hook. The through-wire construction transmits vibration throughout the bait and ties in an elongated bait keeper wire for adding a minnow head.
That way your minnow heads won’t fall off from jigging, and can sometimes catch multiple fish on the same minnow head = dropping back down faster when a pod is rolling thru:
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ACME ACME Kastmaster
A proven classic that’s been catching ‘em for years. Comes in a zillion tasty options:
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Btw FishUSA is going to have ’em buy 2 get 1 free here on “Black Friday.”
2. Gettin’ jiggy with it
Na-na, na, na, na-na-na…. Na-na, na, na, na-na:
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> “The Tikka Flash is a mini crankbait style lure that is perfect when targeting a variety of fish like bluegills, crappies, perch and more! This lure will call fish in with its flashing, blade style tail, turning sniffers into biters with its enticing swimming motion and irresistible lifelike features. With or without bait….”
This zinc alloy bait comes in 3 sizes (1/32, 1/16 and 3/32) and 12 metallic-plated and glow-in-the-dark colors.
ACME Hyper T Tungsten Jig
> Giant panfish thrive on small insects and minnows, and the Acme Hyper T Jig can mimic either. Molded rubber wings allow the Acme jig to glide after every rod twitch to impersonate the action of underwater swimming nymphs and insect larvae.
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ACME Ice Hyper-Rattle
> The Hyper-Rattle has been crushing fish in both ice and open water for years. Heading into the 2023 ice season, the HR3 1” is born. Crappie, perch, bluegill and walleye better beware! High-definition and high-durability finishes with glow and UV paint. Balanced, life-like action swimming presentation.
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Berkley and Gulp! Ice plastics
Man, there’s a whole pile of Berkley and Gulp! ice treats you might not even know are a thing! Can check ’em out here – but below is a few that stuck out to me right away:
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Some open-water killers! 😮💨
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Still some diehards hitting the open-water. Go big or go home, and they ain’t goin’ home:
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Berkley Deep Hit Stick
You already know and love the original Hit Stick, and now Berkley came out with a Deep Hit Stick for when you need to get down to ‘em.
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> …aggressive lure with a deeper rattle, bulkier profile, and a wider wobble than other stick baits. The Berkley Hit Stick Deep model has a true balsa-like action that is perfect for bigger, deeper, or more aggressive fish that may not respond to finesse minnow baits. Berkley integrated its FlashDisc technology for tracking stability and accuracy and outfitted the walleye trolling lure with sharp Fusion19 hooks.
Quick rundown of the sizes and running depths:
- The #9 size (3.75″ long and 1/3 oz) runs 18-24′
- The #10.5 size (4.25″ long and 1/2 oz) runs 22-29′
- The #12 size (4.75″ long and 3/4 oz) runs 26-33’
Few colors I’m definitely adding to my arsenal:
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Heads up: FishUSA is going to have ’em buy 2 get 1 free here on “Black Friday” but you didn’t hear it from me lol. 🤫
Rapala PXR Mavrik 110 Jerkbait
I’ve heard it’s supposed to be the best jerkbait Rapala has ever built – which is REALLY saying something. 😳
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> PXR stands for Precision, Xtreme, Redline. The first in a series of elite, professional-grade lures to be introduced by Rapala, the PXR Mavrik is a suspending jerkbait. Features start with Rapala’s Long-Cast System, which provides accurate, ultra-long casts to maximize time in the strike zone, and 3 premium VMC RedLine Series #5 treble hooks.
> The lure’s suspending, head-down attitude mimics an injured baitfish, while a hard-cutting, semi-erratic action makes the PXR Mavrik a versatile jerkbait for any condition. You can fish it slow with short twitches to walk the bait side-to-side, or give it a quick snap to get the bait to turn nearly 180 degrees.
> The 110 model is being introduced as a No. 11 (4-3/8″ body length) weighing 1/2 oz. Available in 18 colors.
Bill Lewis Scope Stik
Wider and flatter than a typical jerkbait so that it shows up better on forward-facing sonar. And sounds like the lip is designed so when you stop it, it turns to the side = giving your sonar beam a big ol’ target (bigger surface area) to bounce off:
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Bill Lewis Precise Walleye Crank
> …Precision Trolling expert Mark Romanack designed the PWC to get down into the strike zone quicker with a steeper diving angle. On 10 lb mono, the lure will get down to 33’ with 200’ of line out, or with 100’ of line out it will get down to 25’.
> The action is precise and perfectly tight…the right amount of wiggle and roll…help trigger strikes in cold water. The design also operates under the theory that two big hooks are better than three small ones, so the Bill Lewis PWC also features two large Mustad Triple Grip UltraPoint hooks.
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Berkley PowerBait Power Switch
You’ve been hearing about it for months, and the new Berkley PowerBait Power Switch has finally hit the shelves.
> Designed to excel when fishing with forward-facing sonar, the Power Switch features a weight-forward design for precision casts, fast drop-ins and a wide range of actions to draw a strike out of the most finicky fish when you’re video game fishing. Available in 14 versatile colors and 6 sizes (from 1.75” to 5”).
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No doubt a special bait – can’t wait to see how folks utilize it next season.
Lunkerhunt Bento Minnow
Not brand new this year but still flying under the radar – and shouldn’t be! Awesome thing you might not know about the Lunkerhunt Bento Baits: The plastic is molded around – and fuses into – a holographic fabric in the middle…sorta like rebar and concrete. I’ve fished with one an entire day without losing it. Go to take it off and it’s like trying to get a hook out of a t-shirt. #works
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Clam Stoplight Bobber
Has a lighted stem that glows green BUT when a fish takes the bait, the light will change to red as it dips below the water. 😮
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Small holds 1/32- to 1/8-oz spoons and jigs. Large holds 1/8- to 1/4-oz spoons and jigs.
Norfin ice-fishing boots
Specifically designed for ice fishing. Warm, lightweight, removable moisture-wicking liners, waterproof…yes please!
The Klondike 2 (left) has retractable ice cleats built right into ‘em – how cool is that?! And I ordered a pair of Yukons (right) because it’s their warmest boot and rated for temps down to -60°F, yet so dang lightweight it feels like your wearing slippers:
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Clam X-Series Hub Shelters
One of the features that immediately caught my eyes (but not my shoulders or ankles 😏) is the new MaxEntry Door System. It’s 38” wide [!!!] and can still be banked into the snow. Amazing.
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I ordered a big-boy X-600 Thermal – Ice Team this year that has their new Aurora Lighting System built right in. Filming comes with a lot of baggage 😅 and extra bodies. Also hoping to bring the cots and do some ‘ice camping’ aka ‘Clamping’ this season
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Simms Men’s Wool Half-Finger Mitts
Something every fisher-person needs to own. They’re cheap, comfortable and dry out extremely quickly. I rock ‘bum gloves’ any chance I get:
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FishUSA Patriot Landing Net
Haven’t personally tried one yet, but I’ve heard good things about this net and how baits don’t get tangled up in its he clear, rubber bag:
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> With a reach of up to 70” and a collapsible hoop that’s just 44” in length, the FishUSA heavy-duty boat landing net is easy to store in tight spaces. The walleye fishing net supplies a spacious 25″ x 22″ hoop, flat top edge, and a clear rubber net bag that extends 16″ deep.
> Have you ever had trouble with a round handle twisting or turning when you’re trying to extend or retract it? Unlike round handles, the 8-sided handle doesn’t twist or turn, helping you easily find the holding hole for the spring-loaded pin – saving time and frustration when you need the landing net most! Plus, raised ridges on the handle increase your control over the walleye landing net when scooping fish.
FishUSA has a deal running today (Wed) where if you buy a Patriot Landing Net they’ll throw in a free FishUSA Men’s Walleye Hoodie:
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> …a premium soft-shell pullover built for warmth, comfort, and weather protection. Featuring ThermalSnare technology – fleece bonded with a windproof shell – keeping heat in and cold out. This soft long-nap warm fleece inner lining, a zippered hand-warming pouch, and a weather-proof shell, make this a must-have for all seasons and activities!
> The Gale Pullover is available in sizes Small-5XL and in various colors, including multiple colors with Prym1 Camo.
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Normally $130, but I saw a couple colors marked down to just $60 [!] on their site.
Z-Man Rattle-Snaker
Specifically designed for injecting rattles into plastics.
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With traditional soft-plastics, you can kind of just shove them in…but if you’ve ever tried it with the ElaZtech stuff, you know that’s not happening lol. But this thing looks slick!
And then the ElaZtech material sort of seals back up and “has a way of essentially vapor-locking the rattle inside its body.”
Catch Cover wheelhouse goodies
The ice-heads over at Catch Cover have a bunch of slick gadgets for wheelhouses – if you don’t have Safety Covers or Hole Sleeves yet…what are you even doing?!
Another slick accessory is their wall-mounted Utility Tackle Box Holder that’ll hold one 3700-size box, two 3600s or three 3500s. Of course it comes with a “handy-dandy beverage holder” built in:
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Crazy deal! But make sure it’s the right suit for you first:
> “The Trekker is the best option for early and late ice, as well as cold and windy tournament days on the boat. The Trekker Jacket features the same amount of Sureflote as our most advanced jackets and the same rugged 600D Endura shell as our Hardwater. Stylish and versatile, it is a great option for early- and late-ice environments, and perfect for ice anglers in slightly warmer climates.”
Simms Challenger 7″ Deck Boot
Man, I freakin’ love these things and wear them ALL of the time. Had to finally treat myself to a pair ‘cuz Santa kept neglecting me!
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> “From the dock duties to running laps around the deck, the vulcanized-rubber Challenger 7″ Boot sets the task-ready standard for guaranteed waterproof protection and comfort.”
Sufix Rattle Reel V-Coat line
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. This stuff should literally be required to be on every single rattle reel – once you use it, you’ll never go back:
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Actually works really great on tip-ups, too!
StrikeMaster Lithium 24V
Don’t worry, the workhorse SM Lithium 40v is still here for you folks living in AK lol…but think of this as the lightweight run-and-gun version of that already proven ice-cutter. Although the 24V has obviously already proven itself over the past couple seasons! It’s literally outstanding and I cannot reccomend it enough
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That ^ compact unit is a super 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 suitcase…. The Lithium 24V has that same effect.
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FreezArmor Heated Bags
Recently came across these gems that solve a real problem in the ice-fishing world…how to keep schtuff (auger batteries, extra gloves, phone, you name it) warm while on the ice for hours and hours on end. Enter FreezArmor. 🥵👊
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You diehard, outside hole-hoppers already know the benefits of loooonger ice rods – better hooksets, keep fish pinned, more control over your bait, etc – so pumped that Elliott keeps adding lengthy options to their high-end, ultra-sensitive sticks.
Reminder: A few seasons ago they also launched the “Evolution Ice Series” with a 5-rod lineup of waaaay longer 42-45” hardwater sticks.
Okuma Ceymar Baitfeeder
If you’ve never seen a “baitfeeder” spinning reel, they are THE DEAL for set-lines or deadsticks. Lets you disengage the spool so the fish can run – then just flip the switch or start reeling and your normal drag is automatically engaged again = never miss a beat on the hookset. The CBF-1000 is my go-to size on walleye setups:
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Something that isn’t talked about a lot, is that these “baitfeeder” reels basically let you use ANY rod as a deadstick. You don’t really need a super mushy, soft rod anymore so that the fish doesn’t feel any resistance when grabbing the bait…
Heads-up: FishUSA is gonna have all Okuma products 25% off this Thurs and Friday….
13 Fishing FreeFall Trickshop Special Edition:
13 Fishing drops a new “Trickshop Special Edition” inline reel each year, and they always kill it with some kind of fish-sexiness. Limited-run…if you try to call them in January to ask if they have more – they don’t. 😂
This year’s model features a unique 2-piece special anodized spool design housed in our ultra-lightweight Carbon Chassis (full specs here):
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Yummy.
Tuned Up Custom Rods Bullwhip
They don’t need an introduction, but I’m gonna give ’em one anyway! Tuned Up Custom Rods are hand built from the ground up in Coon Rapids, MN. 🇺🇸 They have a ton of great rods in their lineup, but the one I’m gonna specifically call out right now is the Bullwhip because it literally set the bar for hardwater panfish sticks. And I know numerous diehard ice-heads who say that out of all the ice rods they have ever owned, the Bullwhip is their absolute favorite:
> “The most versatile Noodle rod around. The Bullwhip features a solid fiberglass blank with an extra-long Hi-Viz yellow tip, perfect for visual bite detection, yet strong enough to fish larger tungsten jigs and small spoons while still having control of the bait. The quick, noodle tip transitions into a very strong backbone [incredible action!] that makes fighting slab crappies a breeze and has been known to land 40″ surprise pike.”
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And yup ^^^ you can customize them (if you want) to make it your own. Not just the Bullwhip, but any TUCR:
> Customers can specify exactly how long they want their rods to be, down to the fraction of an inch. We then custom fit the handle of your choice, and add the highest quality titanium Recoil guides to the rod. Each guide is hand wrapped in the color or colors of your choosing and then finished with slow curing epoxy to ensure a clear, clean finish for the life of your rod. Any rod can also be custom written on with a meaningful name or phrase of your choosing.
Glorious. 🙌
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😂😅
Amped Outdoors 30Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery:
In case you’re looking for “mo powa baby” and wanna upgrade your LiveScope Ice Bundle to lithium, this 30Ah beast lets you get 18 hours of runtime out of a single charge. I’ve been running this exact battery since 2019/2020 and it’s incredible.
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She’s hefty at 6 lb 10 oz (dimensions: 5.875″ x 5.125″ x 3.91″) but was designed to squeeze into the stock shuttle that LiveScope ice bundles come with. If you’re grabbing a charger, I would scoop this Charging Barrel Plug at the same time for a super quick and easy connection.
Of course they have all sorts of different sizes depending how much, or how little, of power you need. Anything from a little 7.5 Ah starting at just $59.99 all they way up to stuff that can run you around the entire lake. I 10/10 recommend checking ’em out.
Speaking of mo powa, babeh!
I upgraded my boat batteries to lithium this season and could NOT be more happy! Legit the best upgrade I have ever made to a boat.
I went with Amped Outdoors’ 36V 100Ah trolling motor lithium battery system (which is two 36V 50Ah LiFePO4 batteries in parallel). I was able to shave off roughly 140 pounds 😳 by running those 2 lithiums vs 3 lead batteries, and of course get some amazing run times:
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So many times this season where I plug ‘em in when I get home, and already have green lights 🟢 on the charger by the time I put a few things away and hop out – can’t even believe it!
Which also freed up an extra battery slot in my boat, so I was able to plug in this 100Ah beast (only weighs about 24-ish lbs) to exclusively run all of my electronics – fer dayzzzz 🔋 – instead of running them off of my cranking battery:
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And lithium battery prices seem like one of the only things in the world that aren’t exponentially going up in prices each year. 😅 Swear this same amount of lithium power would’ve cost me about 5x more just a handful of years ago….
Of course it’s still spendy, but I’ve done the math and it’ll actually save me $ in the long run with how often I was burning thru all the other lead and AGM batteries I have ever tried. Even if that wasn’t the case, I could never go back – the performance is just incredible.
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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.
Btw FishUSA is running a TON of different sales now thru Cyber Monday. New and different deals each day – click here to check what they’ve got cooking each day.
Thx so much for reading and hope you have a great weekend!
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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 Lindner, Jim Kalkofen, Jay Kumar, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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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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422 Laurel Street
P.O. BOX 541
Brainerd, MN 56401
(218) 824 5026
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