Target Walleye/Ice email

Underwater deer stand, Early-ice panfish spots, Line diameter vs lb test


Little different look as we transition into the ice season. Use the awkward in-between time to spool up, learn up and maybe clean up the garage lol.
 

If you’re getting this Target Walleye/Ice email for the first time, a friend probably signed you up!

Today’s Top 4

Bundled-up bruisers of the week!

Whoa…so THIS is what a 33″ (14.5-lb) walligator looks like. Richard Lorenzen caught her on the Rainy River (MN/ON border). Sheesh!

Couple o’ bundled-up bruisers made their way into John Pollock’s Lund. Caught fishin’ Rapala Rippin’ Raps on Green Bay (right) and the Fox River (left):

Jason Matity was fishing the Qu’Appelle River System (SK) when he crushed this 11.5-lb (30″ x 18.5″) sand dragon throwing a 5″ Big Hammer Swimbait (bay smelt) soaked in Pro-Cure Anise Plus Super Gel:

Guides Peter Brzezinski and Matt Seferit teamed up to wreak havoc on the Lake Vermilion, MN walleyes, including this massive 31-incher that slammed a Berkley Flicker Shad behind lead. Great shot:

Camden Kuksa has been ripping Rapala Shad Raps in 6′ near Devils Lake, ND and sticking quality lizzies…like this 27.5-incher:

Jason Revermann cracked this 30″ beef brisket — and his new PB — on a VMC Neon Moon Eye Jig tipped with a fathead. Congrats dude!

Early-ice panfish locations: Basins vs shallow weeds.

Here’s how Joel Nelson decides if he’s starting shallow or deep when chasing early-ice panfish on a new lake. Oh, and we can’t stand next to a lake for that long without at least making a couple casts:

Got to chattin’ with Joel and found out one of his fav baits for specifically targeting BIG pannies is the “snack size” Rapala Ultra Light Rippin’ Rap. That #3 size is brand new this season, but of course he got to use ’em early [insert not-fair, huffy-puffy breath here].

> Weighs just 1/16-oz and has a slightly larger profile than your thumbnail. Said he mostly likes them in mid-range depths, but he’ll fish ’em for suspended fish that are as deep as 15-20′ — or even 25′ — to pluck the biggest fish from the school.

> Also fishes ’em on the edges of the weeds using the rattles to draw fish in.

> Use a fairly stout rod with an extra-fast tip (vs a noodle rod) for better control. Gotta remember: It’s still a hard bait, so you need to drive the hooks home.

Here’s the one Joel tried to steal outta my (Brett) box:

Guess that “pink tiger UV” is tough to come by: Rapala’s website is out of stock and looks like FishUSA only has a couple left (for now). More info soon-ish.

Best deer stand location ever?

Good Luck to everyone hitting the deer stand this weekend and be safe! Hope you’ve got your spot dialed in like TW fan Curt Hoffbeck:

> “Went down to the river to put up some game cams for bowhunting and it dawned on me that big ‘eyes are easier to get this time of year than big bucks. Fished some backwaters on the river and got some fat 26- to 27-inchers and saugers.”

> “They were hitting VMC Neon Moon Eye Jigs with 4.5″ Go-To Hoochie Koochie tails (lemon lime and white). Cheers to fall…the best time of year!”

Here’s what Curt’s stand must look like with Down Imaging lol:

Do you know the difference between ‘glow’ and ‘UV’ jigs?

There’s a night and day difference between glow and UV jigs…lol. Seriously: One acts as a sponge to absorb/emit light while the other reflects it. Some knowledge from Northland Tackle’s Eric Naig:

Lots more info here for those of you that wanna get all scientific about it.

News

1. MN: Maybe-kinda-sorta Mille Lacs regs announced.

> Will [likely] be allowed to keep one walleye within 20-22″ [per day], or “one over” fish yet to be determined — most likely one over 26″ or one over 28″.

2. Illinois River walleye making a comeback.

Sparked by the Clean Water Act of 1972. And thanks to stocking efforts where the IDNR collects walleye/sauger sperm/eggs at MWC weigh-ins. #Stout

3. 2 min of underwater strikeage…

…shot with standard Aqua-Vus…not some crazy modded-out Bill Lindner specimen lol. Time to move south if this doesn’t get you pumped for ice:

4. Ice Castle hiring OTR truck driver.

Not to be confused with ice road truckers. Which is a real thing in Manitoba.

Re-designed to cut super fast. The 8″ F1 Rocket Auger (gas) weighs 22 lbs and the 8″ P1 (propane) is the lightest propane on the market at 26 lbs:

Win this mountain of ice fishing loot!

Have a shot at winning this mega pile of ice fishing loot from Custom Jigs & Spins worth $200-ish! Guys who make “The Original” Demon Jig, which has caught more walleyes than Al and Ron combined lol. Just enter your email addy, then share the link you get for more chances to win. Good luck!!

Tip of the Day

Something to keep in mind when spooling up for the hard stuff. Important to know the difference no matter what line you’re using, but Lucas is specifically talking about the new Clam CPT Frost Ice Line. Check it:

Yo Lucas — you know most people’s desks are usually covered in papers, not fishing gear…right? Lol keep doing your thing man.

Everyone else…hang in there:

Meme of the Day

Gotta bring this one back…. Who else is pacing the shorelines?

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

David Shmyr Jr. fished himself into 2 hours of complete chaos, landing 4 double-digit fish and many others super close. All on a Bagley Rumble B 13:

Guy has been killing it on the Bs, so had to ask him about it:

> “Wish I had [Bagley Rumble Bs] years and years ago…what an amazing crankbait. I’m sure they’ll be less effective when more people catch on to them, but they’ve treated us unreal the past few years.”

Sorry dude #SecretRevealed

Sign up another ice-head!

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Who is Target Walleye/Ice?
Target Walleye/Ice — 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
Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye/Ice. 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

To send us walleye pics, ice shots or whatever, just respond to this email or click here to email us. Or post it on the Target Walleye Facebook page.

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