Target Walleye/Ice email

Vertical Rippin Raps, Wedding walleyes, Noisy bottom bouncer tip

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Everybody welcome Favorite Fishing to Target Walleye! Really looking forward to learning their gear.

At a media event on the Mississippi River getting lots of fresh content for all you walleye-nuts, so this might be the only TW email this week. Have a great and safe Labor Day weekend!

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


Today’s Top 5

Rippin’ Rap vs Jigging Rap.

Ever tried vertical jigging a Rapala Rippin’ Rap? There’s times when Joel Nelson says they work even more better-er than Jigging Raps:

Joel really likes the #6 Rippin’ Raps which are 2.5″ and weigh 1/2 oz. You probably already have a few in the box from ice fishing….

How jelly are you of this walleye wedding?!

Mississippi River guide Ted Peck doesn’t put the rod down for much, but this wedding was one occasion…sort of:

> “Alex Gorske and his fiance Christine Adamietz tied the knot in the midst of a week of walleye fishing in Door County, WI. They boated almost 50 quality eyes between 1-5am the night before the service [!] pulling custom painted stickbaits off of Monument Shoals in 18-26′.”

That’s a 28- and 30-incher. Guess who caught the bigger one?

Love it. Ted also said:

> “After the ceremony and all the festivities, they were back on the water at 7am on Sunday morning with a small craft advisory in place on Green Bay where the couple reports their first fight as Mr. and Mrs. was with a double on mid-20-inch fish.

> “Custom painted lures were all Storm Deep Jr Thundersticks pulled behind Off Shore Planer Boards. Every guy in the wedding party had a Thunderstick (with hooks removed) as the focal point of the boutonniere on their tux and the wedding cake was topped with a little bride setting the hook on the bent-over [butt] of the groom!”

Alex – get used to it man! It’s a good problem to have.

Use noisier bottom-bouncers to call fish in.

Ever considered the sound your bottom-bouncer makes? For sure an overlooked characteristic that could help you catch a few more/bigger ‘eyes than your fishin’ buddy…which of course is most important lol! Brad Hawthorne says they can help call aggressive fish in from a distance:

That Northland Slick-Stick is the deal when it can be bumped off structure and fish are on the chew. Watched B-Rad put on a clinic using it paired with a Butterfly Blade Harness fishing outta Flag Island Resort on Lake of the Woods. #EyeCandy

S’more blue eye candy.

TW fan Tory Whitton says the northern Ontario blue marlin are en fuego. He cracked this smurf on an 1/8-oz VMC Neon Moon Eye Jig and 3″ Big Bite Curl Tail Grub:

Heads up Tory – some sketchy dude named Gargamel keeps asking for you:

First walleye on the fly rod…maybe?

Fly guide Chris Siess of Knot the Reel World Fly Fishing got his first walleye on a fly rod…by catching a northern…. Does this count?

News

1. MN: Bricko/Maki win AIM championship.

Joe Bricko and Dylan Maki caught a 2-day bag of 64.80 lbs to win the AIM state championship on Lake Vermilion:

Caught ’em trolling BIG #11 Berkley Flicker Minnows on SPINNING RODS. Said the speed and efficiency of using spinning rods made all the difference in the world — they were able to chuck their cranks way out behind the boat to get ’em down to 20′ much more quickly.

> Finding mid-lake structure with big boulders and trolling at 2.5-2.8 up to 3.0 mph. Had to be grinding [the crankbaits] into the rocks all the time. Good thing we won because we’d break even right now [from all the crankbaits we lost].

Lol 8,500 bones is a pile o’ crankbaits, but for sure worth it. Congrats on the win fellas…and props to Dylan for cracking his PB walleye on game day with this massive 30.75″ rock melon:

2. MN: Mille Lacs walleye season closing…again.

Last day to #targetwalleye is Sep 4th. Things are a bit different during this time:

> Live-bait restriction lifted during daytime hours for people fishing from shore, dock or pier.

But if you’re fishing from a launch, boat, kayak, hydro jet pack or arm floaties:

Here’s our best guess at what the fishing reports will be like this winter:

Also, word is there was a “secret agreement” that covers the 2018-2020 walleye harvest numbers? And uses the 2017 formula to calculate how many walleye can be taken out of the lake each year??

3. So you want to make a living in the fishing industry?

They say it’s all about “who you know,” but there are certain steps YOU can take to make those connections happen. Here’s TW’s main man Brett McComas talking ’bout an exciting new opportunity:

Tomorrow is the last day to get in on the early-bird prizes! Click here to sign up or find out more info about this first-ever event.

4. MN: DNR wants your input on regs.

See news item #2…. Lol but seriously this is a chance to express your opinions about fishing regs that are in place — or newly proposed on 32 lakes. More info on dates/locations here.

5. Gene Eisenmann new marketing guru at T-H Marine.

Sold HydroWave to them a couple years ago, but loves marketing too much to put it down.

6. New Freedom Tackle Turn Back Shad.

> Full-metal body so no broken tails…free spinning so no line twists….

Looks pretty nasty (in a good way) underwater:

7. TX: Bass Pro sending 80 boats to help…

…with hurricane disaster recovery. #Stout

Tip of the Day

> Habitat and forage are at seasonal peaks this time of year, allowing hungry ‘eyes to be more scattered. That said, the 80/20 rule still applies — you’ll often find 80% of the fish in 20% of the water.

> By targeting classic fish-holding edges with proven presentations, you can consistently find and catch walleyes while other anglers scramble aimlessly around the lake.

> My summer game plan starts at the deep weedline because food and cover often combine to create feeding scenarios. If that doesn’t pan out, I test the waters on other transitions, such as changes in depth or bottom content.

> For example, areas where the bottom shifts from soft (clay or mud) to hard (sand, rock or gravel) are perennial producers. Drop-offs where a steep break settles into a lake’s main basin are worth checking, as are the edges of mid-lake structure.

> Sonar is a great tool for pinpointing potential hotspots. To confirm the presence of walleyes, I cover water with search tactics like a fixed-arm bottom-bouncer and spinner or Slow Death rig.

> Trolling crankbaits can be equally deadly. Long-lining works wonders in consistent depths. When fishing irregular contours, as well as water deeper than 15-20′, I add a pencil sinker on a 3-way rig to keep the lure close to bottom.

> Match your presentation’s color/profile to the forage base. In many systems, yellow perch are the main course, which makes perch-pattern spinner blades and LIVETARGET’s Yellow Perch crankbait family top choices.

> Don’t expect to stumble into massive schools of fish. You’re more likely to find a few scattered walleyes here and there.

> When you get bit, turn around and check for more fish, but don’t spend an hour hovering over an area that produced a bite. Your next strike is most likely waiting 100 yards further down whatever summertime transition you’re fishing at the moment.

Today’s ‘Eye Candy

Photog-magician Matt Addington working the lens at the NW Angle:

Yup, that Lund 1825 Pro Guide still floats after THIS happened. #HullZilla
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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 – still pinches himself everyday…. 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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