Weightlifting walleyes, Record burbot caught, Decked-out ice rigs

1) Walleye-tourney hammer 🔨 Duane Hjelm just cracked his new PB (personal best) walleye thru the ice!

> Duane: “When this giant mark showed up on my Lowrance, I almost didn’t have enough time to move my Jigging Rap before my rod got slammed! I figured it was just another catfish but after a long battle I knew it wasn’t fighting like one. The first time she came by the hole, I started shaking. Once I got my hands on my biggest ice walleye ever, I was in disbelief. I absolutely love chasing these things!”

Congrats Dewey! 👊

2) Fish-head Calvin Svihel road-tripped up to Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba and was rewarded with this gorgeous 29.5″ greenback outta 11′ of water in front of the main channel of the Red River:

Man, that system kicks out some wild specimens!

Btw Cal also said:

> “Usually I don’t fish Lake Winnipeg in January as weather is usually extremely cold and travel conditions are difficult. This year mild temps and less snow on the lake makes conditions favorable for travel and fisherman. I will definitely be back later this winter.”

I’ve definitely been having some Manitoba withdrawals – gonna have to change that…. 🤔

3) Check out the crazy shoulders on this master-angler walleye that Curtis Goldsborough caught on Saginaw Bay out of Linwood, MI:

Interestingly enough that freakazoid was caught out of OPEN WATER…in January…in North Dakota…. 👀 Shane said he was fishing the Garrison Dam Tailrace.

Few other details from Shane’s original FB post:

> “What started out as a downright cold miserable foggy night. Ended up as a night I’ll never forget with my good buddy Brandon Gullickson.

> “I only had one bite all night long…turned out to be the ND state record burbot! Just met with the Game & Fish at a certified scale. Officially 41.75” long and weighed 19 lbs 5 oz.

> “The previous burbot record was set 39 yrs ago in 1984…it weighed 18-04.

> “Just need to send in my whopper card from 2 certified scales and wait for the fisheries division to process this as the new state record.”

Btw I saw he commented under another FB post saying…

> “Initially thinking of doing a coffee table [mount] with all glass sides and top. Rocky scenery with the burbot nestled amongst the rocks. Maybe even swimming through a couple rocks. Probably have some smelt and crawfish worked in the display as well.”

That coffee table will be the size of a dinner table LOL.

Congrats on the fish of a lifetime, man!!!

I just got back from Lake of the Woods where we were targeting walleye and sauger out in the muddy basin, but of course we’re always hoping for that bonus burbot bite because it could happen anywhere, anytime….

We actually ended up catching 4 bonus burbs (2 at night out of a Border View Lodge sleeper house, and 2 in the middle of the day from a Sportsman’s Lodge day house) including this ridiculously paunchy one 😳 iced by my buddy Nick Lindner that had a belly chock full of crayfish, and even a couple of tiny sauger and walleye:

So just how much do burbot enjoy themselves a good crawfish boil…?

I was sent this awesomeness from my bud Brady Sykora who caught this plump burbot near the NW Angle on Lake of the Woods. This single fish was chock full of 50 crayfish and even had 3 rocks in its stomach but still had the audacity to scarf-up Brady’s “pink scale” color Lindy Glow Spoon. Unreal!

And if those things will eat a dang rock 😂 then it’s no surprise Blake Thelen stumbled into THIS mess:

> Blake: “Woke up to my bobber down, must have caught the walleye first and the eelpout came and tried to eat the entire walleye. Never seen anything like it.”

No doubt ice fishermen/women are a different breed, but the ice tourney folks take that to a whole ‘nother level! Outdoor photographer Tom Dobbins posted an album called “Machines of the Ultimate Panfish League” that’s jammed full of 118 pics of snowmobiles and ATVs that were specifically decked-out for ice fishing by the tourney crowd.

Of course I can only fit a mini preview here, but I definitely recommend taking a scroll thru Tom’s photos if this is something that tickles your fancy – might give you some rigging inspiration. 🤑

1. Thayer/Berg win NAIFC National Championship.

Big congrats to Matt Thayer and Aaron Berg on winning their second (🏆x2) NAIFC National Championship!

2. Lindner’s join forces with Omnia Fishing.

> Al Lindner: “We’ve always tried to push the envelope on how we produce and deliver content…just like when the bite gets tough, you need to adapt. That’s what we need to do with our business as the media landscape continues to change. We are so excited to partner with Omnia, these are some brilliant dudes, and our partnership will benefit anyone who likes to fish.”

Congrats to both sides! 🤝

3. OH: Port Clinton had a “Walleye Drop” on NYE.

Forget the “ball” drop in Times Square…Port Clinton, OH had their 26th annual “walleye drop” with a custom-built 20-ft, 600-lb fiberglass walldawg.

4. MN: Volunteer ice-hole drillers are needed at…

…the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza – help drill holes the day before the event and get yourself a free ticket. There’s a limited # of volunteer spots, so if you’re interested I would hit them up today at holedrillers@icefishing.org.

Such a fun event – I’ll see you there!

Spoiler alert: We’re going to be giving away a couple of sets of tickets. You’ll see that giveaway in Friday’s Target Walleye email, and I’ll also be posting a link to it on our Facebook page this evening.

5. Tony Roach gets KastKing reels.

> According to Roach, what really excites him about working with KastKing is getting to work with their engineers and design team. “I am always searching for the best reel to complement my fishing technique or style. KastKing reels are exactly that! They build reels with quality materials, industry-leading design, and innovation in both spinning and casting models. We share the same passion and drive regarding angling performance and perfection. I can’t wait to work with the engineers to create quality reels that make you a better angler.”

6. MN: Free take a kid fishing weekend, Jan 14-16.

> During the 3-day weekend, any MN resident can go ice fishing for free if fishing with a child 15 yrs old or younger. Minnesotans 15 yrs old or younger don’t need fishing licenses any time of the year.

7. WY and MT fire shots at SD over zebra mussels.

> “If SD was able to do more at Pactola, we might not have to be doing as much here.”

🙄

8. Mack’s is ultra famous for…

…their Smile Blades that “provide lifelike action at speeds as slow as 0.25 mph and is easily tuned. Adjust to a wide-angle blade for a slow, rolling wobble or a narrow-angle blade for a vigorous shake and spin.”

9. There’s a Fitbit for fish…sorta….

> The sensor is surgically inserted under skin near a fish’s rear dorsal fins. As the fish swims, a wireless receiver picks up the sensor’s telltale beeps. Scientists can retrieve the data from a wireless receiver or the device itself.

> …weighs 2.4 grams, is about the size of a pen cap, and will collect and transmit data for up to 8 months. This will let researchers study fish (even small ones) for a longer time than previously possible.

> …collects data about a fish, including its location, heartbeat, tail movement and burned calories, as well as the temperature, pressure and magnetic field of its surrounding environment.

Betcha if one of those buggers were implanted in me, they’d think I was a burbot lol.

10. Brunswick is revealing its new electrical systems.

Reminder that Brunswick owns Merc, Lowrance, MotorGuide and much more:

> During [the Consumer Electronics Show] Brunswick will launch the first commercial model in Mercury Marine’s Avator 48v electric outboard series, as well as highlighting Navico Group’s newly launched Fathom e-power system – a lithium-ion power management system that replaces the role of combustion engine generators in supplying power for onboard systems in marine and RV applications.

> Additionally, Brunswick will unveil its newest boat brand designed to accommodate Mercury’s Avator electric propulsion.

Tip-up spooling hack using a power drill.

This is an old trick from hardwater-junkie Adam Walton, but one that can save you a ton of time/frustration. I was just doing it the other day, so thought I’d bring it back to life.

Adam uses a cordless drill to spool up his Beaver Dam Tip-Ups which 110% beats the old-school way that gives you carpal tunnel:

“The best home-improvement projects revolve around a boat.”

– That’s the caption under this post on Lund’s Insta – have you ever had to get creative on a garage “expansion” for your rig?

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH