World record walleye, Pre-spawn burbot locations, Tip-up engagement

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The largest walleye EVER caught 😳 yet when asked, no one seems to know anything about it. Guess it’s time for a little refresher so you can win that next round of trivia….

Mabry Harper’s 1960 world record walldawg was a 41″ [!] behemoth that weighed 25 lbs!!!! Plucked outta Old Hickory Lake, TN (reservoir formed by the Old Hickory Lock and Dam, located on the Cumberland River) while fishing for catfish with 75-lb test:

Apparently it’s controversial ‘cuz many think the fish doesn’t look 25 lbs in the original pic…. Gotta remember that back in the day they didn’t have wide-angle lenses (Go-Pros, etc) and maybe didn’t “long arm” as hard as today’s average Joe/Joette.

Here’s a couple other angles that maybe show just how big that freak o’ nature was – held up like a boss by Mabry’s wife:

Get this: They ate it for supper! Every bit of it except its head:

If you’ve got some time to kill, this is an interesting write-up talking about how the fish was removed from the record books ‘cuz people thought there’s no way the fish could be 41″ long (based on Mabry’s hands in the pic). Was eventually reinstated when more evidence came forward backing the fish’s size.

We’re still a couple weeks early for what would be considered “prime time” for burbot (aka eelpout) around central MN, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch ’em RIGHT NOW. 👀 Just gotta switch things up a bit….

Oh and spoiler alert: Things got messy last night. 😳💩

😴 Tired as heck today, but burbot are always worth it hahaha! Definitely pumped we put a couple topside, but still bummed about the giant I rolled on a #6 Rapala Rippin’ Rap. Was crazy watching them turn on LiveScope – from 20-25′ away – and come back to see what was making all that commotion down there. Can’t wait to play around with it more…I’ll be back with cameras blazing…. 👊

Gonna start this one off with a quote:

> “I didn’t want some big pike to swim by and be like, ‘That’s a shiny minnow, I’m going to try that….'”

– That’s Jackson Baumgart protecting the goods…an engagement ring! Talkin’ about his surprise on-ice engagement at WI’s Fox Lake.

> Using a Beaver Dam Original Tip-Up, Baumgart lowered a bottle of champagne into a hole before [his now-fiance] Lee arrived. He said the tip-up holds special meaning as it belonged to Doug Lee, Rachel’s dad who died in 2016 as the result of a traffic accident.

> Lee heard the call “tip-up” and went to check for a fish on the line. Then Baumgart removed his outerwear to reveal a suit and bowtie, and quietly followed behind [her].

> She pulled up the bottle of perfectly chilled champagne and read the words [he] had written on it, “Let’s make this o’fish’ial. Be my best catch ever.”

And THAT is how you catch a fiancé!

Someone on Instagram had asked me what my “bucket-list walleye fishing destinations” were 🤔 and I realized that several of them are out west (Canyon Ferry/Holter Lake, Columbia River, Fort Peck, etc) and that I know almost nothing about ’em…other than they kick out some absolute giant walleyes!

Got me thinking how anything out west-ish seems to fly under the radar in the walleye world…just don’t see a whole lot of info or media coming from that way.

I heard it’s because those cowboys and cowgirls are still trying to learn how to dial-up their internets, kick start an interwebz browser and shift into the Facebooks 1st gear (lol).

Actually, I think this is the real reason:

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Anywho…if you come across some interesting stuff out west-ish that you think Target Walleye readers should see, shoot it my way! ‘Cuz I feel like I’m looking in all the wrong places and coming up empty handed.

1. Here’s Mercury’s first electric outboard concept.

Called Avator:

2. WI: New Lake Winnebago system fisheries biologists announced.

> Angelo Cozzola will focus primarily on managing the highly sought-after walleye, as well as northern pike, muskellunge and other popular game fish on the Winnebago system. Prior to his new role, Cozzola was a DNR fisheries technician based in Oshkosh. Before joining the DNR`s fisheries management program, he completed graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he investigated the effects of herbicides on native WI fish species.

 

> Margaret Stadig will focus primarily on managing the iconic Lake Winnebago System lake sturgeon population. A native of MI, Stadig has extensive experience working with large, primitive fish species. Most recently, she worked for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept partnering on the reintroduction of the prehistoric paddlefish into the Big Cypress Bayou System. Prior to [that she] studied lake sturgeon with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the St. Clair River system.

3. New Garmin “Boat Switch” command center coming.

Will have the ability to control all your devices, pumps, lights, livewell, and so on from your fish finder:

4. MN: Yo Alexandria-area folks!

The 15th-annual Fishing For the Cure ice tourney is happening TOMORROW (Feb 19) on Smith Lake. All proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life to help find a cure for cancer. Last year’s event got canceled due to gov restrictions, but they raised over $75K in donations at the 2020 event alone = #amazing!

Super kid-friendly event, too. Believe they had 208 youngins registered last time around, and every kiddo 12-and-under gets a gift for participating. Getting that next generation involved in this sport we love so much is what it’s ALL about.

5. MN: Northwest Sportshow happenin’ Mar 10-13…

…at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

6. BUBBA is now making fishing rods.

7. Garmin LiveScope lithium battery run-time test.

Both indoors and outdoor from the Fish Addictions crew:

8. Yamaha created a Marine Connected Division.

They also revealed plans for a new Marine Innovation Center in Kennesaw, GA and a big expansion of its testing facility in Bridgeport, AL.

> The all-new Marine Innovation Center, a 75,280 sq-ft facility near Yamaha Marine’s headquarters in Kennesaw, GA, will house the Yamaha Marine Connected Division as well as the US Marine Development and Planning Division.

> Yamaha also plans to expand its test facility in Bridgeport, AL, adding 5,900 sq ft of office space and 8,000 sq ft of boat storage. The test facility will hire testing technicians and system engineers to accommodate for the growth.

9. Lowrance updated its phone app.

Satellite view capability, track sharing, and weather overlay on the charts, which includes “pressure, precipitation, air temperature, wind and gust.”

10. Garmin had a solid Q4.

> Revenue from the marine segment grew 14%…. Gross margin and operating margins were 54% and 20%, respectively, resulting in $39 mil of operating income.

11. Hobie kayaks has a new VP…

…of global sales, service and marketing = Kelley Woolsey, who has over 30 yrs of water sports and lifestyle brand experience.

12. IGFA award winners announced.

13. Some more strange fish studies.

Sometimes they’re interesting…sometimes they make you wonder who is paying to have this done LOL. Here’s a few more to ponder from the last couple days:

– Scientists demonstrate self-awareness in fish.
– Cod ‘supergenes’ reveal how they are evolving in response to overfishing.

– ‘Freeze or flee’ reactions run in fish families.

Learn something new every day? 🤷‍♂️

Jason Mitchell’s spoon strategies for ‘eyes.

J-Mitch talks – and shows – how he calls ’em in, then switches up his jigging cadence to get ’em to commit. Always love the underwater stuff:

For some reason anytime I hear about “hooking mortality” it makes me think of that one Stumpy quote from the movie Out Cold:

What’s more difficult: Getting burbot to hang straight for a pic, or convincing a toddler to sit still at church? Lol!

Have a great + safe weekend and thx much for reading!

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH