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Today's Top 5
22-lb burbot caught! 
Twin bros Sean and Adam Konrad of Fishinggeeks landed this giant 22-lb burbot (40.5" x 22.0") on Lake Diefenbaker, SK that barely squeezed through a 10" hole:


> We were fishing a large-sandy flat in 16' with a green glow 1/2-oz Northland Tackle Gum-Ball Jig [replaced by the RZ Jig?] tipped with cut bait, and 10-lb PowerPro on a Shimano Stradic CI4+ 2500.

Thought they had just caught the world record, which they would know because... they caught it in 2010. This burb's girth was just 2" less:


Not only do the Fishinggeeks have the current all-tackle world-record burbot (25.2 lbs), they've also caught...and re-caught... the world-record rainbow trout. Incredible!

Ever seen perch this big?  
Imagine a wrasslin' match with THESE tiger stripes:


All from Lake Cascade, ID. Generous holds, but 2.5+ lb perch (!) would still be big if they were holding 'em behind their backs!

Most lakes with jumbos that big are stuffed full of freshwater shrimp, but Cascade has a different menu:


But seriously: Jumbos in that system are apparently the top predator...and cannibals. The In-Depth Outdoors crew likes to catch 'em on perch patterns in the Rapala Slab Raps and Ultra Light Rippin' Raps.

They'll switch over to VMC Tingler Spoons when the bite gets tough. It's subtle, but can still flutter way out to the side to help call fish in. Here they are puttin the smackdown on 'em:


Extreme cold-water trolling. 
Hope Nolan Koepp is keeping one eye on his Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards, and the other on the road water...we know how that movie ends:




How to catch Mississippi River walleyes right now. 
Gas up the boats, there's open-water walleyes to be had! A popular Midwest stretch of water is the Mississippi River's Pool 4. How you catch 'em depends if you wanna go for quality or quantity -- here's walleye nut Travis Sorokie's favorite techniques:

Spin jig tipped with a minnow

> You're going to catch a lot of fish with this rig, but it's much better for numbers than for big fish. It's also not ideal when it's really, really cold out: Dipping your hands in and out of the minnow bucket isn't ideal in the dead of winter. Despite its downsides, this is probably the best way to catch a BUNCH of fish out on the river. Travis' favorite: Northland Fire-Ball Spin Jig.

Paddletail minnow on a 3/8-oz jig

> Great for larger walleyes and saugers. Experiment with colors and depth ranges until you've dialed-in the bite. If the paddletail bite is going well, consider switching to the Dubuque Rig to further refine your approach: Running two baits on one rig allows you to experiment with more shapes and colors.

Blade baits

> Although they aren't talked about nearly as much, blade baits can be very effective out on Pool 4. Your best bet is going to be a 1/4-oz bait fished on a standard Rapala Jigging Rap rod/reel setup. When the fish get going on the blade bite, hold on tight because it can be a fantastic bite.

More deets from Travis in this AnglingBuzz video:

Frogger on ice (not the musical). 
Caught by Brett Ulrich in WI on a piece of sharp-cheddar cheese, maybe. Would your girlfriend let you bring that thing in the Frabill?



News

1. Ukraine wins World Ice Fishing Championship...

...in Riga, Latvia. U.S. ended in 8th place. More details in Friday's Target Walleye/Ice email -- sorry to keep you waiting, Myron:


2. MN: Catch and release on Mille Lacs this summer.

> "The DNR is uncomfortable increasing harvest on a lake that has basically only one strong year class [2013] moving forward. That's why a walleye catch-and-release season was the decision again. We still have to be very careful because we don't know if we have a good year class coming up behind them."

This season has been some of the best ice fishing the lake has seen in 25-ish years and should continue into the open-water season.

3. MT: 4 ATVs, 2 trucks fall through at Ft. Peck Reservoir...

...in one weekend! Take it easy...this wasn't the most trustworthy ice we've seen:


4. IA: DNR seeks eagle killer.

Gross. Don't get it. Can tell you who DID NOT do it...the eagle-selfie brothers:


5. TX: Freshwater fish attractors installed.

> "More than 30 lakes now have the attractors, and the state provides a list of lakes and GPS coordinates to anglers."

Brings a whole new meaning to fishing "community holes," but wish we had 'em up here!    
TWI Survey/Giveaway

We wanna know your favorite way to catch walleyes! Take this quick one-minute survey and have a shot at winning some awesome Rapala loot -- including the new Rapala Flat Jig! Click right here to take the survey. Thanks and good luck!


Events


 
Tip of the Day

Jason Halfen: The Dubuque Rig for river walleyes.

It's a rig designed to be slowly pulled upstream -- especially when the water's running high, fast and dirty -- and it's all centered around one of those 3-way swivels you never thought you'd use. Here's how The Technological Angler breaks it down:


> Attach your mainline to one eye of the swivel. To the second and third eyes, attach mono leaders with two different lengths: a short leader about 12" long, and a long leader that's 24-30" long. We will use these mono leaders to connect two baits to the rig.

> Tie a heavy jig (1/2- to 3/4-oz) to the long leader, and dress that jig with a bulky soft-plastic like a 4" Ringworm or a Moxi from B-Fish-N tackle. Tie a light jig (1/16-oz) to the short leader, and dress that jig with a low-pro soft-plastic like a shortened Ringworm or a small Fluke-style bait.

> Start moving upstream at a speed of 0.5-0.8 mph, allowing the heavier jig to contact the bottom during a series of lifts and drops -- with enough line out to allow the heavy jig to remain in contact with the bottom on the drop.

> Most bites occur on the bottom jig in high-flow areas while the top bait is typically best under low-flow conditions or cleaner water.

> Common mods include using a much longer leader for the "upper" bait -- connecting that leader to a long-shank live bait hook/minnow. Another variation is to attach a small floating Rapala to this elongated leader -- allowing the heavy jig at the bottom of the rig to pull this crankbait down to depth.

Make sure this rig is legal where you're fishing. Here in the "Land of 10,000 Laws" you can only use it on select border waters -- it's that good.

Today's 'Eye Candy

Theo Toliver cracked back-to-back greenies (30" and 29") on a DH Custom Baits painted Rapala Rippin' Rap. #Bigguns
 
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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 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 quit sports in high school because they were interfering with his fishing time. Get him at brett@targetwalleye.com 

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