Plankton a big key for ice crappies ????️♂️
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Deepwater crappies can often be found following the vertical migration of zooplankton. Typically we think of the ‘magic hour’ as being sunrise or sunset, but it’s important to remember that sunrise can be as much as an hour later under the ice – thanks to the lack of light penetration.
Increased light levels in the morning trigger zooplankton (such as daphnia) to vacate areas higher in the water column and slide back towards the bottom. It’s a similar situation towards evening. Maybe you’ve noticed the bottom ‘lighting up’ on your flasher near dusk? Zooplankton will begin to rise off bottom as the light levels drop, and they feed on microscopic plant-like organisms called phytoplankton.
Soft-bottom basins in the 22-34’ range are usually where the magic happens.
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That’s why so often when fishing after-dark basin crappies, you’ll see ‘em moseying thru way up high in the water column. Sometimes they’ll bite, other times they’ll just slowly fade away and barely give your bait a sniff.
If you’re using a little jigging spoon, you might see them slide up and go for the swivel just 12” above the bait. Or maybe you’re trying to trick ‘em with a plain hook and a crappie minnow, but instead they bite at your tiny split-shot up above the bait.... These are a couple of the only times when you’ll get an obvious clue that they’re actually feeding on zooplankton and could care less about your little minnow-profile baits.
That’s when it’s time to bust out the finesse stuff! Light line (no heavier than 3-lb test) and ultra-finesse tungsten jigs are key for these filter-feeding crappies because they have a compact profile yet are still fishable in deeper water.
There’s a ton of different bait options out there and you likely already have some of them in your box. I like anything that is small yet comes to life underwater with subtle movements thx to its tentacles, appendages, hair, feathers, marabou, etc. Some examples of what I’m talking about are baits like the VMC Tungsten Bullfly Jig, Eurotackle Strider Fly, Tungsten Roach Jig, or small tungsten jigs rigged with micro plastics like the Clam Maki, Jamei, Neki, etc.
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Zooplankton are virtually translucent. But basic colors such as straight glow, white, red and black work great. It’s more about the size, profile, and subtle action of the bait.
If you’re able to fish with a second line, don’t be afraid to have a jigging spoon or live minnow hanging down there to help bring fish to you, and keep ‘em around and curious. But
Working/pounding your small tungsten fairly aggressively will also help to call fish in, but subtle jigging movements and quivers in place are what will seal the deal.
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The @FishingGeeks were sight fishing for brook trout in Alberta when they had a surprise visitor drop in. ???? Portly feller!
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If you watch their full 14:22 YouTube video from the trip, you’ll find out that the beaver ended up stealing 2 of their brookies off the ice lol.
Reminds me of that time Keith Kavajecz had a run in with a mink who came into his portable and stole a walleye. ????
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How/where Jason Mitchell finds walleyes after dark.
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There’s a 30-ish minute window we call the “flash bite” on lots of lakes where walleyes are snapping at sunset. After that, the flasher goes blank. Now what...go home? Nope:
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Deets from Jason Mitchell's Virtual Angling write-up:
Not all bodies of water offer solid night fishing opportunities for walleye but there are so many notable fisheries where we have traditionally caught the majority of fish or sometimes the largest fish long after the witching hour when the sun sinks into the horizon
Often we figure out one window/movement of fish and when we quit marking fish...we assume that the bite is over. The bite might indeed be over if we don’t make any adjustments, but the reality is that we can prolong the bite and keep catching fish if we move with the fish.
The toughest aspect of catching walleye well after dark is forgetting some of the lessons we tend to learn during the day. So often, finding and catching walleyes is all about reading structure and focusing on edges. After dark however, you can throw that edge mentality out the window.
My favorite after dark locations and patterns are not necessarily classic walleye structure or breaklines that are close to deeper water. Typically, large flats or even basins and large shelves shine after dark...walleyes will often push up and roam much shallower water than you’d think.
I use the whitetail deer analogy a lot when describing walleye patterns and movements. During the day, deer might follow an edge...but come middle of the night, they might be standing out in the middle of a soybean field that is several hundred acres. Walleyes can also be just as random after dark.
Because the exact location of fish can be so random on large flats and shelves, fishing these areas takes a certain kind of mentality. You can spread out tip-ups to increase the chances of contacting these roaming fish or you can fish out of a shelter but in this situation, you have to realize that the fish are going to find you.
This isn’t a situation where you can necessarily move around to find these random fish, set up so that at some point during the night these fish find you. What makes after-dark patterns for walleye so much fun is that these fish are typically much more aggressive and these fish are looking for a meal.
On some fisheries, walleye will also be more apt to eat much higher in the water column well after dark. We have seen many scenarios where we caught more walleye after dark by fishing half way down in the water column, especially for big fish. This is particularly true for set rods and tip-ups with big bait.
Don’t expect activity all night long, wait out the windows because ninety percent of the activity will happen during ten percent of the time.
Bunch more info here.
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“Clearly they eat all of their vegetables.”
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Their B-E-A-utiful greenish coloration comes from the limestone-rich waters of the northern basin of Lake Winnipeg. Some say the greener the fish, the “fresher” they are to the south basin…or maybe it’s from all that MTN DEW they chug before making the trek? Lol! Eventually the green will fade/blend into a more white-ish look.
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Either way they’re cool to look at and an absolute BLAST to catch.
Btw McFad’s (guy who posted the top pic) has quite the...um, “special” relationship with the fish he catches.... ???? Believe he met this walldette on PlentyOfFish?
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Keep being you, man! ????
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“Lake trout may be the shark of fresh water.”
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– That’s talking about this pic posted by MidWest Outdoors where they found “a combination of baitfish, perch, walleye, and what looks to be the remains of a northern pike” in the belly of a laker!
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Looks like (bottom of the pic) it even scooped-up an incidental zebra mussel during the feeding frenzy. ???? Sheesh!
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1. MN: LOTW ice guide needs our prayers ????
Shared by LOTW Sleepers on FB:
Early this morning, our team experienced a tragic accident that has deeply shaken all of us here at LOTW Sleepers. Our ice guide, CJ Davis, was attempting to light the pilot on the furnace in our building next to the shop when it unexpectedly blew up. CJ sustained burns on his hands and face and has been flown to Regions Hospital Burn Unit for treatment.
At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with CJ and his family. CJ is more than just a team member – he's family to us, and we are all feeling the weight of this incident.
Operations will continue to move forward, but we want to be transparent with our customers and friends. We may seem a little less chipper in the coming days as we await updates on CJ's recovery.
This post is meant to curb any rumors and provide clarity. Thank you for your understanding and support during this difficult time.
Please keep CJ in your thoughts and prayers. We’ll share updates as we learn more.
2. Meet the 2025 MN Fishing HOF inductees
The ‘Class of 2025 Legends’ who will be inducted into the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame on Fri, Sept 26 = Jimmy Bell, Donald Pursch, Jon Thelen, Ray's Marine, and Neisham Bait and Tackle. Big congrats all!
3. Tom Huynh gets Gamakatsu in 2025
4. MN: Part 2 of the DNR's crappie barotauma study
We've talked about this before after MN DNR's "pilot project" last season, but now they’ve stepped up their game in studying the effects of barotrauma on crappies caught out of DEEP water.
This time they handled fish more quickly, utilized descending devices and several forms of technology to track and record fish movements over a couple days:
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Designed for deep water and big waves the NEW WXR2260 is a BIG WATER BEAST! When you move up to a 22’6” fishing boat, you expect more of everything, and the WXR delivers that and more. Designed with exceptional space for fishing and outstanding performance thanks to the new 350hp Yamaha Outboard.
The WXR2260 boats a larger, deeper hull design, an 8% larger front deck, optional dual graphs at both the helm and the bow, all new tackle and rod storage and more! The deep gunnels ensure you and your fishing partner will be safe and secure in the cockpit, and spread out in comfort with room to seat up to six people. Enjoy multi-species mastery with the WXR2260. It truly delivers the best all-around performance, handling and fishability in its class!
11. The Crappie Chronicles crew going live Sunday pm
At 7pm on Sun, Jan 26. The whole nickname gang (Bart, Pink, Waldo, and Griff) will be doing a livestream on YouTube, which is a great chance to hop in the chat and ask Qs.
12. MN: Fluekigers speaking at next TCWU meeting
Jarrad and Jordan Fluekigers will be speaking at the next Twin Cities Walleyes Unlimited meeting on Thurs, Feb 6 at the Bloomington Event Center. These fellas are fishy in a really good way!
Captain's Jarrad and Jordan Fluekiger are multi-generation, legendary guides who grew up fishing the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin. Jarrad is a third generation and Jordan is an amazing 4th generation guide. Along with guiding, they are professional walleye fisherman and have fished at many professional levels including H2H (HEAD2HEAD), FLW, Masters Walleye Circuit, and AIM. Jarrad's achieved several prestigious finishes; 1st in the AIM Saginaw Bay, and 4th in the FLW Championship. He has been ranked as high as 1st in the nation and was selected to fish the H2H TOP 32 fishing tour.
Jarrad and Jordan specialize at fishing wing dams, three-way and suspended trolling. They are experienced Bass and Perch anglers on Pools 4 thru 7. Jordan is one of the youngest river rats with a Captains license on the Mississippi River. When he is not fishing, hunting, or on the ice, he works for the Corps of Engineers, whic
13. If you have an 8” or 10” StrikeMaster Lite-Flite...
...these Magnetic Snap Covers are the deal! I’ve yet to have one fall of – even when running “highway speeds” ???? on the snowmobile. Easy on, easy off. No more broken bands or glove-less hands. Slick:
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Wisconsin’s ‘Free Fishing Weekend’ is NOT this weekend, it was last weekend Jan 18-19. Sorry about the mixup! Don’t want anyone to get ticketed and send the invoice my way lol.
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Hawthorne’s slick water pump hack for wheelhouses
A cheap $10-20 battery-powered water pump is all it takes to make wheelhouse life much easier. I picked one up last season after seeing this tip from Brad Hawthorne and makes changing the water in my bait cooler a breeze:
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When you post a fish pic on literally any of the social mediaz:
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Love those beautiful Manitoba greenback walleyes! One of many great pics shared on the @huntfishmb Instagram page:
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Thx so much for reading! ???? Hope you have a great + safe weekend!!
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Sign up another fish-head!
If you're forwarding Target Walleye to a friend who loves to walleye fish or want your fishing buddies to get these emails, just send us their email addresses and we'll take care of it! (We won't sell the addresses, use them for spam, etc.)
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FRIENDS OF TARGET WALLEYE
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Target Walleye – walleye during open water and all species during hardwater – is brought to you by Al Lindner, Jay Kumar, Chris Philen, Brett McComas and other diehard fish-heads like you!
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Brett McComas is the main man for Target Walleye 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
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