It’s tough to imagine one bigger than this...tho I can’t even imagine this one in the first place. Snagged some details from this Outdoor Life post:

Jörgen Larsson finally did it. The Swedish angler has been on a lifelong quest to catch a perch over 3 kilograms, or roughly 6.6 lbs, and earlier this month while filming an episode for Westin Fishing, he caught the “perch of his dreams” from a large lake in the Netherlands. In a clip shared to Instagram Wednesday, Larsson can hardly contain his emotions as he holds the massive fish in front of the camera.

Gently cradling it in his hands, Larsson can hardly take his eyes off the fish as he gives its measurements: 51.5 cm (20.3 inches) long and 3.2 kilos (7.1 pounds). The chunky female carries most of this weight in its round, swollen belly, which looks about ready to pop.

Caught on a Carolina-rigged 6.5cm Westin CreCraw. And yes, she was released (video) to get even more bigger-er. ♻️

What a blimp!

Congrats man! Don’t know what else to say besides, “WOW!” ???? His reaction says it all.

I find it sorta interesting how gear ratios (how many times the spool turns each time you crank the reel handle) are a big deal when talking about baitcasters and bass fishing, but are rarely mentioned in the walleye world – so I’m going to keep bringing them up lol. I’m assuming it’s because for years we just didn’t have many options for different gear ratios in ’em. ????‍♂️

It’s incredible how big of a difference you can feel even in going from say a 5:1 to a 6:1.

Here’s NWT pro Korey Sprengel talking about the size-30 Abu Garcia Revo Rocket spinning reel and why it’s his go-to for glide baits. The newest version has a 7.6:1 gear ratio and brings in 43” of line per crank, and the size-40 picks up 47” ???? wowza!

Btw here’s a few other Revo Rocket upgrades from the previous model:

“...features an asymmetrical X-Craftic alloy body design, that gives anglers a more compact, lightweight body. ...the new AMG2 gear system, that is 17% larger than the previous generation, allowing for extra gear strength and the ability to create the Rocket’s extreme gear ratio.”

Of course it’s not just for ripping glide baits:

“…fills a gap in the arsenal with a faster gear ratio for finesse applications. Long casts can prove difficult in picking up line slack and lead to lost fish and missed opportunities. The Revo Rocket is the answer to that with a design created to pick up slack quickly ensuring a better hookset and more opportunities to catch fish.”

It's also nice for those times when you’ve just made a cast and then see a fish on the graph you wish you would’ve tossed at...so you reel in like a dang tornado lol.

Right now I have 1 of the older models and 1 of the newer models, but gonna need to pick up a couple more.

Gotta give props to TJ Erickson on kicking out some incredible YouTube content. He does a GREAT job of explaining the “how” and “why” in his videos, and not just the “what” like most other folks.... He always includes lots of map examples, shows his electronics so you can see what he’s seeing, and walks you thru his approach and the decision-making process – his newest video is no exception, and I think anyone could learn something from it:

Keep doing your thing, man! ????????????

After going thru some more YouTube comments. ????

Love it or hate it, forward-facing sonar (LiveScope, MEGA Live, Active Target) is here to stay. It absolutely can help you to find more fish, and make perfect casts at them...but that also doesn’t mean they’re going to bite.... Unless you’re fishing for bass. ????

I realize “forward-facing sonar” isn’t for everyone. But you don’t need to have it (or even want it) to learn something about fish behavior in videos featuring it, and then apply it to your fishing....

I’ve used many of the same techniques in the same areas and caught fish for years before ever having FFS, but I had no idea until using LiveScope that so many of the walleyes I was catching were actually suspended and chasing the bait down...just assumed it was the fish near bottom (I was graphing with 2D) that were eating the bait.

That’s just one example of the type of stuff we’d really have no way of knowing for sure unless you were scuba diving and fishing at the same time lol.

I usually always try to include snippets in these YouTube videos on how I find fish using 2D/DI sonar and Side Imaging (which has been out since 2005...19 years now!) – really that’s how we first find spots holding fish, then snoop around for a real-time look with FFS...after we’ve already used the other technology to land on the spot!

If you have any specific video ideas or things you’d like to see this summer, drop me a comment. I really do read all of them and try to reply to as many as possible.

Will have a couple more new YouTube videos coming soon-ish. And YES there will be some LiveScope clips in there because I personally think we can learn SO much from actually watching how fish react under different conditions and situations. Feel free to close your eyes during those parts. ????????

Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to watch the YouTube videos! And if they’re not your cup of tea – absolutely no hard feelings. I get sick of hearing my own voice too hahah!

...and ______. ???? From this Trent Chupp post in the Boat Fails FB group:

1. The charity “MN Fishing Challenge” raised...

...over $611K [!!!] last weekend for Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge campuses [drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs to help people find freedom from addiction] across the state.

The 16th-annual event takes place on the Gull Lake chain of lakes each year, and has raised well over $5 mil since it started = believe it’s now the largest fundraising fishing tournament in North America.

The fishing tourney that literally saves lives – big thx to all involved! ????

Ryan Schwieters and Rebecca Schreurs won the ‘Walleye Division’ with a basically perfect bag of 3 walleyes (only 2 of them could be over 20”) that included a 30.5”, 27.5” and a 19.75” for 17.48 lbs.

Here’s a GREAT Jeff Collins shot of their ‘overs.’

2. Eric McQuoid wins AIM national championship.

On Lake Sakakawea with a 2-day total of 80.19 lbs = took home the keys to a new Warrior boat!

Few details from Eric’s FB post:

We noticed the water was fairly cold as soon as we got there so we started looking for warmer water temps and started finding a few areas holding good fish Monday afternoon. The difference maker this week was utilizing Garmin LiveScope to be able to differentiate the big walleyes from all of the carp, paddlefish, ect.

Most of the fish we caught came on a Kalin's Pendu Jig and Rattlin’ Google Eye Jig tipped with a crawler or creek chub. The Rosemore Outdoor Gear 7’ ML rod were extremely effective in casting the 1/8-oz jigs into 20-30 mph winds and being able to feel that tick.

To be able to pull off a championship win with one of my best friends is a very special feeling. Definitely will be a week we remember for a long time. Thank you everyone for the calls and messages! Time to wash the ND dust off and head for Mille Lacs for the AIM next week with Greta!

3. MT: Wilcox/Gordon win Fort Peck derby.

With a 2-day total of 84.24 lbs. ????

4. MN: AIM is headed to Mille Lacs June 9.

Transitioning fish should have ALL techniques in play for this one.

5. WI: Green Bay NWT coming up June 20-21.

And here’s some fresh NWT stats from John Balla. ????

6. WI: Trophy-managed walleye lake opening up?

Escanaba Lake, located within the Northern Highland Fishery Research Area (NHFRA), is holding its walleye season opener this Sat, June 8.

From 2003 through 2022, a trophy harvest regulation on walleye was in place on Escanaba Lake to study the effects of low and no harvest pressure.

Now, research objectives have changed to study the effects of predetermined harvest levels on a formerly unexploited walleye population.

By fishing the NHFRA and following mandatory check-in and check-out procedures, anglers can directly contribute to the collection of this important data.

Just found more info here on the DNR’s site.

7. Lindy intros new B-MAX Jigs.

...Lindy will release B-MAX – Bismuth Maximum Performance – at the 2024 ICAST show this summer in Orlando. Using a proprietary blend of bismuth and other metals, B-Max is comparable in size to lead but harder, which allows for greater sensitivity and stronger returns on live sonar.

The Lindy ICAST launch will include several proven Lindy jigs re-created in B-MAX, which provides better fishing attributes than lead and at a fraction of the cost of tungsten. Initial B-MAX jigs will include enhanced versions of the current Lindy Jig, Live Bait Jig, and Little Nipper, along with the re-introduction of the famous Max Gap Jig, with 144 variations to provide the right sizes and colors for a vast range of situations and species.

8. Water Gremlin puts assets for sale.

9. Gussy's Classic win was on an NHL goalie's helmet.

Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck:

10. How Mark Romanack spoon feeds walleyes.

11. Rapala joins with Wildlife Forever on invasive species.

12. MN: ‘Take a Kid Fishing Weekend’ is this Fri-Sun.

MN residents can fish without licenses if they take children 15 or younger fishing.

13. AL: Humminbird receives “Large Industry of the Decade Award.”

By the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.

14. St. Croix Rod's customer appreciation day Jun 22.

In Park Falls, WI.

15. Raymarine collabs with ePropulsion.

“...boaters now can display engine data from their ePropulsion electric motors directly on Axiom displays, without the need for additional gateways or add-on interface boxes.”

16. WI DNR to host walleye rehab public meeting tonight.

At the Rhinelander DNR Service Center to discuss a walleye rehabilitation effort on Crescent Lake in Oneida County.

17. MI: New record white perch is so big...

...it was misidentified as a white bass.

Scott Smith: “I had a fishery biologist friend look at it a couple days later and he said it was a white bass...but I just knew it was a white perch. So I got a second opinion a few days later [and took] it to a MI DNR office.”

“... inspected by a group of state biologists and they all said it was a white perch. They weighed the fish, and certified it as a new state record for the species.”

Weighed 2.592 lbs and was 16.25” long.

18. USFWS announced more than $27.4 mil funding...

...for fish habitat conservation in 2024.

19. Drones come to the fishing world.

Tom Boley’s secret to finding walleyes fast.

In his newest YouTube video, Tombo Slice gets on a solid snap jigging bite while fishing shallow(ish) sand flats with Kalin’s Jerk Minnow Jrs rigged on Kalin's Rattlin' Google Eye Jigs. Tom says he uses how the lake is set up to his advantage to make the search for walleyes that much faster/easier.

In this specific case, the lake has miles of rocks and hard-bottom areas (where fish can be very difficult to see on electronics) so he chose to fish an area that was sand so they’d easily pop out on his Humminbird Side Imaging. Allows you to Side Image and cover water at 4-6 mph until the SI lights up with shadows.

This is a longer 30-min video, but just wanted to make sure to call out that rock vs sand comment becasue the same thing sometimes works great for me depending on the time of year. Here’s the full video:

"Yes, there is actually a time when I'm not staring at my LiveScope screen."

- That’s walleye pro Tom Huynh chasing brown trout lol. ????

Saying sayonara to an IL river unicorn! Mike Hofmann shot:

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026