Spotted on Chasen Walter’s FB. This Lake Oahe, SD freakazoid scarfed up Kurt Miller’s #12 Berkley Deep Hit Stick (purple bengal) and went 34” long and 16.8 lbs. Congrats on the fish of a lifetime, Kurt!

Here’s a closer look at that “purple bengal” color #12 Deep Hit Stick he fooled ‘er with:

Whoops – blaming that one on the Google machinez. Here’s what the bait actually looks like (before any tooth marks):

That color looks like it beat the Tennessee Titans last weekend, too.

Some more ice gear tinkering while we wait for the big freeze! This time it’s my bud TJ Erickson breaking down how he made an insulated floor for his flip-over shack that packs down and sets up FAST.

Super slick! Saw it in action when I hit the ice with him last season and immediately knew I was gonna have to make one for my flip-over.

I also wish I could just Flex Tape this whole setup together ???? 32 foam floor mats that I spread out for my Clam X-600 Thermal hub house while ice camping. Crawling around on all fours to piece it together is a pain in the tuchus...

...but soooo worth it in the end if you’re sleeping on the ice!

In this FB post from the WI DNR:

Lake turnover is a natural phenomenon caused by the density of water at different temperatures. Unlike most liquids, water is not most dense in its solid form; it is most dense at 39°F. During the summer, the colder, denser water is on the bottom of the water column, and the top layer of the water is comprised of warmer, less dense water.

As the temperature outside cools down, it cools the upper layer of the water, which makes it denser. When it becomes denser than the water below it, it will sink and push the water that was in the lower layers of the water column up to the top, often bringing sediment and debris from the bottom along with it. That's why even the clearest lakes will become murky for a few days in fall.

So, what does that mean for the fish and the people trying to catch them?

When the oxygenated water from the surface sinks toward the bottom, it becomes more hospitable for fish life. Small fish can access the depths, where bigger fish may follow. Also, when suspended sediments are brought up from the bottom, fishing can improve. Walleye, for example, may be stimulated to feed with less water clarity.

Things become more uniform as we push into late fall:

And winter is the opposite of summer in that the warmest water is down deeper:

...instead of a full windshield on his boat.

There’s a reason(s) behind every little thing that Korey Sprengel does which ultimately leads to him catching more and bigger fish. Always enjoy hearing his point of view because it usually includes one or thrice of those “why didn’t I think of that” kinda things...and this is no exception.

“Double bubbles” = Slower trolling speeds, higher top-end mphs, rough water durability, and more. Interesting insight!

1. OH: New Lake Erie ‘Fall Brawl’ leader

Anthony X Yu’s 31-incher hit the scales at 12.17 lbs! Registered at 7:54am this morning:

Reminder: The heaviest single walleye caught during the ‘Fall Brawl’ (runs thru Dec 8) wins a fully-rigged 2024 Ranger boat! Still a lot of time left, but no doubt that one will be up there.

2. New ‘Tour Level Gold’ drops TONIGHT at 9pm cst ????

What I consider must-watch stuff if you’re a fan of walleye fishing. It gives a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows professional anglers deal with on the National Walleye Tour. And episode 9 will be kicking off the Lake Huron NWT championship out of Oscoda, MI.

3. MN-FISH’s “World’s Greatest Ice Fishing Auction” is live

An insane amount of great prizes and trips to bid on thru 8pm on Dec 8.

The highest bidders can win trips to ice fishing resorts/lodges on MN hottest lakes – Lake of the Woods, Red, Leech and Mille Lacs. Or a fishing adventure with some of Minnesota’s top fishing guides, such as Tony Roach, Larry Hanson, Dave Genz and Jason Mitchell who have donated their time and talents. Need ice fishing stuff? You can bid on a Garmin Live Scope Plus ice bundle or an Aqua-Vu underwater camera or Vexlar or Hummingbird units. Tackle companies such as Clam, St. Croix, Rapala, Razr, Eskimo, Pure Fishing and many others have donated nifty ice fishing shelters, augers, rods and reel, tackle and tools.

From MN-FISH prez Ron Schara:

While the online ice fishing auction is fun and full of good deals, there’s a more serious reason. The dollars raised by MN-FISH keeps the organization going. What do I mean by that? For MN-FISH to be effective in the State Legislature, we employ skilled lobbyists to march the halls convincing lawmakers to support increased fish management, to continue updating fish hatcheries, to continue fixing public boat accesses and help stop the spread of invasive carp.

Without these efforts, state anglers would be ignored by the Legislature. Why? It’s the old squeaky wheel lesson. We anglers have learned to start squealing about the State of Fishing.

And it’s working. The DNR recently announced it intends to stock 7.5 million walleye fry in Leech Lake this spring. We pushed for it after DNR surveys showed the need to boost the lake’s walleye population. We also applaud the change in walleye limits on Mille Lacs.

The MN-FISH mission is simple: to make fishing success better in Minnesota than it already is. We’re making progress but we need all anglers to help row the boat. Thanks for listening.

4. Trika now making ice rods

5. Power-Pole has a new distributor

CWR Wholesale Distribution.

6. Reid McKinstry = Cashion Rods’ new operations manager

7. MN-FISH announces new board members

“We have a lot of work to get done in the coming months and years,” said MN-FISH executive director and former DNR commissioner Mark Holsten. “That’s why it was important that we grew the board to 20 members to add additional resources and talent. New board members include Jeremy Smith of Lindner Media; Lake of the Woods Tourism Director, Joe Henry; Mille Lacs Lake resort owner/youth angling/radio host, Jason Bahr; hall of fame fishing communicator and guide, Ray Gildow; and Hmong community member and passionate tournament angler, Dr. Suav Kao Xiong.”

Some familiar names there!

8. ND: Fargo SCHEELS Ice Fest, Nov 22-24

9. MN: 'Kings of Panfish' ice derby, Dec 14

On South Twin Lake in Naytahwaush, MN. 1st-place payday of $10K to the heaviest bag of 5 crappies + 5 sunfish.

10. MN DNR giving grants for invasive aquatic plant mgmt

...offering grants to lake associations and other groups for projects to manage invasive aquatic plants. The application deadline is 4:30 pm Wed, Dec. 18.

11. PA: PFAS sites studied on the Susquehanna and...

...among the findings are:

“PFAS tend to be higher in a fish's blood, plasma and liver while its muscle tends to be much lower in PFAS. This...is good news for people who may want to eat a fillet from the fish they catch in these waterways....”

“The highest levels of PFAS were at...military bases, airports, things like that. But some of the other sites lack some of those commonly assumed sources for PFAS but do have very high agricultural inputs. So that’s something we’re following up on, looking at those sites and factoring in possibly things like pesticides that have PFAS related to them or possible biosolids applications and what PFAS impacts biosolids can create.”

PFAS are harmful "forever chemicals."

Jason Mitchell's ice-safety check list

Recommended equipment includes ice cleats for walking on slippery ice along with a spud bar. A hard swing with most spud bars will chip about 3” of ice. Use the spud bar to check ice ahead of you as you walk. Other safety items include ice picks, throw rope and float suit.

...3-4” of hard, clear ice will generally support a walking adult...5-6” of good ice will typically support a snowmobile or small ATV...12” of good ice is recommended for supporting a full size vehicle.

All good things must come to an end:

Couple of hammers in their natural habitat. Korey Sprengel and Chase Parsons putting the subtle action of the Berkley PowerBait Curly Bones to work on cold-water waldos:

Thank YOU for reading! ???? See ya back in a couple....

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH

Target Walleye LLC

422 Laurel Street

P.O. BOX 541

Brainerd, MN 56401

 (218) 824 5026