Sorry this Target Walleye is coming at you a little late! Was trying to wrap-up some content from my trip to Oneida Lake, NY…but ran out of time. More on that this Friday!

Been stuck in my head ever since seeing this wild post from Rodney Rowe in the Garmin Fishing Electronics FB group. And nope, that’s not on demo mode…it’s from Lake Ouachita, AR:

Must have taken a wrong turn at this bridge posted by Jeremiah Scoggins. ????

Still blows my mind how it wasn’t that long ago when fish symbols/alarms were THE big thing. This bring back any memories?

– Relatable comment under this post from bassin’ pro Joey Cifuentes landing on some Arkansas gold:

Joey: “10 walleye all on the Berkley MaxScent Flatnose Minnow + Berkley 1/8-oz Half Head Jig = the best fish dinner in the Ozarks. ????”

Careful Joey…you might be switching over to the dark gold side ???? after those fillets hit your taste buds. And if you can hammer that many walleyes down south, you’d probably have a heyday in the Midwest. ????‍♂️

Short answer: Nothing.

Long answer:

Scott Lake Lodge is way, way, waaaay up there on the border of Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories. Probably best known for its massive pike since catching one over 50″ isn’t out of the question. Yup, you read that right!

So how do they get so big?

1. A lifespan of 30-ish years,
2. A strong catch-and-release program,
3. Controlled fishing pressure, and
4. By eating whatever the heck they want!

This blip from Scott Lake Lodge’s website:

“…pike are well known to attack almost anything alive, including small muskrats, ducklings, loon chicks, mice and nearly any smaller fish in the lake.”

Guess they’ll be adding porcupine to the list after seeing this pic posted on their FB. Ouch!

Heard the Savage Gear 3D Porcupine will be making a run for “best hard lure” at ICAST’s new product showcase. You saw it here first:

Lol kiddin’…sorta….

Speaking of pike ???? I’m surprised this one posted by Kris Bain on Insta was able to eat anything at all! ????

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

Probably hitting the marketplace near you with that “ran great when parked” line…. ????

Crazy to think we’ve been doing these “Top 5” videos for an entire year already!

A big thx to all the folks who take time out of their day to watch ‘em ???? and also to our friends at Sea Foam for making it possible. Here comes episode 48 – hope you enjoy it!

1. MN: Fuller/McSharry win Knights of Columbus Walleye Classic.

Dan Fuller (left) and Pat McSharry (right) won the 22nd-annual derby on Lake Bemidji with 38.70 lbs and also had ‘big fish’ with a 28-incher. Caught ‘em with a 1-2 punch ???? of casting #7 Rapala Jigging Raps and slip-bobbers. Big congrats, fellas!

2. Episode 3 of “Tour Level Gold” just dropped.

Amazing video series [!!!] that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows professional anglers deal with on the National Walleye Tour. This episode kicks off the Lake Winnebago event:

3. WI: Summer ‘Battle on Bago’ is happening Jun 17-18.

375 teams compete for $135K in cash + prizes. I believe today is the last day to register?

4. MN: United Way Fishing Tournament, July 22-23.

Catch-photo-release format thru the FishDonkey app with both walleye and bass categories. New this year you can fish any lake within Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Aitkin, Cass, and Crow Wing counties.

Btw the Target Walleye + Lindner’s Angling Edge “Legacy Walleye Award” of a lifetime fishing license will be presented to the top-ranking walleye team with a youth (15 or younger) as one of the participants. ????

5. MN: Interesting read on how the Mille Lacs AIM was won.

Btw AIM uses a length-to-weight conversion in their catch-photo-release tournaments. Believe (but not positive) this is the current chart:

I wish they weighed that much around here! Our 7.18 lbs (3 fish) in league last night would have been 10 lbs…so we could have bumped up to 2nd place lol.

Which I’ve got to say a big congrats to Mark “I don’t need no stinkin’ pre-fishing” Hightower and Jeremiah Piepkorn on bringing in 18.04 lbs (only 2 fish can be 20″) to CRUSH the other 24 local boats that were fishing on North Long last night. Seriously impressive!

6. MN: 2 DNR conservation officers recognized for lifesaving efforts. ????

“CO Sean Williams (Ely) in February saved the life of a man who was snowshoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and was unable to get out. CO Jeremy Henke (Albert Lea) in May used an automated external defibrillator to help save the life of a man suffering a cardiac event. All COs have carried AEDs since this spring – this marked the first time one was deployed in a lifesaving effort.”

7. Angie Thompson acquires popular fishing trade media platforms.

Fishing Tackle Retailer and The Fishing Wire.

8. St Croix announces new SEVIIN Reels.

Launching at ICAST – there’s a little more info here.

9. WI: 2023 St. Croix Customer Appreciation Day is Jun 17.

At the St. Croix Factory in Park Falls, WI. Also congrats to them on their 75th anniversary!

You can also drop in online, bunch of online seminars to stream:

10. BRP appoints new prez of its Marine Group.

Bernard Guy, internal hire. Marine Group = 3 boat companies (including Alumacraft) and their new electric motors.

11. There’s a sinking braid made for Euro carp.

Braid typically floats. Something to chew on….

12. MN: One bass-head’s 2¢ on the closed bass season.

Reminder: The MN DNR is doing a survey on a Proposed Bass Catch-and-Release Season to gather public input on year-round fishing opportunities for bass in MN:

Bass fishing in MN has become increasingly popular. Anglers have questioned the need for closed bass seasons. In the interest of increasing bass opportunities, the DNR’s Bass Technical Team (Fisheries staff dedicated to bass research and management) has discussed a year-round angling season concept. The Team looked at available biological information from MN and in the scientific literature and is seeking public comment on updating the existing catch-and-release season.

Been waiting a long time for this and it sounds like it’s gained a ton of momentum! There’s some good information at the beginning of this survey so folks can help make an informed decision.

Local girl catches largemouth bass with chicken nugget.

9-yr-old Charlotte Pinon caught a 5-lber on a dang chicken nugget!

”I thought it was a fluke at first when it happened and then it happened again. It happened 4 times total, she caught 4 different fish from 4 different chicken nuggets….”

In the past, Charlotte Pinon says she has caught fish with crackers and even gummy worms. …she plans to use Doritos on her next fishing trip.

Too funny! And more proof that bass are easier to catch than walleye. ????

How John Hoyer snap jigs the weeds RIGHT NOW!

It’s officially my favorite time of year for walleye fishing. The water is warming to the point that a fish’s metabolism and their need to eat overshadows a generally picky nature. This is the time of year that some of my favorite patterns of all time have been developed.

Exhibit A: 1/2-oz Berkley Fusion19 Swimbait Jighead paired with The Champ Swimmer:

As you can see the HD printing on these paddletails [bunch of other colors not shown, too] are as close to the real thing as possible. I’ve tried almost every paddletail known to man, and these colors just straight-up get bit exponentially more often.

The 1/2-oz (5/0) jighead is a lot more than ‘the book of walleye fishing’ would say you need in 6′ to 12′ cabbage…. When you’re pumping the bait hard through the weeds…snap it up 4-6′ and let it fall as fast as it can…creating a fleeing-perch scenario and triggering the hardest walleye strikes you will ever feel.

If you haven’t watched The Next Bite episode with Gary Parsons and I from a few years ago…check it out and I guarantee you will be successful this weekend using this technique anywhere walleyes swim.

Give the original gangster 4.6″ or the newer 3.8″ size Champ Swimmer a shot.

In case you’re curious (like I was) in how these compare to Berkley Ripple Shads…. John said The Champ Swimmer has a bigger thump and presence which he likes this time of year. And that he tends to use Ripple Shads earlier in the season.

So you’re telling me if I just donate plasma 87 times…. ????

Josh Westerink is straight-up vibing his way into summer! ????????????

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH