More weights in fish, My ice camping setup, URL crappie madness 💯 (2024)

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The recent KS state-record crappie was seized and wiped from the record books, but no one seemed to have any idea why...until now. 👀

Let's just say the 2 ball bearings located inside its gut were not supposed to be there. 🤯

The full Dan Collins write-up on OutdoorLife is definitely worth reading to get the inside scoop, juicy details and even social media posts...but I'll drop a few excerpts from that write-up below:

> “The state-record saga began on Mar 5, 2023, when [guy] caught a slab white crappie from a small public reservoir near Manhattan. A statement from KDWP details how [guy] first weighed his fish at one bait shop where it fell short of breaking the state record. [Guy] then apparently stuffed the fish with ball bearings before visiting another certified scale to obtain the heavier weight of 4.07 lbs that initially qualified it as a state record. Investigators proved this by X-raying the crappie after seizing it from [guy’s] home in April 2023.”

> “When staff used a handheld metal detector to scan the fish, the device detected the presence of metal,” KDWP public information officer Nadia Marji wrote in an email to Outdoor Life. “Wardens then took the fish to the Topeka Zoo for x-ray examination where it was revealed that two steel ball bearings were inside the crappie.”

> Marji confirms that wildlife officers began investigating [guy] on Apr 9, just 5 days after the agency certified [guy’s] white crappie as a new state record with a weight of 4.07 lbs. Investigators were acting on a tip from a bait shop owner who says he weighed [guy’s] crappie on Mar 5.

> “I remember that day like it was yesterday,” says the bait shop owner, who spoke with Outdoor Life on the condition of anonymity. “If it was a state record, I would have taken a picture of it. Typically when that happens, I have to fill out paperwork, measure the fish and check the weight, and I actually have to give the [angler] the serial number off my scale. That was not done on this fish.”

> None of these things were done because, as KDWP confirms, [guy’s] crappie weighed just 3.73 lbs on the bait shop owner’s certified scale. This is why the shop owner was so suspicious when, in early April, he saw that the exact same fish had been declared a new Kansas state record crappie with a certified weight of 4.07 lbs.

> “Now, that’s a discrepancy,” the shop owner says.

Keep reading the full story here.

I had to get in on the fun.... It was a short, but magical trip ice fishing for those mythical Upper Red Lake, MN crappies! 💯 Was also so dang fun camping on the ice overnight in my Clam X-600 Thermal Hub – I seriously can’t wait to do it again.Pretty cool that you don’t need a fancy wheelhouse or a bunch of ice to be able to spend the night on the water.

It’s a long, LONG video because I wanted to do my best to document the madness – it was super hectic in a reeeeaaaally good way! There’s time stamps listed in the video’s description on YouTube if you want to skip to specific parts.

Great times, great fishing, and great people – it doesn't get much better than that! 👊 I hope you enjoy the vid:

As always, all of the gear I used in this specific video is listed in the videos description on YouTube. If you have a specific question on anything, drop a comment over on YouTube and I’ll do my best to get back to you in a timely fashion.

- That’s a line from Ross Robertson’s MeatEater write-up talking tricks on how to catch big walleye through the ice, which includes staying stealthy:

> “One winter, I had a client who kept telling me he couldn’t see any fish on his sonar. His buddies in shacks less than 30’ away were not only marking lots of walleyes, they were catching them, too. As I entered his shack to provide some coaching, the problem quickly presented itself.

> “He threw his thermos onto the ice after pouring a cup of coffee. Many might say this doesn’t matter, and some days it may not. I quickly set up my Hummingbird MEGA Live sonar, which allows me to see fish at least 20’ out from the hole. In real-time, he watched a school of fish 10’ from the hole spook as he again tossed the thermos.

> “I’ve seen fish spook just from human foot traffic many days as well. The point is to be aware that fish, especially big walleyes, are paying attention when you mess up. When targeting walleyes, you need to act more like a turkey hunter rather than a duck hunter. Less commotion is always better. Simple things like ice creepers make a lot more noise than a plain boot, if not absolutely necessary, ditch the cleats while fishing.

> “Most of us can relate to a buddy catching fish only feet away when others aren’t, even on a seemingly structureless basin. In many cases, this also comes down to what footprint you are putting out. A simple trick to always remember is to set up on snow patches, no matter how small they may seem. This can allow for a quieter approach as you move around and, even more importantly, puts you in the shadows.

> “On gin-clear winter waters such as Lake Michigan’s Bay De Noc, something as simple as not clearing the slush out of your hole helps to decrease light penetration below. Believe it or not, this can be a make-it-or-break-it move. Be aware of how much commotion you are making.”

Keep reading here.

And the winner was David Burgess with an incredible “Snot Rocket” pike design. 🔥

Dude crushed it! Super cool that Beaver Dam will actually be making these, and that David will get the first “Snot Rocket” Tip-Up off the production line! Plus a $150 gift card and of course ultimate bragging rights, too.

There were a bunch of really cool fan-submitted designs under the FB postt But I’ve got to say that I instantly fell in love with the idea of a cribbage board design and will be rallying to make it become a reality lol:

Side note: Here’s some interesting insight on how Beaver Dam Tip-Ups got started up:

> “In the late-1930s, three ice fishermen in the Beaver Dam area – Fred Crinion, Albert "Tuck" Kachelski and George Beers – began assembling their own tip-ups in a basem*nt and selling them for beer money.

> "In 2008, with eight employees working inside a 4,160-sq-ft, one-story building on the east side of Beaver Dam, Arctic Fisherman still made each Beaver Dam Tip-Up by hand.

> "For five decades, the Original Rail Tip-up has stood apart, an American-made icon of ice fishing tip ups.”

Now you/we know!

Usually I’m looking for funny news headlines from folks who clearly don’t fish, but this time the funny came from the pic this news post used lol. 🙃

Wonder if they hold their walleyes up like this? 🤪

1. Duane "Dewey" Hjelm's jersey was just auctioned off…

...and it raised $3,050 for St. Jude Children's Hospital! 🙌 Incredible.

Now it looks like John Hoyer has just challenged him to a duel. 🤺 John’s autographed tournament jersey from the 2023 NWT season is now up for grabs, and his goal is to beat Dewey’s total lol, although the bar has been set high!

Great cause – nicely done, fellas.

2. MN: “Break Your PB” St Jude Fundraiser happenin’ Feb 24.

The Crappie Chronicles crew is having their last meet-up of the year on Sat, Feb 24 at Giesenbräu Bier Co in New Prague from 4-9pm.

> “The first 50 people in attendance who make the suggested $20 donation will receive a FREE Limited Edition Chronicle x Giesenbräu Pint Glass. Along with this, we will have THOUSANDS of dollars of prizes, including some Grand Prize Items like: The Crappie Chronicle Experience, 4 Club Level MN Wild Tickets, a Cooking Experience with Ryan Pinkalla, and sooooo much more.

> “Plus, we will have a food truck available with some bomb burgers, fries, and curds. It’s gonna be an AWESOME night in New Prague and the weather is looking to be fantastic. Come hang out, have a few beers, join us and Matt Pangrac, and let’s raise some money for St Jude!”

3. WI: DNR co-hosting free kids’ ice fishing clinics TOMORROW...

...at 5 different Milwaukee County parks.

4. Clayton Schick is ice fishing in shorts and sandals!

Clayton is a true diehard 😤 so it’s also cool to see him fish cushy while spending the night on Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba in one of Gaune Fishin's Yetti Fish Houses.

I really like how he made a little challenge out of it, keeping a tally of the total inches of his top-5 longest walleyes caught in 24 hours. So he can keep trying to beat himself, or maybe you can try to beat Clayton. 👊

5. MN: Next year’s Brainerd Jaycees $150K Ice Fishing Extravaganza...

...will be Feb 1, 2025 on Gull Lake near Brainerd. 💯 The largest charitable ice-fishing derby in the world. #SaveTheDate

6. RLVNT now owns the Minnesota Tournament Trail.

If you haven’t heard of RLVNT yet, they’re primarily known for making some incredible sunglasses – but that’s not all they’ve got up their sleeves. I’ll keep you posted as we learn more....

7. MN: Nice throwback pics of Mille Lacs bait shop.

> "Some cool pictures a customer sent us from way back in the day before we were ever Garrison Sports. McCalvy’s bait ran from roughly 1954-1970!"

8. Merc intros Joystick Steering for single-engine vessels.

Wonder if/when we’re going to start seeing the walleye trolling crowd adopt this tech?

9. ND: Fargo’s Youth Ice Fishing Derby = canceled.

10. MB: Free ice fishing weekend.

> ...from Sat to Mon, anglers may fish without a license in the province, except in national parks where a federal angling license is still required.

> Anglers must still follow all possession limits and size restrictions during this weekend including regulations for specific individual waters.

I dig little DIY hacks...

...like this one posted by Matt Jacobson, who riveted a Clam Precision Bump Board to his Eagle Claw Ice Rod Case. #SlickRick

“If you use a skunk tail for a tip-up flag, you might be a redneck....”

- That's Lisa Gilbert Mohr getting her Springstead, WI on hahaha:

I guess getting “skunked” isn’t always a bad thing!

Sending 'er off with a 27" gravel lizard that's sporting a new VMC Rattling Roach Spoon lip piercing: