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Walleye fishing tips and hints, try a few of these
the next time you are fishing for Walleye.....
1. In late the spring, walleyes in many lakes and rivers make
spawning runs up major tributaries. This occurs when the water
rises and reaches 40 plus degree range. Sometimes rapids or dams
will concentrate these fish.
Try jigs on these spring-run fish. White, yellow, chartreuse and
pink are good colors; the proper sizes can range from 1/8 to 1/2
ounce, depending on the current and depth. Both plain jigs with
either a soft-plastic tail, minnow or pork rind. Cast the offering
out and across or slightly upstream, let it sink near the bottom
and reel back slowly and steadily with an occasional twitch or
lift of the rod tip.
2. One of the best ways to catch spawning-run walleyes is with a
floating/diving thin minnow plug rigged with extra weight. Tie the
lure onto an 18-inch leader off of a three-way swivel with a few
split shot trailing on a short 6-inch dropper leader fastened to
the third eyelet. Cast and retrieve this offering slowly and
steadily near or just off the bottom. If you hang up, you'll
usually lose just the split shot and not your expensive lure.
3. Try a plain live minnow for spawning-run walleyes. Sometimes
in cold water - a plain live minnow is the way to go. Hook a
minnow through the lips from the bottom up on a size 1 to 4 hook
and add a couple of split shot a foot or two up the line. Cast
upstream and allow the bait to settle near the bottom. Begin a
slow reel stop pumping retrieve. Reel the rod and let it settle
back down. Expect extra weight and not a hard strike on the line
followed by the walleye feels the hook and then feed a little more
line for a count to ten then set the hook.
4. Crankbaits are great for casting. You need to know of the
different actions available. Lures with subtle action include
Rapala Husky Jerks, Bombers and similar models. Moderate action
Rapala Shad Rap and Rebel Shad-Rap.
Experiment with them on any given day. Watch for fish that follow
your lure but don't strike. Or switch to a different action when
your combing of a prime piece of water doesn't get results.
5. Normally, a slow, steady retrieve is best for casting
crankbaits to walleyes. If that doesn't work, though, try moderate
and even fast retrieves. Also, experiment with the stop-and-go
approach: Reel a few turns on the handle and suddenly stop. Wait
several seconds; reel again. This jerky action is sometimes the
key to a heavy catch.
6. Don't ignore the shallows when fishing for walleyes. Fish up to
6 pounds or more can sometimes be found in water just a few feet
deep, sometimes 2 feet or less. This is particularly likely in the
spring as waters start to warm in backwater bays in lakes. Try
areas with extended points, weed beds, sunken timber, rock piles
and reefs.
7. If they are not in the shallows, go to deeper water. Primary
and secondary points that jut out into deep water and also humps,
underwater islands, rock bars and drop offs. Steep breaks or
sudden depth changes near a channel are hotspots for walleyes in
summer and fall. Use sonar to locate these prime holding spots.
8. Trolling: Trolling is a great way to teach yourself about the
water you're on even if it's the lake you fished last year. This
method puts your bait down deep in the productive strike zone
almost continuously, upping your odds of finding fish. Use a good
topographic map and your depth finder as you troll to stay over
good structure and, watch for baitfish or game fish as well. Work
the contour line or troll in a S pattern near the edge of points,
reefs, drop offs or rip currents, I use my Humminbird 987c SI (www.humminbird.com)
to locate and fish the contours. The 987c has the ability to
set or highlight the depth you want to fish, for instance, say you
want to keep the boat in 20 feet of water, just set the Humminbird
987c to 20 foot depth and stay on the edge of the the color
change keeping the plug constantly at the level at which you think
you may find fish or have been marking them.
9. If walleyes are in shallow they tend to be spooked, use a
side-planer to take your crankbait close to shore. These planers
also let you probe a wider area, with some lures running directly
behind the boat and another crankbait off to the other side with
the planers.
10. When you locate fish with your crankbait and have made a
couple of runs through the area and you think the fish are gone
then go back and try vertical-jigging. Position your boat directly
over the structure or a spot where you've pinpointed game fish or
baitfish on the sonar. Lower a jig to the depth that fish are
holding, or slightly above that; then, begin pumping the rod tip
up and down. Be sure to lower the rod tip just fast enough so that
the lure falls freely, but no slack forms in the line. Strikes
will often come on the drop, and if too much slack gets in the
line, you won't be able to detect the subtle hits or set the hook
quickly enough.
11. A variety of colors and sizes work well vertical-jigging. If
strikes are slow in coming, try adding a pork-rind, a soft-plastic
or a live bait such as a piece of a worm or live minnow.
12. On summer nights, walleyes often
head to the shallows after sunset. In the early morning try these
shallows and when you find them mark them on your GPS, When they
finish feeding to to another area and keep search, but don't
forget to go back too the area where you found them earlier, just
go deeper until you find them again. When I go back I like to pull
cranks over the area. A thin-minnow plug from 4 to 6 inches in
length is best, but shallow-diving crankbaits can also produce
well, I like to add a little weight in front of the crank to get
it down deeper. You can also cast and retrieve these slowly and
steadily over shallow points, reefs, humps, and the edges of
islands.
13. For daytime summer walleye fishing, key in on these favored
types of structure: reefs, primary and secondary points, humps,
rock bars, flooded timber and depressions in the main lake. Also
pay attention to inlets and outlets where the current can attract
baitfish and walleyes.
14. Walleyes love fresh weeds beds, why, because they can hide in
the vegetation and ambush minnows swimming nearby. Weed lines with
a sharply-defined edge are the best of all. Position your boat
parallel to the break and cast your lure so it runs right next to
the vegetation. Fish will lie along this edge and lunge out to
grab passing baitfish or your offering.
If the weeds lie several feet below
the surface, you can also cast shallow-running crankbaits right
over top and work them back so they run above the weeds, nicking
the plants occasionally. Fish will surge up out and out to attack
your crank bait.
15. Many factors figure into where you'll find walleyes. The
presence of baitfish is one of them, but all things being equal,
you'll do just as good over sandy, gravel or rock bottoms rather
than muddy ones.
16. Drift-fishing with a live-bait rig and slip-sinker is one of
the most consistent ways of all for catching walleyes. Try a jig,
lindy with plane hook or floating hook, spinner blade even a slip
bobber with split shot, hook and minnow, and even a jig. a way to
suspend night crawlers off the bottom is to use a worm blower
(syringe) to inject air into the bait. .
Be sure to adjust the size of the weight according to the speed
you're drifting at and the depth of the water. You want the bait
to stay on or just above the bottom. When a fish grabs the
offering, feed line for several seconds and set the hook. Try
sunken islands, reefs, bars, points, weed bed edges and sharp drop
offs for this productive fishing method.
17. Maintain precise boat control when drift-fishing. If you drift
too fast, your bait may not appeal to the walleye, If winds are
too strong, use a drift bag or two. I use my Minn Kota 80AP (www.minnkotamotors.com/advantage)
electric motor to slow the drift this is done by pointing the bow
of the boat into the wind turning on the autopilot and set the
speed and then let the wind slowly push me down wind.
Back-trolling may be required. This means running your motor with
the boat pointed into the wind however the wind still may push you
but the idea is you are moving slower, the idea being to slow your
progress and allow more precise boat control. Walleyes generally
want the bait just barely moving past them, and this offers the
perfect way to present it in that slow and tempting manner.
18. Try slip-bobber rigs when walleyes are positioned near or on a
reef, point, gravel bar or other structure. This consists of a
bobber stopper, bobber, and split shot, hook or jig. This way you
can set the depth you want to fish. When walleyes are deeper than
5 or 6 feet, this is the only efficient way to cast and use a
float. Try leeches, night crawlers and minnows. They all work
great with slip-bobber riggings.
19. Choose your bait according to the season.
Minnows are usually productive all year. In summer, go with night
crawlers or leeches. In fall, minnows, especially large ones, are
the best choice for attracting and catching hungry walleyes.
20. Color can sometimes be important in lure choice - and
sometimes it's insignificant. To cover your bets, be sure to stock
your favorite lures in a variety of hues. Always carry a few lures
in bright fluorescent colors. Those are particularly good in murky
water.
21. Don't be afraid of windy days for walleye fishing. Wind helps to
move your boat along if you want to try drift-fishing. It also
pushes baitfish into tight groups, enabling the walleyes to ambush
them. Look for walleyes actually feeding out on windswept points,
bars and reefs, and on the windward side of the lake. Pitch light
jigs tipped with a minnow, leach, plastic to the windy shore
line.
22. Trolling speed is critical when going after walleyes. At times
these fish will nail a fast-moving bait, but they usually want it
creeping along. To adjust my speed I use a Troll Master (http://www.troll-masterpro.com/)
. By adjusting the speed with a micro switch (Trollmaster maximum
speed, about 65 to 70% of your motors capability) Adds a new
dimension to trolling
23. Use your GPS (www.humminbird.com)
or have a marker buoy handy when drift-fishing or trolling for
walleyes. Chances are good that more fish are holding where you
hooked that last one. Drop the buoy or mark your GPS immediately
when you get a strike; then you can drift or troll through that
same area again. |
