All Things Walleye

[Art Vandeley]

I have become obsessed with these fish and learn as much as I can everyday. I know there are several folks on the site that enjoy chasing these fish as well. My goal for this thread is to create on going discussion of current walleye tactics and techniques throughout the year. What works and what doesn't given the conditions. Feel free to share what ever you would like... I will start with a good one I picked up yesterday jigging 3/8 oz. jig head with a (big) 4" plastic perch looking swim bait. Real slow cadence with a soft bite, line comes tight and set. Calm and sunny, 54 degree water. Found my fish in 18' water

 

[Addicting]

@Steelsearchin

 

[Northwoods]

I spend a lot of time chasing walleyes in hard to reach places all summer. Walleyes in clear water can be very spooky fish, especially big ones. One of my favorite ways to pick them off is with a slip bobber and jumbo leech. I use light line and small hooks when bobber fishing. Here are a few of our bigger walleyes from this summer. A 29” and 31” that my daughter caught and my biggest walleye of the summer.

 

[rustneversleeps]

I have become obsessed with these fish and learn as much as I can everyday. I know there are several folks on the site that enjoy chasing these fish as well. My goal for this thread is to create on going discussion of current walleye tactics and techniques throughout the year. What works and what doesn't given the conditions. Feel free to share what ever you would like... I will start with a good one I picked up yesterday jigging 3/8 oz. jig head with a (big) 4" plastic perch looking swim bait. Real slow cadence with a soft bite, line comes tight and set. Calm and sunny, 54 degree water. Found my fish in 18' water

Fish Peck much? We've got a cabin at Hell Creek in February and hoping to get into some bigger walleye and maybe a few bonus pike

 

[Art Vandeley]

I spend a lot of time chasing walleyes in hard to reach places all summer. Walleyes in clear water can be very spooky fish, especially big ones. One of my favorite ways to pick them off is with a slip bobber and jumbo leech. I use light line and small hooks when bobber fishing. Here are a few of our bigger walleyes from this summer. A 29” and 31” that my daughter caught and my biggest walleye of the summer.

Nice Fish! Do you find a water temperatures where the leeches are not effective anymore? My understanding is leeches die off once the water gets too warm.

 

[Art Vandeley]

Fish Peck much? We've got a cabin at Hell Creek in February and hoping to get into some bigger walleye and maybe a few bonus pike

I made my first trip to Peck this summer and only fished for the salmon. I am planning to go and target walleye next year spring after ice off.

 

[NoWiser]

I love walleyes, but big ones don’t do much for me. I’ll take a 17 incher over a 28 incher every time. Pitching a light jig with a minnow is my favorite way to catch them, but a leech under a slip bobber isn’t far behind. Ice fishing for them is tough to beat, as well.

 

[Gellar]

I like to fish for walleye. At home, in our corner of Iowa we have them in the Mississippi River and a couple of the small tributaries that flow into the Mississippi.

On the big river during Spring and fall time fishing is usually near the dam using jigs and minnows. The Summer bite is in deep sloughs with some current and wing dams on the river. In summer I troll crankbaits upstream and drift worm rigs back down. Or a three way rig near a wing dam with a willow cat can be good.

On the small rivers (100' wide or less) I like to look for current seams that are 3 or 4' deep and cast small jigs across the current and slowly retrieve it bouncing off the bottom. The walleye do not get as big, but you have a good chance of bringing a meal home.

At our cabin in Canada I prefer to cast for them into shallow water around islands, rock piles, or shallow bays depending on the time of year with a 1/4 or 1/8 ounce jig at first light or last light of the day. Since there are usually 3 or 4 other people in the boat casting can be dangerous so we end up jigging and running lindy rigs a lot and I don't get to fish how I want.

 

[Art Vandeley]

@Gellar , I have tried pulling cranks up stream where I live, what speed do you pull them at? I have not had any success on the river walleye here yet and always wonder about speed.

Thanks

 

[huntin24/7]

Pitching jigs and plastics into 4-10’ flats or slow drop offs in may/June in waters with average to below average water clarity once the water gets in that 50’s-60’s water temp is my all time favorite.

 

[Northwoods]

Nice Fish! Do you find a water temperatures where the leeches are not effective anymore? My understanding is leeches die off once the water gets too warm.

The lakes that I fish are deep and cold so too warm has never been a problem. If the water is too cold leeches tend to ball up on your hook instead of swimming.

 

[Gellar]

@Gellar , I have tried pulling cranks up stream where I live, what speed do you pull them at? I have not had any success on the river walleye here yet and always wonder about speed.

Thanks

Sorry this will be so vague.

1.5 - 3 mph depending on crank bait, depth, and temperature

Some days it seems you go any speed. Other days you have to be exactly right. One week in July we were on a bite in an area with some springs the fish like to move into when it’s hot. 2.1 mph not 2.0 or 2.2 it had to be exact. I like to start at 1.7 and work up. Turning or putting the boat in neutral for a second can also trigger bites.

 

[Gellar]

The lakes that I fish are deep and cold so too warm has never been a problem. If the water is too cold leeches tend to ball up on your hook instead of swimming.

I was talking to a guy last week who went to voyageurs National park in August. I asked him what they were using and he said none of the places had leeches. That seemed odd. Was there a shortage up that way this year?

 

[Steelsearchin]

We are pretty spoiled here in Michigan when it comes to eyes. There are some amazing inland fisheries as well as fish to chase in the great lakes. Early spring usually means slow trolling big water with large cranks, followed by vertical jigging the rivers, tipping with a minnow if the water is cold. Some guys like to pop blade baits or hair jigs on the erie reefs, but that is more popular in Ohio waters. Once the jig bite slows its back to cranks, followed by crawler harnesses or spoons in the summer. When the water warms, tighter moving baits like flicker shad/minnows get the nod over rolling baits like DDHJs/bandits/reef runners, but each has their days. They are definitely fun fish to chase!!

 

[Sask hunter]

I love fishing walleyes my favourite way is vertical jigging rock piles. Can’t go wrong with 1/4oz jig and a leach. Snap jigging is fun and effective too later in the summer like august. Trolling cranks is highly effective as well and often produces better quality fish. Can’t forget bottom bouncer and crawler harnesses. Effective method but not my favourite. Next year I want to get a lead core setup for deep water trolling

 

[Art Vandeley]

Speaking of cranks, which is my favorite method, how do you guys like to set your drag for the most effective hook sets? I'm fairly new to this so bare with me.. At first I had my drag set tight thinking a fish would get hooked good if there was no "play" in the line. After losing several fish doing this, I switched to setting the drags loose, and letting them take a little line at the strike, then tightening the drag before lifting the rod which has worked okay for me. What do you guys do?

One thing I did that has really helped with getting strikes, is made a big spread sheet with all the different baits I run, with depth to line out charts. I had these laminated and keep them in the boat. I have line counters on my reel so I can accurately dial in the depth I'm running the cranks at. I know there is the precision trolling app but I find the spreadsheets allow me to reference the line out needed quicker when running several different baits.

 

[Art Vandeley]

This is my first summer of really getting after the walleye, and have successfully caught fish pulling cranks, pulling bottom bouncers with harnesses and jigging. Still have a looong way to go perfecting these methods.

 

[Steelsearchin]

... how do you guys like to set your drag for the most effective hook sets?

Ha!!! That's always the great debate. I always set my drags just tight enough to keep the planer boards from pulling out. One buddy I fish with has a big fancy Ranger 621 and every one of the drags on his trolling rigs is buried so tight its embarrassing!! He figures they are walleye, not king salmon, but I keep waiting for a big sheepshead to blow up his rods! When a board gets buried stuff starts to break.

A couple things that help with landing percentages is to use a slow steady reeling technique, as opposed to pumping the rod which will open up the hole where the hook is. Also, keep your rod at a 90 to the fish, but keep the tip near the water. Lift it only when it is right by the boat...you don't want the fish on top of the water until it hits the net.

 

[jrabq]

I mostly fish for walleye almost exactly like I fish for bass, tossing crankbaits in 2-10 feet of water. Focus on gravel shorelines, slowly bump crankbait on bottom. Murky or choppy water can help, but I've caught them in reasonably clear water, bright sunshine, middle of the day. Works well in NM lakes in the Spring, till about mid-June most years. Only other "trick" is if I catch one I'll usually focus on that spot for another 15-20 minutes or more, or sometimes come back later, finding the "spot" is often the ticket.

 

[Northwoods]

I was talking to a guy last week who went to voyageurs National park in August. I asked him what they were using and he said none of the places had leeches. That seemed odd. Was there a shortage up that way this year?

Leeches can be hard to come by in August. Crawlers work good as well for bobber fishing. Of course crawlers work great with a bottom bouncer and crawler harness but I’d rather take a nap on shore than troll a crawler harness, it’s just not my thing for several reasons.