You can greatly improve your odds
of a successful walleye fishing trip by doing some homework in advance. A surprising
amount of helpful information is available from provincial or state fisheries managers,
conservation officers, tackle-shop operators and resort owners. If you plan to fish a
particular lake, ask about peak fishing times and try to schedule your trip accordingly.
Find out if your contact is a fisherman. If so, inquire about the best baits and lures,
the most effective fishing methods and when the walleyes are most likely to bite. Ask
about depths where the walleyes are most commonly caught, the best types of structure and
the most productive area of the lake.
Fishing surveys
show that live bait accounts for at least two-thirds of all walleyes caught on hook and
line. The best live baits for walleyes include minnows and other small fish,
night-crawlers
and leeches. There are times when other kinds of baits, such as waterdogs and frogs will
also produce. Your choice of bait mainly depends on availability and the time of year.
Slow-trolling with
slip-sinker rigs probably accounts for more walleyes than any other technique. It is
simple yet effective, enabling you to present live bait so it stays lively and appears
natural. Because the line slides freely through the sinker, a walleye feels no resistance
when it grabs the bait and swims off. With a fixed sinker, a walleye may feel the tension
and let go.
The size of your sinker depends mainly on the water depth.
As a general rule, you will need about 1/8 ounce of weight for every 10 feet of depth. At
a depth of 20 feet, for instance, you would need a 1/4 ounce sinker, but you may have to
use more weight when fishing in current or wind. In clear water, you may have to use a
sinker lighter than normal and let out more line to prevent spooking the fish.
The hook should be small enough that a walleye can swim off
and swallow the bait without detecting anything unusual. Select a hook with an extremely
sharp point, a relatively short shank and either a straight or turned-up eye. Most anglers
prefer a size 6 to 8 hook for leeches and night-crawlers; size 2 to 4 for minnows.
When walleyes are near bottom, there is no need for a long
leader. An 18 to 36 inch leader works well in this situation. But when the fish are
suspended, you may need a leader over 10 feet long. Use a light, low-visibility mono
leader, especially when fishing in clear water. A 6-pound leader is adequate in most
situations, but you may need an 8 to 10 pound leader when fishing snaggy bottoms.
To troll a slip-sinker rig effectively, you must
master the basics of boat control. To detect pick-ups, which are often extremely subtle,
keep your line as short as possible. This means that you must move the boat as slowly as
possible. Once you locate walleyes, try to stick on that contour line as closely as
possible.
You can also cast and retrieve a slip-sinker rig from an anchored
position or from shore. Many fishermen troll until they locate some walleyes, then anchor
away from them and cast into the school. This technique works well in shallow water where
continually trolling over the fish would spook them.
Effective slip-sinker fishing requires a sensitive rod with a flexible
tip. Most experts use a medium-action graphite or boron rod from 5 1/2 to 6 feet long. A
flexible tip offers less resistance than a stiff one should you fail to release the line
when a walleye swims off with the bait.
Keep your spinning reel filled with line. When a walleye moves with the
bait, line will flow easily from the spool. If the spool is not filled, the line may catch
and cause the fish to drop the bait.
Lower the
rig until the sinker touches bottom. Let out no more line than necessary; if you let out
too much, you will have trouble feeling bites. Continually adjust the amount of line as
the depth changes.
Troll with your bail open, holding the line with your index finger. If you
feel resistance, pull back very gently with your rod tip. A shake or any other sign of
life indicates a fish; a dead pull is probably a stick or weed.
Drop the line off your index finger immediately when you determine that
you have a bite. If you fail to release the line in time, the fish will detect too much
resistance and let go of your bait.
Feed line as long as the fish continues to run. If you are right-handed,
use your left hand to strip the line from the reel. This is a precaution to assure that
the line does not catch on the spool.
Reel rapidly to take up slack once the fish stops running. Continue
reeling until you feel weight. You may have to reel up more line than you think; a walleye
may double back rather than move straight away.
Set the hook with a sharp snap of the wrists when you feel the weight of
the fish. Attempting to set the hook before all of the slack is removed is the most common
mistake in slip-sinker fishing.
