The right way to Catch Walleye | Subject & Stream

Ask any walleye nut they usually’ll inform you there’s tons to like about these well-liked recreation fish—and a great deal of causes to discover ways to catch walleye. First, walleyes are broadly distributed throughout the nation, and the place they’re discovered, they’re usually present in excellent numbers. Once they’re biting, you may catch them on virtually something, but they’ll additionally check the perfect anglers. And, in fact, walleyes are wonderful desk fare.

Okay, so there are a handful of haters who will level out that walleyes don’t combat like a 5-pound smallmouth or a 25-pound chinook salmon, however for those who hook into an 8-pound walleye, your blood stress goes to rise. And with the smaller ones, your abdomen would possibly very properly growl. Both means, it’s value studying not simply learn how to catch walleye, however learn how to catch numerous them and learn how to goal the most important fish. Right here’s learn how to get began.

The right way to Catch Walleyes: Desk of Contents

• The place to Discover Walleyes in Rivers and Lakes
• The Deal with You Must Catch Walleye
• Prime Rods for Walleye Fishing
• Greatest Reels for Walleye Fishing
• Prime Line Choices for Walleye Fishing
• The Greatest Techniques for Catching Walleye
• Greatest Baits, Lures, and Rigs for Catching Walleyes

The place to Discover Walleyes in Rivers and Lakes

The northern half of the U.S. is house to the vast majority of the nation’s walleye inhabitants, from the St. Lawrence River west to the Columbia. However they’re discovered farther south, too. Among the best walleye lakes within the nation is Greers Ferry in north-central Arkansas. A number of the best fisheries for constant walleye motion embody Lake Erie, Mille Lacs Lake, Sharpe and Oahe lakes on the Missouri, Fort Peck Reservoir, and the aforementioned Columbia River between Washington and Oregon.

Walleyes are discovered not solely in lakes, however in rivers and smaller tributaries, significantly within the Midwest and Higher Midwest. In terms of discovering walleyes on the lakes and river methods you fish, you wish to bear in mind these key issues.

Walleyes Are Nomadic

Walleyes are wanderers, by no means staying in a single place very lengthy, all the time shifting to cooler water because the temperatures rise, and—most significantly—following their most popular meals, whether or not that’s alewives, shad, or pike minnows. Discover the meals; discover the fish.

Walleyes Want Construction

As a result of walleyes are ambush predators, they want some cowl round which to cover as they wait to assault their prey. In shifting water, walleyes use construction as a break from heavy present and as a funnel that sweeps prey into their strike zone. That could be a wing dam, rock pile, curler dam apron, or a logjam. In lakes, walleyes gravitate to any change within the backside construction, corresponding to underwater humps, previous creek channels, flooded roadbeds, and abrupt drop-offs.

Water Depth is Key

Typically talking, walleyes are going to be present in depths starting from 10 to 40 ft, although this relies vastly on the general depth of the water physique. Spring spawning and cooler water focus walleyes in shallower water. With summer season warmth comes heat water temperatures, and the fish go deeper. Fall sees the return of cooler water and sometimes, however not all the time, a return to the shallows.

Electronics are Important for Catching Walleyes

Trying to find walleye is as a lot part of walleye fishing as is the precise catching. So, having high quality depth-finders is vital. An excellent depth-finder won’t solely show water temperature and depth, however might help you pinpoint construction, bait, and even walleyes themselves.

The Deal with You Must Catch Walleye

Walleye fishing deal with will be sophisticated, nevertheless it doesn’t should be. The widespread denominator no matter what rod, reel, and line mixture you set collectively, is really feel—or sensitivity. Walleyes will, at instances, hammer a bait or lure, however they’re well-known for refined takes. You’ll really feel one thing, however it may be robust to know whether or not that one thing is a fish, a chunk of coontail, or a rock. At that time, it’s all about really feel. And that, in flip, ought to information your deal with decisions.

Prime Rods for Walleye Fishing

Many walleye anglers are keen on spinning deal with; nevertheless, baitcasting gear will definitely fill the function, so long as that sensitivity part is there. As 6 1/2- to 7-foot medium motion rod will deal with most functions. For trolling an extended, barely heavier-action rod can be utilized for any variety of strategies, together with flat-lining crankbaits, drifting stay baits, or operating smaller side-planers. Some wonderful choices embody:

Greatest Reels for Walleye Fishing

Like rods, walleye reels don’t have to be high-tech or ridiculously costly, however yours needs to be able to holding 125 yards of braid or fluorocarbon and possess a very good drag system. Three stable choices embody:

Prime Line Choices for Walleye Fishing

Although many walleye anglers have made the swap to trendy braided traces, monofilament or fluorocarbon are nonetheless highly regarded on most waters. For casting spinners or spoons, jigging, or fishing stay baits beneath a slip bobber, 8- or 10-pound monofilament or near-invisible 12-pound fluorocarbon are nice decisions. That mentioned, both will be changed with 10-pound braid and used along with a top quality fluorocarbon chief. For trolling, most reels might be spooled with a 10- or 12-pound low-vis braid, with, once more, a fluorocarbon chief.

The Greatest Techniques for Catching Walleye

There is no such thing as a singular finest technique for catching walleyes. What works in a single place on a given day could not work elsewhere. There are, in actual fact, a number of “finest” strategies, for learn how to catch walleyes, and you must know all of them. Right here’s a rundown.

The right way to Catch Walleyes with Jigs

Jigging seemingly accounts for extra walleyes yearly than all the opposite strategies mixed. Why? As a result of it’s extremely versatile. Jigs will be fished vertically over construction from a stationary boat, forged from boat or financial institution, or labored simply above the underside whereas permitting the boat to float with the wind and waves. Jigging works in nonetheless water or present and will be efficient year-round.

Jigs are available in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colours, however most walleye waters lend themselves to jigs within the 1/8- to ¼-ounce vary, with some bigger rivers or deep lakes calling for jigs within the ½- to ¾-ounce class. As productive as it’s, jigging takes some observe to actually get good at. A delicate rod, sustaining a good line whereas the jig is falling, and studying to really feel refined takes are all key.

The right way to Catch Walleyes by Trolling

Second solely to jigging by way of general walleye catches, trolling includes pulling a lure—often a spinner, baited spinner, spoon, plug, or stickbait—at a selected depth and velocity by the use of a motorized skiff or boat. Trolling for walleyes can show difficult for novices. Realizing the place to start is the primary query, however this may be answered by utilizing high quality electronics to disclose water depth and construction. How deep to troll, too, is one other variable, one once more answered by finding fish within the water column along with your depth finder. When you dial it in, although, trolling will be very efficient.

The right way to Drift for Walleyes

Drifting, or letting wind, waves, or present drag a lure or bait alongside promising construction or cowl, is an effective way to work massive areas of water. Usually, the aim of drifting, or drift-fishing, is to find actively feeding fish. As soon as a faculty is discovered, anglers will usually anchor upwind and forged jigs or slip-bobber rigs to the fish. Holding the boat regular with a GPS-guided lock system is one other, usually much less disruptive approach.

The right way to Forged for Walleyes

There are occasions when casting spinners, spoons, crankbaits, and jigs from a ship is one of the best ways to place ‘eyes within the cooler versus trolling or vertical jigging. That mentioned, a good bit of casting is completed from shore, particularly in river methods. The water beneath a curler dam will be a wonderful place to focus on spring walleyes, as they make their means upstream however are stopped by this impediment throughout their annual spawning run. In summer season, any roiling, highly-oxygenated water in rivers will maintain fish on the lookout for prey and cooler temperatures.

The right way to Catch Walleyes with a Slip-Bobber Rig

Slip-bobbering is one other technique employed both from shore or from a ship. Slip bobbers are small, light-weight floats, usually made from balsa wooden, that slide or ‘slip’ to a depth decided by the angler’s placement of a system of beads and a nylon bobber cease on the mainline. Your entire rig is shortened to an simply forged size because the bobber slides to the swivel-and-leader; nevertheless, as soon as forged, the bait, often a big, energetic minnow, shadling, or leech, falls within the water column to the predetermined depth.

Slip-bobbering, like trolling and drifting, is a wonderful approach to current a bait over a large expanse of doubtless productive water. Often, slip-bobber rigs are held in reserve till fish are situated, with the boat then being stored in place and the bait labored downwind or downstream.

Greatest Baits, Lures, and Rigs for Catching Walleyes

One of the best baits and lures for walleyes depend upon the placement and circumstances. What’s extra, there are extra choices a giant walleye would possibly clobber than we will listing right here. However listed below are the highest producers day in and time out—seven choices each critical walleye angler has to learn about.

Nightcrawlers: Numerous fish love a crawler, however few greater than walleyes do. A fats ‘crawler will be fished by itself beneath a slip bobber, used to tip a ¼-ounce lead head jig, or as a dressing to a weight-forward spinner, like an Erie Dearie, June Bug spinner, or ‘crawler harness. The easiest factor about nightcrawlers? They’re simple to catch and maintain.

Minnows: Massive minnows, corresponding to fatheads, shiners, or shadlings, run neck-and-neck with nightcrawlers as top-notch ‘eye bait. They’re usually fished on a naked lead head or feathery marabou jig. Evenly hooked by means of the lips or beneath the dorsal fin, minnows work exceptionally properly beneath a bobber, too. Aerators and a relentless circulation of oxygen will assist maintain these baits alive on board.

Leeches: Whereas efficient, leeches appear to be a regional favourite. Anglers within the Higher Midwest fish the ribbon-like bloodsuckers beneath a slip bobber or as an add-on to a plain lead head jig or Lindy Rig (a strolling or bottom-bouncing type of presentation that mixes an angled sinker with a fluorocarbon chief and a small colourful float or single spinner blade).

Spinners: Spinners in a wide selection of sizes and configurations make wonderful walleye lures. Some, just like the tried-and-true Mepps Aglia or Comet Minnow, or the equally as lethal C.P. Swing, are finest fished with out bait and both forged or trolled. Others, together with the various totally different variations of ‘crawler harnesses (corresponding to Mack’s Smile Blade rig or Yakima Baits’ Hildebrandt Hammer Time), permit anglers to slow-troll or drift a flashy stay bait over and round construction.

Jigs and Delicate Plastics: A Google seek for “walleye jigs” yielded 1.56 million rapid outcomes, which isn’t stunning when one appears to be like on the jigs and soft-plastics racks on the native sporting items retailer. Walleye jigs are as many as there are stars within the sky; there are soccer heads, bullet heads, barbed heads meant for plastics, and stay bait jigs, full with secondary stinger hooks designed to nail these short-striking finicky fish. Plastics, too, are many and diverse, with the preferred being 3- to 4-inch twistertail grubs, ringworms, and paddle-tail swimbaits, all in minnow-imitating colour patterns.

Crankbaits: Often trolled by way of a flatline or lead-core or run off to at least one facet of the boat with a facet planer, crankbaits mimic the small baitfish that walleyes prey on. Crankbaits will be fished beneath the 20-foot mark with the assistance of a downrigger system; nevertheless, some deep-diving crankbaits can themselves dive to 25 ft or extra when tuned correctly.

Blade Baits: These skinny fish-shaped metallic baits, corresponding to the favored Heddon Sonar and Reefrunner Cicada, are labored in an up-and-down style, often simply above the underside. You rip them up shortly, allow them to fall on a good line, after which really feel for a strike on the autumn because the lure wobbles erratically.