nagging thoughts about trolling this last summer for walleye

[McQ]

If there is one thing I've learned about walleye fishing, it's this " there are as many ways to catch walleye as there are fishermen trying to catch them ". Now with that being stated you must approach each situation in a manner that allows you to fish relative to the equipment you have and the general conditions of the day combined with the known makeup of the body of water you are on.

If there is one thing I know for a fact, it's this " the successful walleye angler has skill with a huge number of techniques ".

Nothing beats time on the water practicing different approaches and teasing one of those tasty critters to your bait.

I emphasize that the better you know the habits of the elusive walleye the more likely you are to put a few in the boat. There is also a requirement to understand their habitat and why they act and react as they do.

In this day and age there are a multitude of ingenious tools that can be brought into play including locators, gps, planer boards, drift socks, electric motors, etc.

There is only one of these tools that I rely upon and to me is totally essential - that's, a good sonar unit. Interpreting the signals displayed can quickly put me on fish or encourage me to try another area.

It also helps that over the past forty years of fishing and rubbing shoulders with some of the best fishermen in North America, always with an ear open for advice I've been able to put together a ton of different scenarios and memories that I can call upon to quickly put together a plan for the body of water I am on that day.

This website has added many ideas to my arsenal too and I relish this type of thread for the wisdom that will be shared with me.

Anybody who has fished with me can attest to the duffel bags of gear I tote with me. Invariably I'll end up using 1 or 2 techniques but there are 100's of options for me to fall back on.

I'm a good fisherman - not the best but I get better each time I go out. The day I stop learning - - - - -well you know the rest of that statement.

[eye-tracker]

I'm a good fisherman - not the best but I get better each time I go out. The day I stop learning - - - - -well you know the rest of that statement.

Well said McQ...

Every-time out I try to learn a new technique or try something different, this is one of the reasons I like to fish walleye tournaments because it forces me to fish in every condition on numerous bodies of water. Threads like this one are great for anglers trying to learn about walleye...there is no one way or magic technique that works every-time out.

Also I would like to thank you McQ for your posts on bottom bouncing, it has helped me get a grasp of another technique I often ignore...I have made lots of personal modifications while on the water, but that is the beauty of web sites like this...take some information head out on the water and experiment until you create your own modified technique that lands fish.

I enjoy the internet and doing seminars because I get to share information or educate lots of anglers, but in return I get to learn from that same group of anglers as they make observations, ask questions or share information.

Fish on...

-Sheldon

[eye-tracker]

:

ps. ET, the spring Detroit River fish are all jigged up.

Legend

Thanks for the tip Legend... I will jig them up if I have too, I have also hand-lined them on the Detroit in the past. If I can discover a trolling bite on three-ways (jig and crank) on the river when pre-fishing then I will go with that. Tournament fishing is a bit strange because you have to find that unique technique or spot on the spot that will produce 'big' fish to win the tournament...it is all a numbers game. Often on tournament day you have to change techniques and your game plan mid day to even get one fish in the livewell .

Fish On...

-Sheldon

[Scum Frog]

Great post guys! I still consider myself a novice with walleye and this stuff is great!

I have one question based on the information provided so far. Where can I get some references on reading a Fish-finder properly? I suspect I am only scratching the surface of what I should be understanding while looking at one.

[McQ]

Ric, that's one of the popular topics at my summer fishing school/outfitter trips. It's tough to lay it all out on the net - too many variables - best to do on the water and then critique during evening seminar.

Maybe when we do our ice day I'll have a chance to give you an idea - although movement is gonna be tough.

[scuro]

Well..since the thread was bumped, I have another question. I know that there are walleye through out this lake because I catch incidential walleye on a consistent basis. Sometimes I see stacks of fish on the fish finder, sometimes I see what has to be monsters or logs on the screen as the signature takes up nearly the whole screen, and sometimes I see schools of baitfish. I have generally ignored all of that and tried to fish on good structure with some signatures. Now I'm thinking that I probably shouldn't have ignored the schools and I guess I should be trolling more of the lake until I have better luck.

[steve-hamilton]

what depths are you trolling over and what depths is the bait your marking?

[scuro]

I'm usually trolling in the 15-30 ft water depth range with the lure at 10-20 ft. The lake is very uneven and it could jump down 40 ft in a heart beat. I mark fish every where in that lake. Saw some down at 200 ft. Most of the schools, stacks, and larger fish are in the 15-50 ft range...typically around say 20 ft. There is this one hole at about 50 ft. There is some nice weed beds in front of it, an incoming stream, and deeper water out in the lake. Not a big area but the fish stack up there like cars in a winter pile up. I have never caught a fish there either trolling, casting, or jigging. The locals park there sometimes but they don't seem to have much better luck.

[Scum Frog]

Thanks Bill...I'll be giving you a PM soon to set up our ice fishing!

[McQ]

Scuro, the area you are describing is a classic dining room for the fish. Incoming stream, weed bed and access to deeper water. Let's ignore the sonar for a moment and concentrate on the natural elements. First what is the composition of the weed bed - coon tail - cabbage or pepper grass with reeds. If thick weeds such as coon tail the minnows will be in and around the general area - if reeds there isn't much comfort for them to hang around. If the area drops to depth in stages then each ledge will hold fish - either staging to come into the shallows or feeding on minnows they trap against the edges.

I'd be looking for significant edges - weed line if thick, rock piles, and of course the edge drops. This is not an area that I would troll. Fan casting deep diving cranks would be my first choice casting parallel to the structural elements. Option two would be to scout the edges with a small jig looking for pockets. This is a good time to activate the sonar and move slowly across the area looking for the "spot".

I am visualizing an area of a lake I fish up north that has a sparse weed bed in 5' of water - you could fish it all day without a bite but just at dusk throwing a shallow running stick bait will fill your livewell.