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By Chip Leer
Wildside Media
Surefire Strategies for Post-Spawn Walleyes
Late spring walleye fishing can be ridiculously easy or incredibly frustrating, depending on the conditions and your approach.
Here are four proven patterns to help you match the conditions and catch more fish on every trip:
Less Than 12 Feet Of Water
Drag A Jig: Drifting or slow-trolling a leadhead on bottom is one of my favorite ways to cover large flats or emerging weed growth. Northland Fishing Tackle’s Stand-Up Fire-Ball is the jig for the job: the 45-degree angled eye lets you drag without fouling, and positions the bait in a natural, slightly elevated manner. I like tipping with a shiner, but a leech or half-crawler is also deadly. Experiment with distance from the boat, as well as dragging and snapping motions until the fish reveal their preference. The weight of the jig depends on wind and bait, but generally works best using an 1/8 to ¼ ounce.
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(Provided by MDNR)
Those who fish Michigan's Great Lakes may catch a walleye with one of two types of tags: a jaw tag or a disk tag (both pictured here). Those who do are asked to report it to the DNR.
Those who fish Michigan's Great Lakes may catch a walleye with one of two types of tags: a jaw tag or a disk tag (both pictured here). Those who do are asked to report it to the DNR.
The Michigan DNR has jaw-tagged another 3,000 walleyes in a number of Saginaw Bay tributary rivers and wants anglers who catch them to collect information and report it to the DNR.
The DNR has tagged more than 100,000 walleyes in the Saginaw Bay area since 1981. Jaw tagging is part of a long-term research project to monitor survival and harvest rates and to learn about walleye movement. The program depends on anglers to report when they catch a tagged walleye, catch location, as well as the fishís length, weight (if known) and tag identification number. Once reported, anglers will receive a letter back detailing the history of their fish.
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By Chip Leer
Don’t Get Stuck Without StickbaitsJigs are popular springtime walleye lures, but don’t overlook versatile, slim-profile stickbaits in your quest for early season success.
Also commonly called minnowbaits or jerkbaits, these baitfish-imitating hardbaits are deadly weapons when schools of spring-run walleyes flood into tributaries and bottlenecks between lakes.
So many fish gathered in a small area creates opportunities for fast action. Your odds of landing a lunker also improve astronomically compared to your chances when fish are scattered on the main lake.
You can tap the spring run from a boat or the bank. Afoot or afloat, I like casting to prime near-shore shallows. Top spots include 2- to 8-foot depths over a firm sand, gravel or rocky bottom.
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By Chip Leer
Fishing the WildSide
Chip Leer with River WalleyeSpringtime walleye spawning migrations offer anglers a chance to enjoy some of the year’s best fishing for ’eyes of all sizes, from tasty eaters to sag-bellied trophies. The trick to tapping this annual rite of spring is being in the right place at the right time, with the right presentation.
While you can catch spring-run walleyes in a variety of streams and rivers, some of the fastest action occurs in tributaries of large lakes. Classic examples include the Rainy River, which flows into Lake of the Woods, and the Saginaw River at Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, but you can find fish stacked up in inflows virtually across the Walleye Belt.
March and April are prime times in many fisheries. Online fishing reports and social media posts often track the action; local guides, bait shops and state fishery agencies are also great sources of information.
Hard-bottom flats above and below holes are great places to intercept migrating walleyes. Key depths vary with water conditions. Low and slow scenarios push fish deeper, while high, fast water sends walleyes toward the bank and even into backwaters.
Northland Fishing Tackle’s hydrodynamic Current Cutter Jig
Bladebaits, lipless crankbaits, jerkbaits and 3-way rigs catch fish, but it’s hard to beat vertical jigging. Northland Fishing Tackle’s hydrodynamic Current Cutter Jig is my top choice because it slices through strong current and has a wire keeper for holding plastic trailers like Northland’s IMPULSE Core Swimbait or Ringworm in place. I generally add a piece of meat like a minnow above the plastic for extra bulk and taste.
Gear-wise, I favor a medium-action spinning rod like 13 Fishing’s 6’-9” Muse Gold, with 6- to 10-pound-test Bionic Walleye Braid mainline, tied direct to the jig in low-vis conditions common in many rivers.
Experiment with jig strokes to see what the walleyes want. Sometimes hovering in place is best; other times hopping or standard bottom-bouncing tactics put the most spring walleyes in the boat.