Walleye Tips & Tricks
Sponsored by: Aikens Lake Lodge
Top 10 Tips for catching Walleye in Manitoba
Dark & Shallow.
Active Walleye will be found in shallow water. Cover and water current help in tough weather conditions like cold fronts. Walleye will be more active in low light.
Choose Your Groove.
When retrieving your chosen lure for walleye, in slow times the experts recommend an in-your-face, slow retrieve. Find a retrieve that works and stick with it. There are times when snap jigging, which consists of a sharp lift and drop motion with the rod, will trigger Walleye when nothing else has a chance. It really does pay to experiment in this regard.
Know Your Clarity.
Line diameter is not a factor in dirty water but becomes critical in clear water when the bite is off. Light (4 and 6 pound) test, thin-diameter lines offer less drag, or resistance, on a lure. This lets a Walleye suck it in more easily when tied on directly. Don’t use a leader, but a small snap can be used when fishing with crankbaits. Many top anglers are now using fluorocarbon leaders when invisibility is critical.
Heavier is Better.
When trolling, use a heavier pound test, but go with a superline like Berkley Fireline. It will run lures deeper and provide better hook sets.
Know your Colours.
Lure selection is always a struggle. To cover water to find active fish, try trolling with bottom bouncers, spinners and crankbaits. What about colour you ask? That is always subjective. Always go with your confidence colour. On the Red River more trophy walleye have been caught on pink than almost any other colour. In gin-clear water, you are probably better off with whites, blues, browns and purples. Still, chartreuse is hard to pass up on.
Mark it, Stick it.
If you find a good school of Walleye, pinpoint the area with marker buoy. Try a slower presentation like a jig or live bait rig when the action slows and you still think the fish are there.
Check the Weather.
Weather is critical. Stable weather is always the best for fishing success. Wind helps, so always consider areas where wave action will lower light penetration and make walleye more active. When the water has a chop, trolling with the waves imparts that necessary slight slack in the line. Also, keep a close eye on your inside planer board as you make a turn; it will give you that small amount of slack that allows for more solid strikes-and more Walleyes in the boat.
Check Your Depth.
Have a good depth finder. if you are fishing from a boat and make sure you note at what depth you are catching the fish. Try and remain at that depth until the fishing action slows.
Bounce the bait.
When you’re using live bait, use a bottom-bouncer rig. Bouncers are L-shaped wires that have a lead weight molded to the shaft. As an angler retrieves the rig, the weight bounces off the bottom and creates slack in the line, which allows the fish to inhale the bait more easily. Adding a plastic body to a jig also helps by increasing the surface area to which the fish’s sucking force is applied.
Shorten the stroke.
Many jig fishermen pump their rods too vigorously, using long vertical strokes that can pull the bait out of a fish’s mouth. Use short lifts instead and you’ll hook more Walleyes.
