Walleye for the beginner!

[LilyDuck]

OK...here is the plan I got some new electronics on the boat this weekend a older Hummingbird 400x nothing extraordinary but is able to mark fish, It has speed, water, temp. and the basic fish elect. thingys.

I am targetting walleye, I have found a few lakes that I want to try. I was thinking about trolling these. What are some hot baits. I was thinking spoons, crawler harness, minnows, hot n tots?

What is the speed that I want to be cruising, 1.5-2mph?

When I start marking fish, trying hitting them with the bait? Or do I want to go above them or below them. (e.g Electronics show there is fish at 15' do I want to fish as close to 15 feet as possible or what?)

I know that the best time to target these guys are at dawn or dusk becasue of the sensitvity to light, I also notice that the tend to be caught on the mouths of rivers right now!

[Lwapo]

Hey,

1) Good luck to you.

I've never caught a Walleye (yet) but when I was starting out, I asked many of these questions and here were the anwsers I got.

Everything depends on day/temp/etc. So nothing holds fast.

Fish in warmer water "tend" to be more active and feeding. SO, target the warmer ones first.

As far as where to put the bait, I'd guess to put it right on them, but I dont know for sure.

For trolling speed, it varies depending on the lure. I was told to throw it over the side and hold it next to the boat to get a feel for how fast you wanna go to get the action you want. Try that?

Goodluck!

[Salami]

Just eliminate all the water that is unproductive. that will try all your patiance and then you will catch a limit.at that time you will be the best walleye fisherman:) sounds like your on the right trac to me.

[chamookman]

A great way to "search" for Walleyes in unframiliar waters, is to use a bottom bouncer with a crawler harness pulled just fast enough to keep the blades turning. Try this on sharp drop-offs/points/humps or along the edge of weed beds. If You are marking fish, try pulling a crankbait "above" them. Walleyes like to feed "up". Good luck - Bob

[Kingstone]

Using Body baits trolling. Use Plainer Boards if you have them. They are Easy to make.If fishing deep water Jig using lightest jig possible and keep line straight up and down. Drifting use Bottom bouncers Or just use crawler Haenesses attached about 2 to 3 eeet above a bell or stick sinker.:one_eye:

[Lucky Dog]

Try Freemont lake, I hear it is on fire right now.

[Duckman Racing]

Try Freemont lake, I hear it is on fire right now.
Thats interesting, because the only report I have heard is that the 'eyes are hard to catch on Fremont right now. And there have been very few boats out on the lake, so I would be surprised if it is really on fire right now.

[ALLEYES]

Try drifting crawlers. That is always a early season tactic. I like to pump air in mine and use just enough weight to get it to bottom. I use a Lindy air blower to pump them up. Keep the weight about 30" from the bait.

[wally-eye]

Fremont Lake, thats funny. I put a bunch in my freezer last year on that lake but this year I have yet to put even one in the boat period much less the freezer.

Fremont sux.

[JJ Mac]

What are some hot baits. I was thinking spoons, crawler harness, minnows, hot n tots?

What is the speed that I want to be cruising, 1.5-2mph?

When I start marking fish, trying hitting them with the bait? Or do I want to go above them or below them. (e.g Electronics show there is fish at 15' do I want to fish as close to 15 feet as possible or what?)



Hot baits right now, I'd recommend body baits such as rapala husky jerks, reef runners, smithwicks, bombers, and other long skinny profile lures. Go with colors that match the hatch. Do the walleyes in the lake eat mostly perch? Then firetiger and perch colors are ideal. Do they eat smelt, shiners, alwives? Then silver colors are probably best. Inline planer boards are a great investment, I like the church and offshore models. Personally, I run crawler harnesses later in the year (Memorial Day to Labor Day, with mayfly hatch time being prime.) Early and late season's I'm almost exclusively hard baits.

Speeds: 1.6 to 2.2 with 1.8 to 1.9 being ideal for body baits. Sometimes a little faster mid- summer.

.8 to 1.6 for harnesses.

Walleye spend their lives looking up. Very rarely will they hit a lure trolled underneath them. If a fish is suspended 15 ft. down, then 13 ft with the lure is about perfect. When marking fish it's the ones that are suspended that tend to be more active, and more likely to hit, than the ones you mark belly to the bottom. One of the biggest parts of the walleye trolling game is depth control. Learn the dive curves for the lures you use and how much line it takes to get them there.

[sfw1960]

Right ON , JJ!
The only thing I'd really like to add to JJ's wisdom is that is the suspended fish usually are the more aggressive fish so if you give them a look at something thet tickles their fancy - bang!
as far as the comment given from Lucky Dog - he's just trying to stir the pot , instead of help you - and that's not what most of us come here for.

Lotsa good tips from quite a few guys !!

G'Luck ~
:coolgleam
Robert

[Backlash]

Another option you can try is a slip bobber w/leeches or a crawler along the weed edges.

[waterfoul]

I don't know anywhere in West Michigan that is giving up eyes to any degree of consistance yet. Not the piers, not Fremont, Big Whitefish, Muskegon, no where.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.... Please!