Walleye from shore???

[Dynrat]

Okay as a newbie I have a few questions.

Most of the folks I know that fish are bass junkies targetting mostly smallies from shore. I happen to think that hands down the best eating fish is walleye. So my question is can someone be successful fishing for walleye from shore? Or does it require a boat with riggers to get deep enough.

If it can be done are there any suggestions? Technique? Basic approaches?

Seeing as how must of the equipment I have right now is ultralight stuff for fishing panfish on small lakes I know that I'll need some new equipment. I don't have a ton of cash so I'll have to build my collection slowly. What do you guys that do this think is the best bang for my buck? What type of rod/reel combo will be the most versatile? What type of tackle is a necessity to cover the basics? I will probably have enough to pick up two rod/reel combos and a modest collection of tackle/lures.

Any advice here is appreciated.

[riverrat777]

couple weeks here i catch them off the board walk in st.clair. All I use is a mr twister. i use a pink head with a white tail.Can usually get a meal there every night. Probley average 2 or 3 a night.Or in the summer get a couple river poles,couple bells, some 8 ounce sinkers.Crawler harnesses And fish at night for them that way you could get a couple.It helps on the boat but you can get them off shore.

[jawbreaker]

You may have already read this thread, it deals with the same questions you have.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=280873

[Joeker51]

:yeahthat:

Yup, sure can.;)

[Dynrat]

Okay. Couple stupide questions from a newbie.

What is a river pole?

Where is this boardwalk in St. Clair.

[The_Don]

river poles are beefy heavy duty rods, Boardwalk is down town St.Clair. I dont think you need real heavy duty rods to fish there though.

[sirslurpee]

I use a 7ft medium action spinning setup and cast jigs and twisters from the shore in PH. Use a jig size according to current in your area..

[bucknasty11208]

Doesn't take a whole lot to get started and there are plenty of places to fish from shore from Pt. Huron down through Algonac. A 7 ft. medium action rod and decent spinning reel can be had for under $100 dollars easy. After that, all you need is some pink or chartruse jig heads in the 1/4 oz -1/2 oz size (3/8 oz is all I use personaly) and a couple packages of pearl, motor oil, and chartruse 7 inch culprit bass worms and you are good to go. One other expense is a long handled net as a lot of the shore fishing is done from an elevated wall.
A couple of good places to start would be the tugs in Marysville or the park just south of there (can't remember the name). A lot of folks used to throw on the waders and fish down by the salt factory but not sure if you can still do that or not. I personaly fish down at the golf course. There is a very long wall there that folks fish off of. Most of the fish I've seen caught there are more toward the souther end closer to the golf course.
Not really much technique to it. Cast your jig quartering up stream, let if hit bottom, and reel slowly. I start and hour or two before dark and will sometimes fish all night. I've left there with limits before and i've also left with nothing. Just have to be patient. My best nights down there have been cloudy, overcast, rainy, stormy nights. Take a rain suit. The rain tends to thin the crowd, but the fish love that kind of weather. :fish:

[fishinthed]

You can also get some really nice ones on 4-5" minnow baits, such as X-Raps (regular and jointed shad), countdown Rapalas, Bomber Long A's, Rogues, etc. Around dusk into the evening has been best for me, as the walleyes "corral" baitfish into shore as they feed. I've found the fish caught this way to average about 5lb.

Don't be afraid to vary the presentation, either: I caught my biggest ones with a fast, slashing musky/pike-style retrieve. Walleyes are predators, after all! :evilsmile:fish: