It always amazes me how Walleyes make such massive gains in weight when they get in the upper 20's for length. The difference between a 24" fish and a 29" fish is just massive. Those 5 extra inches can almost double the size of the fish, 5lb vs 9.5lb. It has been a few years since someone with me had pulled in a legit 29" fish and seeing one again just kind of got my blood going.

Ragged, +1 on your comment about 25 to 29 inch walleye. Catching big walleyes always gets my blood pumping!

I always use 25 inches as my base to measure how successful my annual Quetico fishing trip was for "walleye size" ... i.e how many walleyes caught that are > 25 inches.

I have been fishing for walleyes in Quetico every year but one since 1979. I am as passionate about catching big walleyes as Quetico Mike is about catching big smallmouth bass.

Hence my blog name aka Wally13 ... my goal is to catch a 13 lb. walleye someday. Caught quite a few 28 and 29 inchers but never a 30 incher from a canoe. A 13 pounder is a lofty goal for sure and I figure I have another 15 years to "get er done".

In my mind there is simply no fish in canoe country which is more awesome than a really big walleye.

Agree +10

So if you had to recommend one bwca tactic for big 'eyes, what would it be? I always default to jigs and lindys in order to fill a few skillets for my group, but I don't get a ton of 23-24"+ fish.

PS, I'm headed up next week, so early june tactics....thanks in advance....

Tales - In my experience you are just as likely to get a big eye dragging a jig and a leech. I am sure others will say pull cranks for bigger fish.

A good walleye tactic is to have a lot of tactics and keep searching until you pattern them, before that pattern changes!

A good walleye tactic is to have a lot of tactics and keep searching until you pattern them, before that pattern changes!

quote fishtales: "So if you had to recommend one bwca tactic for big 'eyes, what would it be? I always default to jigs and lindys in order to fill a few skillets for my group, but I don't get a ton of 23-24"+ fish."

If truth be told you are more likely to put the big girls in the boat with live bait IMO.

Here's the rub......the bigger a walleye gets the more apt it is to feed under low light conditions. They are primarily night feeders after all. So the question needs to be asked.......are you fishing at the prime times of dawn and dusk? If you are in camp sleeping in or eating dinner and preparing a fire then you are missing the prime times for the big girls.

And of course the areas the bigger fish frequent might be very specific.......couple that with narrow time frames and bigger fish may be harder to come by. And if I'm on a school of 16" fish I generally don't expect to find the big girls amongst them.......exceptions occur obviously but generally I find that to be true. If I'm catching 20" fish at 15 ft often all it takes is to fish a bit deeper during the mid day periods.

And what of presentation? Stick some 10lb line on a big hook with a big split shot and hope for the best? The bigger fish seldom fall for such sloppy heavy presentations. Rather all must look rather natural and that is impossible unless the line and hook are light and small.

Crankbaits will catch plenty of big fish as well. My general rule of thumb is to challenge them.......I seldom give them much time to consider my offering. Fish slow with crankbaits and you give them plenty of time to consider and detect what you are offering is a fake. Rip it by them and pure instinct and aggressiveness takes over as it looks likes its getting away.

The only time I fish crankbaits slow is during cool weather periods. Fish are cold blooded after all and ripping a small baitfish facsimile (i.e. Crankbait) would look very unnatural indeed.

We just got back from crooked lake, and never seriously used anything but leeches. I tried a few times with jigs, zulus, etc., but my son would be catching walleyes on leeches when I was doing nothing, so out came my other pole, leech away.

Also, the discussion on longer and more massive came true for us. We caught a number of low 20" inch fish, which looked like big eaters, kind of slim bodied. Any fish we caught over 25" was completely hulked up, size wise. My son caught a 28" really thick bodied one, that he wanted nothing to do with when it got netted, lol, it was so big. I did not get a girth measure, but it was huge. Had to be in the 9/10 pound range, judging from my lift it out of the net scale, lol.

If your looking for big walleyes, use a stick bait, preferably trolled at night or cloudy conditions.

In my experience larger crankbaits are the way to get larger walleyes. Get moving at somewhere around 2 to 3 mph. Put out plenty of line to get some depth.

I prefer jig or rig fishing, but crankbaits have worked better for me for the big fish. If I can get some eaters that I need, and I have plenty of time to fish, that is when I will consider looking for bigger fish with crankbaits.

quote Basspro69: "If your looking for big walleyes, use a stick bait, prferably trolled at night or cloudy conditions."

Yup, what he said! I was going to say the same thing. Use big baits. #18 original rap, or even some bigger muskie stick baits. Not kidding here either. An unsung pattern is over the deep basin of a big clear lakes that have a cisco forage base. I've found that the biggest walleyes in those types of lakes suspend over deep water during the day and move up at night. Not saying big walleyes are not anywhere else, just that its a proven pattern for really big fish.

Moonman.

quote Basspro69: "If your looking for big walleyes, use a stick bait, prferably trolled at night or cloudy conditions."

I have picked up a Luci light to have on in camp so I can hopefully find my way back to camp in the wee hours. That is probably a comforting image.......a nice bright light visible from a long distance.

Things can get a bit spooky in a little boat in unfamiliar water late at night. Never knowing if there is a nice big rock up ahead.

But I have the red light headlamp and once I get familiar with my area I will defintely be putting Bass Pros suggestion into play. Probably start around midnight as I have had very little success with that first hour after complete darkness. Troll a 6" or 7" Grandma lure nice and slow and hang on........hopefully the Pollyhumpers aren't in their breeding pattern as they can get sort of ornery then (do I hear "jaws" music).........I need a bigger boat!

quote Moonman: "

quote Basspro69: "If your looking for big walleyes, use a stick bait, prferably trolled at night or cloudy conditions."

Yup, what he said! I was going to say the same thing. Use big baits. #18 original rap, or even some bigger muskie stick baits. Not kidding here either. An unsung pattern is over the deep basin of a big clear lakes that have a cisco forage base. I've found that the biggest walleyes in those types of lakes suspend over deep water during the day and move up at night. Not saying big walleyes are not anywhere else, just that its a proven pattern for really big fish.


Moonman."

Wondering how one could gauge a lake's cisco activity/presence? Are there tell tale signs that your lake is good for Cisco? My friends and I have never pulled in an eye larger than probably 14" and are looking to change that here in mid July.

I am not sure how to determine the presence of cisco when on the lake, I just always research a lake on the DNR website before I go.

quote CityFisher74: "

quote Moonman: "

quote Basspro69: "If your looking for big walleyes, use a stick bait, prferably trolled at night or cloudy conditions."

Yup, what he said! I was going to say the same thing. Use big baits. #18 original rap, or even some bigger muskie stick baits. Not kidding here either. An unsung pattern is over the deep basin of a big clear lakes that have a cisco forage base. I've found that the biggest walleyes in those types of lakes suspend over deep water during the day and move up at night. Not saying big walleyes are not anywhere else, just that its a proven pattern for really big fish.



Moonman."

Wondering how one could gauge a lake's cisco activity/presence? Are there tell tale signs that your lake is good for Cisco? My friends and I have never pulled in an eye larger than probably 14" and are looking to change that here in mid July."

Go to the dnr website and pull up lakefinder and look at the report for the lake. Not only do these reports give lake weed and substrate info but they also tell you about what prey is in the lake and generally what the forage base is. Its a pretty good bet if the lake has walleye and lakers then you will have a cisco base along with other prey.

Pulled this 25" out of Bald Eagle to Gabbro Rapids in late May 2016. Used a J11 floating Rapala just throwing it up into the Rapids and letting it float down and then just reel across the rapids. Didn't weigh it but it has eyes the size of quarters and was biggest I had ever caught and was released

Here's a decent blue one. One of many early June 2016. Note: No outrageous lures or techniques required. ;-)

I use nothing but a plain hook with a leech or minnow trolled very slowly, and catch at least 12 or more Walleyes every year that are 24-29+ inches in length.