I have a trip planned for this June to the boundary waters, I am a pretty experienced fisherman when it comes to large mouth bass but I have never fished up North for walleye. I have done a lot of research but there is so much out there It is hard to know what to use because I am not going to be bringing a giant tackle box. Anyways, My question is what is a good tactic that I should use to catch walleyes as a beginner and also what line should I use. Any help would be greatly appreciated I am not looking to catch hundreds of fish just a few to cook up for a meal.

Slip bobber, split shot, plain hook and a leech.

First off welcome to the Board, second off join the board, it's painless and some folks will respond better to one of our "family". Now to your question.... for line I use good old Trielene clear 8# test in the red box, mayhaps a little heavy but you never know what's eyeballing your lure. The slip bobber route will work. I would throw in a handfull of jigs,1/4 oz or heavier [for fishing in river currents or on windy days] if your jig isn't contacting bottom, or close to it, your chances of catching walleyes are diminished. Crawlers or Leeches work great, I've had good results with Gulp minnows up in Canada, but the fish are "dumber" there. Possibly grab a few crank baits, Rapalas,Flicker Shads, Mepps in line spinners [personally I've caught very few fish on in line spinners but many board members have used them with sucess] maybe go "old school" and grab a Lazy Ike. Fishing is generally "easier" in the spring. FRED

yup live bait is hard to beat but as already pointed out it must be presented on or near the bottom. Slip bobbers will catch them but first you have to find them and that means Berkley Flicker Shads. An inexpensive highly productive crank bait which will run the right depth in june (14 to 17ft). Paddle around and get the lay of the water while running your lures behind the boat. Once a walleye is caught you can concentrate your efforts with live bait.

The problem up there is all the water looks good. Heres a hint, avoid the smooth rock surfaces. They hold very few places for groceries to congregate. Instead look to the banks and find rubble. Probably much the same under the water. Avoid the steep dropping faces as well.

Not a fan of live bait? Then use the Flicker shads and jig spinners with gold blades. Fish near the bottom. Jig Spinner

In line spinners like Mepps are not a good option for walleye fishing generally speaking (IMHO, with all due respect etc. etc.). They do not maintain good bottom contact which is a basic requirement for walleye fishing but rather come up off the bottom. BUT, walleye love spinners and the jig spinner is ideal because it is coupled with a lead head which helps in maintain bottom contact.

A few caveats with the jig spinner. Notice the tie off is doubled wire, This creates a thick oval shaped tie off. I would be reluctant to use anything less than Trilene 10b XL with this. The problem, however, is that is rather thick line to be walleye fishing with IMO. I would prefer 8 or even 6 for better results. What to do? Change the tie off and bridge the gap. Use some Fas Snaps which are fly fishing clips. Keep them permanently attached to whatever lure you use.......in this case the large size would be the ticket. I also use these wonder clips on my cranks as well and ditch the split rings. This allows for a more stealthy presentation but yet have 100% knot strength........very important while using lighter lb tests.

The quickest route to walleye failure in the north is to use to heavy of line........The use of Fas Snaps are key to being able to use light line and lures with confidence. I like black in the medium and large sizes. Yes I know they are a bit pricey but they are cheaper than broken knots and better than no bites (because you had to use thicker line)

Fas Snap

So heres the deal........get some trilene GREEN 6lb XT (extra tough) line provided your reel diameter is a 2500 series type reel (XT does poorly on very small reels). The GREEN (not clear XT!!) 6lb XT has a breaking strength closer to 8lb regular line but its knot holding characteristics are superior. Use the above advice precisely and I guarantee you will catch walleye. If knot you can file a complaint with the complaint department at MT Enterprises.

quote Savage Voyageur: "Slip bobber, split shot, plain hook and a leech. "

It's that easy! If you really want to get fancy use a red hook.

If you are going to fish with leeches, you don't even need a bobber. A good Gamakatsu hook, red is a good color, and a split shot about 18 inches up the line works well. Fish them over top of the reefs, rocky humps, moving water, and points with their surrounding flats. Get a good contour map if you are not using electronics.

If you plan to use lures only, I have an article called Grand Slam Lures. I will post the walleye section here, if you would like to read the rest of the article for smallmouth, pike and trout, send me an email at - queticomike@yahoo.com - and request the Grand Slam Lure article. If you have any questions, let me know.

Walleye

This first lure I like to call the “producer” because it typically produces walleye when I need a shore lunch. The J9, 3-1/2”, gold, jointed (broken back) Rapala is my preeminent lure for walleye. This lure can be used with success during all open water seasons (spring, summer and fall). It works best when trolled around points and any extending flats adjacent to the area. If the points are not productive, move out into the lake and fish reefs by maneuvering the canoe back and forth over the structure. Casting this lure over young weed beds and any areas that have current are also good locations to hunt walleye in the spring. Wind blowing between islands in the “saddle” can be a highly effective spot during the spring time as well. Typically if you find one walleye there is a good chance another will be nearby. Once a fruitful area is determined, set an anchor if possible and cast over the structure.

This next lure, the 4-3/4”, gold colored, Rapala Husky Jerk is fished in a similar manner as the J9. Use it during all the open water fishing seasons by trolling and casting this lure over the same areas as mentioned previously. When the structure holding walleye is deeper switch from the J9 to the Husky Jerk. The Husky Jerk can be trolled a touch slower due to its neutral buoyancy which allows the lure to suspend when paused and precipitates deadly strikes by walleyes. When casting this lure always incorporate a pause into the retrieve after a couple of jerks.

While trolling a rubble shore line just past a point in 2003, I caught a walleye on Basswood Lake that measured 32 inches long using the gold colored Husky Jerk. This fish won the annual catch and release contest held by the Ely Echo newspaper.

I am inclined to catch and release the majority of the walleye caught in Quetico. I only keep a few each trip for a couple of shore lunches. The lunkers are always returned to breed or to allow the opportunity for someone else the catch of a lifetime. If we all use these guidelines the quality of Quetico walleye fishing will remain for generations to come.

The closest I’ve been to fishing live bait in Quetico is using either Berkley PowerBait or Gulp! leeches. Once a good walleye location is determined, return to the area with a PowerBait leech and jig over the structure and surrounding area. Using non-lead 1/8 oz. or 1/4 oz. black colored jigheads seem to work best.

If you do not prefer jigging, another effective method is to Texas rig the leech on a red 1/0 worm hook so it is weed-less. Then about 18 inches up the line use a small weight to maintain the lure depths down in the strike zone. This method is best used while drifting over a walleye structure or reeled just enough to make sure it remains off the bottom while casting from a stationary position.

When there is a good chop on the water rig up the leech on a jighead under a slip float. The movement of the float in the waves causes erratic movements of the leech below the surface enticing finicky walleyes. This procedure alleviates snags by allowing the lure to hover over the bottom. Again, this lure can be used during all open water fishing seasons, but is used primarily during the summer when walleye move out into the lake and set up over the reefs and shoals.

I forgot to mention....Welcome to the message board! :) You should sign up and join the community.

Thanks to all for the replies, I just made an account!

I'm an 1/8 to a 1/4 oz jig with 6lb Stren clear/blue guy myself.

quote TreyJansma: "Thanks to all for the replies, I just made an account!"

Good luck Trey!