So would someone share some advice what lures to get to try trolling in a canoe? How deep should I try and what lures would be a few decent to pick up? Do we need a rod holder or get by without? Taking my 13 year old daughter and neither of us are good at fishing. Need advice.

Thanks
JJ

An easy cheap effective walleye lure for trolling is the Berkley flicker shad. I also li,e Rapala tail dancers and minnow raps.

I prefer a rod holder but sounds like you are newer my guess is a rod holder would be more nuisance than help. Just put the butt of the rod under your leg and face it out the the opposite side you are paddling on.

Raue3600: "...... Taking 13 year old daughter neither of us good at fishing. Need advice.

Thanks
JJ"

Here is some advice... try the TGO method. Basically, just tie on a single hook, put on a leech, cast it out and slowly reel it back in. It works more reliably than any other method. You can do it from camp or nearly any other spot. If there are fish around, this method will catch them.

TGO Method

But if you really want to troll for walleye, there are a lot of lures. A lot of folks like Rapala Shad Raps in gold.

A lot of folks like original floating Rapalas.

For technique, there are lots of trolling threads if you use the search feature at the top of this page. The basic idea is to go near dawn or dusk, stay 2 or 3 canoe lengths from shore and slowly paddle along. It will work great with your daughter in the front of the boat holding her rod. You will go plenty fast with just you paddling in the back.

Here is an original TGO summary...

The Great Outdoors: "Said it before, and I'll say it again: use a #4 or #6 plain hook tied directly to your line, one BB split shot about 3-4 feet away from the hook, and a medium sized leech or 2 inch piece of night crawler.
Troll this very slowly (almost at a standstill) across a reef, close to or right on the bottom.
In some cases, don't use any sinker at all.
Just cast it out and let it slooooooowly sink to the bottom, and move it few inches at a time.
This method is best used with the piece of crawler on the hook, because the leech will swim and suspend itself."

timatkn: "An easy cheap effective walleye lure for trolling is the Berkley flicker shad. I also li,e Rapala tail dancers and minnow raps.


I prefer a rod holder but sounds like you are newer my guess is a rod holder would be more nuisance than help. Just put the butt of the rod under your leg and face it out the the opposite side you are paddling on."

Good advice. The flicker shad is very effective, inexpensive, has good hooks. I am partial to the sexy shad color finish.

Use fresh 10 lb mono which is put on at a reputable shop to avoid twists. You must be able to tie good knots. The improved clinch will serve you well.

Look for gently sloping banks with plenty of rubble. Smooth or steep banks not so good.

I also advocate strongly for a fish lipper. These hand held plastic devices (usually orange in color) will help you considerably. They are not expensive. I also suggest a pair of needle nose pliers.

Nothing worse than getting good at catching fish and then have a hassle releasing them.

They loved this on pine and buck lakes last year

I fell in love with the Flicker Shad last summer. From walleye to crappie to bass and northern that lure kicks arse!! Hopefully they keep the price down.

One more tip...

You'll catch way more walleye if your lure is near the bottom. Try to have your luck bumping the bottom every once in a while.

But, hold on to your rod really well and have your drag set correctly. Then, you won't lose your rod when you get snagged.

And if you back up, your lure will just float backwards and free itself. If that doesn't work, keep backing the canoe and pull the lure in the opposite direction. Those techniques will free the lures most of the time.

But bring a few extra lures and don't be too sad if you break one off. Just tie on another and keep going...

If trolling for walleye I like to use a gold and black J9 jointed Rapala. If this doesn't work I switch to a gold Rapala Husky Jerk. When I troll I typically just keep my foot on the butt of the rod instead of a holder.

Cc26: "


They loved this on pine and buck lakes last year"

Another good option, I have not fished this color but I like the looks of it. Both the Shad Raps and flicker shads have a good profile for walleye.

I also like QM's advice of the black and gold J9 Rapala. Be advised however that the jointed rapala does not run particularly deep........an excellent choice for may and june when fish can be found less than 10ft. Walleye tend to be a bottom orientated fish.

A good strategy might be to start out with the Jointed Rapala and troll shallow for starters. Shallow fish can be a bit spooky so put your line back behind the boat a good distance. Observe the J-9 in the water while paddling..........a medium sort of speed works well with this lure..........the raps can be fished faster if desired.

If that fails go out a bit deeper and troll the Flicker shads or Shad raps. Remember, you cannot catch fish which aren't there. Avoid smooth rock banks and steep cliffs and look for gently sloping banks with plenty of rubble. Take note of the angle of descent of the shoreline and often you can translate that to the depth of the water if you have no fish finder.

If you are going in August we will need to talk further as that can be more difficult but still entirely possible to have good results with some depth modifications.

I usually go in June or early July. with the cool water temps, walleyes can often be caught in shallow water. I often drag an original floating rapala or jointed rapala behind the canoe, and do well. As has been mentioned, I try to stay in 4-8' of water, a couple canoe lengths from shore. I put the butt of the rod under my foot, and set the drag fairly light. If i get snagged, having a loose drag, gives me a moment to release the bail. Often times just releasing the bail, will allow the rapala to come off the rock it's hung up on.

It's a great way to explore a lake you don't know, or catch dinner when traveling from one lake to the next. Bass, pike, and walleyes all like rapalas.

I find that two people paddling is a little bit fast. While I will still catch fish with 2 paddlers, I prefer one paddler in the rear, going a little slower. But experiment, fish don't always like the same speed. Be ready too, some times, when you stop to check the map, or get a drink or whatever, that sudden change in speed, will cause them to strike.

13 is getting old enough for multiple hook type lures, but if there's any question I'd tie on a spinner jig with a 3-4" ringworm or Kalin tail. You can even crimp the barb down for added safety measure if necessary, but that's a topic for another time. If you're familiar with the old Beetle-spins this is the same but on steroids...and flat out catches walleyes! Best of all, if you kid can count, it can be fished at any depth. You can jig it, cast it, troll it, hop it, add a livebait if you want, whatever, hard to fish it wrong! I'm partial to a hammered gold blade and "sparkly" colors, but you can never go wrong with plain chartreuse or yellow. Use 6-8# braid and a medium to medium light rod. Bring a few extra because pike love 'em, too.

Thank you all for the advice

Sobi: "I fell in love with the Flicker Shad last summer. From walleye to crappie to bass and northern that lure kicks arse!! Hopefully they keep the price down."

yes

One thing I did not see in all these replies is that if you fish without a rod holder--and even with one (I've seen badly mounted ones fail--be sure an have a parachute cord or other tie to your rod and then tie it securely to the canoe.

What size shad rap/flicker shad do you all recommend?

Chross16: "What size shad rap/flicker shad do you all recommend?"

The guy who turned me onto them used a rather smaller size than what I was accustomed to fishing and he basically outfished me them. He was fishing slower, smaller and shallower than I was...........better........... for the temps stayed rather cool that summer in the Q.

I have not tried the larger size Flickers, but I would certainly not hesitate to give them a whirl. I think he was using the medium size Flicker. Do they make a tiny one??? The one I am thinking of is about 3.5 long if I had to guess.

I think they come in 2", 2-3/4, 3-1/8, and 3-1/2. Its so hard to know what size and color from year to year. If you all have any wisdom on that, I would love to learn from you!

Skip the fake bait and troll the real bait. Leeches and spinners out fish cranks any day!

Chross16: "I think they come in 2, 2 3/4, 31/8, and 3 1/2. Its so hard to know what size and color from year to year. If you all have any wisdom on that I would love to learn from you! "

I will go and measure.........The guy who sent me a few in the mail I paddled with for 2 weeks and he did well and those were pretty much all he used. He writes for BWJ mag and is a good fisherman. I know its not the largest size and I know its not the smallest..........he likes the sexy shad color and the perch.

Catfish Hunter: "Skip the fake bait and troll the real bait. Leeches and spinners out fish cranks any day!"

strongly disagree

How about in August? Walleye should be deeper. Mudro to Crooked Lake and back down through Friday Bay into Moosecamp Lake is my route.

I have always been a drifter with 1/4 ox jig and a crawler or a twister tail and piece of crawler when on fly ins. I have an assortment of HotnTots and a few Shad Raps.
Anyone troll crawler harness's in the BW?

I will have my Lowrance 3X Elite with me so finding the humps and bumps shouldn't be too hard using that and my map.

Catfish Hunter: "Skip the fake bait and troll the real bait. Leeches and spinners out fish cranks any day!"

I told my brother that when he was out fishing me with a Rapala. I pointed out to him that my jig and leech should catch more walleyes than his crankbait, and he REFUSED to stop catching fish with it! I was incensed! When my logic failed to impress him I took the case to the walleyes and they refused to stop biting his crankbait!

The number one way to get walleyes to bite well on hard baits is to fish close to dark. Sometimes walleyes bite well during the day, but more often they wait until the trees are casting shadows on the lake. If nothing seems to work, go bass fishing during the day and troll for walleyes once the sun hits the horizon.

I used to go bass fishing on Lake St. Croix a lot. We keyed in on schools of shad pushed up onto the beaches. We would have dynamite action as long as we were near a school. And then at dark the bass would disappear and walleyes would take their place. Same spot. Same lures.

I second the motion for trolling a Berkley Flicker Shad. Since I discovered this lure a few years ago I have caught lots of walleye and other species. The great thing is this lure only costs $4 at Cabelas or Academy. Use 8 or 10 lb. mono and an ugly stick or a rod with a moderately soft tip. Set yourself some drag so it won't break the line when you hang up. They will get hung up. When this happens just simply paddle backwards until you are past the lure and then pull it up. It usually comes off. If not you are only out $4 and not 8-10$.
Use a #7 for water more than 14', a #6 for 10-12' and a #5 for shallower water. I have caught Lake Trout with these lures as well. I like Purple tiger or White Tiger but also firetiger and red craw is are good colors.
My second go to is the Smithwick Suspending Rogue in firetiger or gold with an orange belly. Sometimes the Walley love the longer slender baits and they only dive around 7'which is a good strike zone for walleyes in June.
Oh and by the way, I like a rod holder and my favorite is the loctite.
Go git em buddy!

Bushman: "How about in August? Walleye should be deeper.


I will have my Lowrance 3X Elite with me so finding the humps and bumps shouldn't be too hard using that and my map.
"

August is usually my go time..........not exactly the easiest time to fish thats for sure. My first few newbie August trips I promised myself I would never go in August again as the fishing was a bit rough on me. But you go when you can.

What I have learned is that larger walleye go deeper and 28ft seems to be a magic depth during a typical summer for walleye in that 26" class. But have a cool summer and 18ft may have plenty of fish. I have also banged walleye suspended off big reefs 25ft down over 70ft of water..........instead of going vertically on the reef they just went horizontal and slid offshore from it a bit. An August pattern (?) which I intend to exploit once again this summer.

And of course you need the correct "tools" to fish 28ft in August. Shad Raps and Flicker shads aren't going to cut it if thats the game. I will take neither in August unless it proves to be an unusually cool summer.

Catfish Hunter: "Skip the fake bait and troll the real bait. Leeches and spinners out fish cranks any day!"

Sometimes...sometimes cranks out produce live bait by a significant margin. Also if you don’t know exactly where to fish cranks are a better search bait. It can take all day to cover water slow rolling a spinner or jig.

T

timatkn: "

Catfish Hunter: "Skip the fake bait and troll the real bait. Leeches and spinners out fish cranks any day!"

Sometimes...sometimes cranks out produce live bait by a significant margin. Also if you don’t know exactly where to fish cranks are a better search bait. It can take all day to cover water slow rolling a spinner or jig.

T"

I agree. Efficiently eliminating water is one key to catching not fishing.

mastertangler: "How about in August? Walleye should be deeper.

And of course you need the correct "tools" to fish 28ft in August. Shad Raps and Flicker shads aren't going to cut it if thats the game. I will take neither in August unless it proves to be an unusually cool summer."

Can you clue me on in on what "tools" you will be using?

Bushman my strategies for August fishing are no secret as I have lain them out plainly many times. But will do so again for your consideration.

I typically precision troll for larger walleye this time of year. They tend to hang deep and 25 to 35ft is my target depth. At this depth they will bite pretty much any time of day and I have often caught them right in the middle of the day on a bright sunny afternoon. My experience has also been that they are still deep in the evening despite common knowledge which suggests otherwise with 19ft being about the right depth at dark. Darker or turbid water and you can subtract 5' and really clear water you could add 5' or even more.

To precision troll you need a depth finder. You need it to be able to present your lure to within 3ft of the bottom and you also need it to find reefs offshore which may not be visible. I occasionally will also mark suspended fish off the reef and will note the depth they are holding.

I also strongly advocate a rod holder for a whole host of reasons. There have been some lively discussions concerning rod holders and one needs only to use the search function on this site to follow along. Don't let the naysayers persuade you ;-) Most of them are not serious trollers and do not typically spend days and days trolling but rather employ the technique occasionally where other methods of securing a rod will temporarily suffice.

There is no magic lure but that which is commonly available. I prefer banana shaped crank baits of the larger variety with a large bill. My favorites include the Real Image walleye cranks produced by Cabela, large Tail Dancers, Deep Six (Mega Bass), etc. Reef Runners are also popular. These types of cranks are able to plummet to considerable depths. I prefer natural colors but who knows what a fish might like to strike?

To get a lure deep you must be able to overcome the physics of the line. The thicker the line the more resistance it will have going through the water column and the more it will impede the lures ability to dive. Lots of options exist..........you could fish straight braid say in a 10lb class..........fairly skinny and unobtrusive. Or you could fish heavier braid like say a 20lb braid and add a 10ft length of 15lb Fluorocarbon leader via an FG knot (use the search function to find the discussion of the FG knot). Or you can fish straight mono. I have employed the latter two methods with good results.

A word about straight mono............I like it but some perfections need be added to your presentation. I like 8lb GREEN triene XT or 10lb Gamma. If you tie either of these line classes directly to a split ring you will sacrifice a great deal of your line strength. Mono wants to tie to diameters which are similar to itself (more physics). So, you have two choices to overcome this liability. You can tie off where the split ring is only 1 wire thick (yes, that one little spot). I have done it for years with no problems on larger crank baits (and hence larger split rings) but with light split rings expect them to come apart. But now I dispose and banish all split rings from my crank baits and add Fas snaps which are a tiny fly fishing clip. Use the medium size and keep them attached to the lure permanently. This bridges the gap nicely for your mono to have 100% knot strength. I have never had one fail.........(they look terrifyingly frail).

So far so good? Next I do not troll slowly.........I rip along at a good clip. My motto for my lure is "catch me if you can". Remember, this is August, not May. Fish are typically fat and happy and content to laze around. I am looking to provoke a strike rather than entice a bite. Besides, I don't want the bigger fish to have a nice long look at my presentation. I rather want to force a quick decision.

Such a method demands that all is in tip top form........your line needs be fresh, your knots need to be perfect, the rod should be loaded such to transmit energy to the hooks and the drag needs to be set tight enough to set hooks but loose enough to not break off the fish on what are often very violent strikes. You will catch a fair number of good pike this way as well often in that 8 to 10lb class.

Every canoe country angler should be an accomplished troller IMO. It is an excellent method to become acquainted with a lake and provides many clues in the way of fish caught and what is seen via a depth finder. Then those clues can be exploited further with other methods such as live bait or cast and retrieve presentations.

But I am usually content to paddle about, see the sights and reel in some fish in Gods spectacular creation. Not a bad way to spend a day ;-)

Wow, very well said!

I like to troll with a original floating Rapala about 3” long in silver or gold. Just hug the shoreline about 10-16 feet deep. Put your rod under your knee to hold it. Set the drag loose on your reel because you will have the rod tip forward and by the time you get to the rod it is bending. You should be able to paddle on both sides this way. The person in the front just fishes and doesn’t need to paddle. The person in the back will propell you the right speed for trolling. That leaves the person in front to cast top water lures towards shore, or pull a Rapala like you too.

Thank you Masterangler!

I look forward to trying these techniques on my trip. I will have to pick up a few deep divers. I do not have any in my arsenal that will go 25'. I just saw your other post on the Berkleys. That is a good price on a nice looking lure.

Chross16: "Wow, very well said!"

Talk long enough you're bound to get something right;)

One thing about about MT, if he can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, he'll baffle 'em with bullsh-t! LOL! (Just funnin' with ya MT)

: "

Chross16: "Wow, very well said!"

Talk long enough you're bound to get something right;)


One thing about about MT, if he can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, he'll baffle 'em with bullsh-t! LOL! (Just funnin' with ya MT)"

Hey, I'm not called "tangler" for nuthin ;-)