For a variety of reasons, I've spent a lot of years stubbornly resisting developing any sort of walleye fishing expertise. Thought of them as an old man's fish. Don't like trolling or fishing live bait. Struck me as unsexy as far as game fish go.

Whatever - fact is, I don't have much of a clue how to target and catch them. I've caught many, but always incidental to fishing bass and NP. There have been times we happened on a walleye hotspot, and briefly would target the school that was there and feeding at the time.

All that said, our early season (1st week of June) 2019 trip presents a problem for me. I understand there are few, or no bass in the part of Woodland Caribou we're headed to. For the sake of variety and eating, I'm not sure I'm interested in targeting NP for an entire week. Btw, I'm equally clueless on LT.

How much of a change does anyone suggest I'd need to make in my tackle box? Where and how I'd fish once on the water? I suspect I could do much the same thing I do when fishing bass and pick up a few 'eyes, but I also suspect I could be much more efficient/effective if I'm willing to tweak things even a little.

A little guidance would sure be appreciated!

Parker, you've been missing out on some wonderful eating. Nice to know that you're looking to change that.

To prepare your tackle box for a trip into walleye country, start with a selection of barbed head jigs. Include some 3" (and maybe a few 4") Twister-type tails for rigging the jigs and some typical crankbaits (Rapalas, etc.).

You're not a fan of trolling, but you might as well do it a little. After all, you'll be moving from area to area as you fish so what's the harm in pulling a crankbait? Big lures typically catch big fish. You may catch a large northern pike, but it's just as likely that you'll catch walleyes.

For jigging, find a point or a reef and cast your jig so you can bounce it back to the boat. Lift... and drop. Lift... and drop. Snap... and drop. Snap... and drop. Mix it up. Just keep the jig close to the bottom. That's where most of the walleyes hang out.

It will be very easy to get frustrated with jigging if you keep getting snags. Getting your jig out of a snag is a skill, but it's not 100% successful. There are times that you'll just have to break off your line and re-tie. Make sure that you're adept at tying a fisherman's knot and can do it quickly. This minimizes your frustration and gets you fishing again ASAP.

You don't need a ton of jigs and lures for your canoe trip. You'll want a little selection of color and size - 1/4 and 3/8 ounce jigs and a few different types of crankbaits - but there's no need to bring boxes and boxes of tackle. It's all weight and bulk that needs to be portaged. I prefer to think things through, pack the most likely colors and selection of lures, then stick to that.

Successful fishing is more about presentation and working to find the spots than it is color or specific action of a crankbait. Keep it relatively simple and you'll be successful catching walleyes.

Below any running water will be a magnet for walleye. Wind blown points or channels between islands also. You can cast crankbaits in these locations but a jig and twister tail bounced off bottom is better. Sometimes it's a dawn and dusk thing so if you don't catch anything during the day revisit these areas at prime time. It can be like a light switch!

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.

With all that said there is a good thread called Walleye 101 with lots of good info.....


Walleye 101

Casting or trolling to find them, then either slip bobber or vertical jigging with a leech on a bare hook or jig head. I know bobber fishing is boring to most bass fishermen who are constantly actively casting, but I love it when you get into them!

That time of year, if you can find moving water, you're almost guaranteed to catch them. Otherwise, they'll still be shallow -- even in MN, the first week of June will find most fish still on shoreline breaks near where they spawned. That much farther north, you'll just fine more still up shallow.

But if you can find moving water -- ideally a river flowing into a lake -- you should be able to catch them on anything with a hook on it. And I mean anything. :)

Saberboys: "Casting or trolling to find them, then either slip bobber or vertical jigging with a leech on a bare hook or jig head. I know bobber fishing is boring to most bass fishermen who are constantly actively casting, but I love it when you get into them!"

I had assumed all the provincial parks prohibited live bait. Is it only Quetico that does that? Same for barbless hooks, I wonder??