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03/15/2017 09:47AM |
quote jberns: "For walleyes in May on the US side... I'd spend most of my time in areas with some current, mostly 5-15 feet deep, possibly a little deeper, & I'd use a jig & minnow. "
What he said. Fishing the currents is the easiest way to find walleye that time of year. Preferred method of jig & minnow or slip bobber.
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03/15/2017 11:18AM |
quote Gooser: " We caught a lot of fish... pike, bass, bluegills, crappie, but only one single walleye. Thanks!"
Your results are typical. Contrary to popular belief, there are very few lakes in the BWCA that contain walleyes. Of the lakes which do have walleyes, there is only a small population of stunted fish. I suggest you travel to Northern Arkansas and fish some of the large reservoirs there for some killer walleyes. Again, there are no walleyes in the BWCA.
(Oh, the above advice is good, also.)
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03/15/2017 11:23AM |
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03/15/2017 01:46PM |
quote missmolly: "Gooser, I know it's off-topic, but how did you catch those bluegills? I'll be fishing one lake for bluegills and I really want to catch one to increase my species count. I'm more confident in catching a musky than a bluegill. "
I would use smaller lures for bluegills than I would for muskies :-)
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03/15/2017 03:38PM |
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03/15/2017 03:52PM |
quote QueticoMike: "quote missmolly: "Gooser, I know it's off-topic, but how did you catch those bluegills? I'll be fishing one lake for bluegills and I really want to catch one to increase my species count. I'm more confident in catching a musky than a bluegill. "
I would use smaller lures for bluegills than I would for muskies :-)
"
What if I use the same size lures and the bluegill locks up to the lure like two mating dogs? That would git 'er done, right?
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03/15/2017 03:53PM |
quote mutz: "Apparently you have never fished for blue gills in Michigan "
Indeed. My problem is sloth. On one day, I'll be driving about 20 miles of logging roads, as will happen on other days, but on this particular day, I'll pass a lake that has bluegills. What I want to do is park my car, grab a rod and reel, walk down to this bluegill lake, and catch a bluegill. I do not want to unload the canoe and go searching for them. If I must, I must, but it'll irk me to carry the canoe for a bitty bluegill.
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03/15/2017 04:00PM |
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03/15/2017 06:03PM |
quote mutz: "I fish a lot of the little lakes down off two tracks in the spring, a five foot ultra lite with a slip bobber and a tiny jig tipped with a worm has always worked great. Even a 7-8 inch bluegill feels big on the ultra light."
Thanks for the tip!
I don't fish walleyes much, but I do agree with the current tip. One time, after the bass stopped hitting where a stream flowed into a lake, I put on a crankbait and just paddled back and forth across the current. I caught a walleye on each pass seventeen straight times.
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03/15/2017 10:30PM |
Did ya make a 18th pass........
And did ya catch a fish.......
And if ya caught a any more fish .....
Or did ya give up from exhaustion.......
Baa. bam......
Or did ya go back and see if the smallmouth got hungry.......
...
Baba baa boom
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03/16/2017 12:12AM |
quote QueticoMike: "great minds think alike ! LOL !quote missmolly: "Gooser, I know it's off-topic, but how did you catch those bluegills? I'll be fishing one lake for bluegills and I really want to catch one to increase my species count. I'm more confident in catching a musky than a bluegill. "
I would use smaller lures for bluegills than I would for muskies :-)
"
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03/16/2017 05:34AM |
One of the easiest ways to turn walleye off is with heavy line and/or bulky terminal tackle. Avoid such things a snap swivels (tie direct) and heavy line. If you are fishing bait for walleye I would avoid straight braid. All things being equal a good generalization is the slower the presentation the lighter your line should be. I like 6lb clear co-polymer like Gamma for live bait and dark water. In super clear water I might drop to as light as 4lb test but the 6lb will get you plenty of quality fish. Everything has to be right however.......knots, quality line and drag must be optimum as the margin for error is reduced.
With faster presentations such as lures you can bump your line to 8 or 10.
The end of May should be good as they will be scattered and shallow. Concentrate on 5 to 10ft. The current suggestion is hard to beat and a day trip to the mouth of some incoming should be in order. Be certain to prepare for not being able to get back as May weather can be unpredictable. That means sufficient clothing and food to overnight in place in a worst case scenario. I have seen conditions deteriorate with 15 minutes to where it would be dangerous to be in a canoe so plan ahead.
If I were to travel some distance I would be certain to have a line out.......a floating diving lure like a mid sized Shad Rap (or a cheaper equally good lure is a Berkley Frenzy) should be trailing along behind the boat. Remove the front treble hook and upsize the rear hook by one size. This will help reduce snags substantially. Bouncing bottom once in a while is good as walleye generally strongly relate to the bottom. If your not fishing near the bottom your not walleye fishing. Expect your trolled lure to get hung on occasion. It is probably just wedged especially if you have removed that front treble. Just give some slack and often it will float free of trouble. If your not hitting bottom on occasion your not walleye fishing........capiche?
The advantage of trolling is you can quickly ascertain where the fish are. Start your trip trolling far and wide. When you catch a walleye others are likely to be around. Make a mental note of the spot and break out the live bait or jigs and refine the search by casting in the general area. The first trick is finding them........they can't bite if they are not there and trolling is the best way to find them. Bait and casting is the best way to catch them. Since you catch panfish I am imagining that you have live bait. If you are not familiar with slip bobbers I suggest you do so. I like bringing a small clip on ice fishing weight to set my depth. Clip the weight onto your hook and lower it to the bottom.........set your bobber "stop" within 3 ft off the bottom. Lastly confidence, while not king (knowledge is king), confidence is certainly Queen and second only to knowledge. Go out confident and determined.......have a plan and stick with it. They are there and in abundance (Basswood is a walleye factory) and you will catch them. First you have to find them and to do that you should troll.
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03/16/2017 09:37PM |
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03/14/2017 10:46PM |
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03/15/2017 12:27AM |
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03/16/2017 07:15AM |
quote yogi59weedr: "I gotta ask.....
Did ya make a 18th pass........
And did ya catch a fish.......
And if ya caught a any more fish .....
Or did ya give up from exhaustion.......
Baa. bam......
Or did ya go back and see if the smallmouth got hungry.......
...
Baba baa boom"
Sure I made the 18th pass. Caught nothin' and said, "This place sucks!"
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03/17/2017 12:47AM |
