Walleyes preferences

[barbel]

I am just getting into the idea of fishing for walleyes. Most of them are small around here, but I would like to know some of the better rigs and jigs out there that catch them. Colors, etc... things like that would be most useful. Thanks in advance to anyone that can help me out.

[ArkansasRiverBlues]

Casting 1/8-1/4 oz jigs with orange, red, chartruse, or white curly tailed grubs or sassy shad. It is very important to keep the jigs moving slowly and most importantly constatly keep them bumping the bottom. If you are reeling so slowly you can feel every little rock and hump on the bottom, youre doing it right. You'll lose some jigs this way at first, but you'll learn to get the feel of just lettling the jig barely settle to the bottom before lifting it off to fall again without getting snagged. Tipping jigs with crawlers or minnows also works well. I almost always use plastics, i seem to get bigger fish than with live baits. Fishing with 2 jigs in tandem usually works better for me than using just 1 jig, plus you can cast farther, and fish at 2 levels at once, and with 2 baits or colors to see what they prefer.

[catmankev]

I use 3" Berkley Power Grubs tipped with a medium sized minnow. Usually pumkin colored body W/chart. curly tail. I vertical jig this staying in contact with the bottom. Work this up and down slowly. Walleyes bite very lightly,sometimes you won't even feel the bite just the sudden weight of the fish. The size of the jig head is determined by the current if fishing a river. I prefer at least a 1/4 oz. or whatever it takes to keep your line vertical.

[Bobpaul]

Minnows, nightcrawlers and a variety of other lures worked good for me when I was in walleye waters.

One thing I found out while fishing the Spanish River chain of lakes in Canada, Walleye love leaches. They can be caught on a 4" to 6" black plastic worm.

Another trick for catching them at night is to listen for them to bust the minnows with their tail. They'll stunn them then leisurely go back and pick up the stunned ones. When you here the splash, cast your minnow to the sound. This takes a light spinning outfit to make it work.

[Jagal]

I have had a lot of luck with walley harnesses with nightcrawlers for bait...this rig is also effective for northern pike. I have also had luck catching walleyes using chartreus and orange crankbaits. I caught a nice one last year with one. I even managed to catch a musky on a walley rig. It is a very verital lure.

[capt.kirk]

BARBEL
i have read and been told that slow trolling at night with those floresent
green colored crawlers bumping them on the bottom works well,also use
light tackle so you can feel every touch.i no longer live where there are
walleye so i have not tried it,but it sounds like a good idea.
GOOD LUCK :)

[Jagal]

I have also had a lot of luck with leaches on a carolina style rig...just bouncing it off the bottom. Doing it this way if the walley aren't biting the small mouth bass will. It is also good to find a nice drop off or a point or a big hole on the bottom they are most likely to be there. Then just drive your boat up wind of the hole or drop off and drift back over it while bouncing your rig. I like to find whatever under water structure I can and fish around and over it too.

[sal_jr]

for the right advice I'd need a few things- the structure youre fishing, water clarity, temp, what spwan if any is on of baitfish, and time of day or night you're gonna go.

I fished many places for walleye... literally world class places, like Dog and Esnagi lakes in canada, the french and pickerel rivers off Georgian Bay in Canada, as well as the bays de noc in the upper peninsula of michigan, lakes huron, st clair and Erie as well. Ive had nights where my brother and I filled a big white cooler with 7-9 pounders and nights where I got 30 of em between 17-25 inches and my boat partner using the same bait but a different jig style got skunked. Walleye are a lot of fun to catch but the technique is really really really more important than the color.

One thing to remember- and I also have to give props to arkansasriverblues for the jigging hints- walleye bite usually on the end of the drop, not the beginning of the jig action.... or a better way to say it is that they bite just before the trough of the jig, never on the crest.

4-12 inch jig action is plenty in colder clearer water. In cloudy murky or hot water you may be able to do 2-3 foot jigs with better success.

My go to jig is a gamakatsu 1/4oz stinger jig in a orange, black and green pattern from bass pro with a 2 1/2 inch mister twister white jig and a minnow on a 3" stinger treble hook. From there I will determine what needs to be changed replaced or discarded. If the alewifes are up and running, I switch to a blackback shad rap and cast every direction or troll around the dam or waterfall. As soon as twilight hits I switch to a blueback and continue.

If you have a narrows between the deeper holdout holes where the walleye suspend all day and dont likely feed, and a waterfall, river mouth, or place where fresh bait will be found after dark, fish the narrows from 7pm till twilight then bolt your butt over to the bait source feeder creeks or waterfalls or dam.

PM me if anyone has questions on this or specific conditions. I will do my best for recommendations.

Best of luck to ya.

Sal

[nuthinlikeacat]

I strictly use a lindy rig tipped with leeches. If leeches aren't available, then Crawlers will do.

[Larry]

Lindy rigs with floats on it. Make sure your using a small hook (no circles), tipped with Crawler, leech or minnow. If they are finicky (tap tap tap goes the rod tip) let out line and let them take the bait with out any tension.
Good Luck. and Good eats