Thread: Walleye newb questions

Hi y'all,

I am new to walleye fishing but fish a lake that has them stocked. I bought a couple of trolling rods/reels and some walker divers (like dipsy divers, only cheaper :P) but still haven't had any success. I've trolled spoons, crawler harnesses, spinners, and crankbaits to no avail. I have caught wipers, crappie, and even a blue cat while trolling. I'm sure I could just be fishing where the walleye aren't at and that could be part of the problem, but I have a few questions about my setup.

1) I am currently using 50# braided line on my trolling rods tied to the divers to help reduce snapping the line on snags (works wonders so far). I have about a 6-7' leader of 10# spiderwire super mono running to my lures. My first question is, will the 50# line cause issues with the walleye due to it's visibility, even though it's not attached to the lure?

2) I have read that walleye inhale their bait instead of swimming up and biting it. Is there a trick I can use to increase the chance of a trailing walleye having the ability to suck in the bait? I know trolling in an S pattern helps vary speeds, I just wonder about how much slack needs to be in the line for walleye to easily take a bait, and how to achieve that without holding the rods in hand.

3) I don't know what else to ask, but I'm sure I'm missing something... do you know what it is? :D

Thanks in advance for your expert opinions!

I'll even take amature opinions if it will get y'all to start talking! lol :D

you may want to try and post your question on one of the walleye forums,walleye central has been pretty good for me, and it would help to know whereabouts you are located, (even if you do not want to give up the exact lake name)
on saginaw bay michigan, we use bottom bouncers with a crawler harness quite a bit, spped of 1 to 1.7 mph has been best for me, but most of the forage in saginaw bay is on the bottom(perch and gobies), but we also use 1 and 2 oz. inline sinkers and snap weights when the walleye are suspended.
on some of the smaller lake we have quite often the walleye move into the weeds so we pitch jigs tipped with a minnow or crawler, into the pockets , works good sometimes
hope this helps a bit

Thanks Steelguy!

I fish on Cagle's Mill Lake (Cataract) in Cloverdale, IN. I'll create an account and try walleye central and see if I have any better response rate there. Thanks for the tips and info! I'll probably be out again this weekend and will give it another go. I'll post any successes I have here.

any luck?

Unfortuantely no luck with the walleye there. I've caught catfish, crappie, white bass, and drum while trolling, jigging, and drift fishing for them... just no luck on the walleyes. I did catch a few while on vacation up in Wisconsin and a nice Sauger at 21.5"

Still not giving up though, I just need to figure out what I'm doing wrong... I'll try holding my tongue to the upper left next time I'm out and see if that helps. :P

Originally Posted by FishinGeek

Unfortuantely no luck with the walleye there. I've caught catfish, crappie, white bass, and drum while trolling, jigging, and drift fishing for them... just no luck on the walleyes. I did catch a few while on vacation up in Wisconsin and a nice Sauger at 21.5"

Still not giving up though, I just need to figure out what I'm doing wrong... I'll try holding my tongue to the upper left next time I'm out and see if that helps. :P

Guess we were holding our tongues right yesterday

We trolled dipsys in 70ft water.#1, 2, 3, settings at 145,185, and 220ft back. Used spoons and crankbaits.

try infront of the beach good luck that lake has soooo meny shad in it

where are you fishing...i found a contour map of the lake and can help a bit...not a pro by far but know where to look generally...you have the right idea trolling...

alright...

A looks like a nice flat area that comes right off that channel....if you can find some humps in that area or some vegetation, running cranks is what you are after....spread it out with some planer boards...

B for me i would look for fish right now....steap enough drop off...this is kind of like a funnel for baitfish and you will find walleye....look for schooling baitfish.. i like jigging minnows or tails in these areas...

C not sure if thats a hump or not....if its a hole, nevermind, but if its a hump, hit it just like A.

D this spot intrigues me but i'm not sure if those are humps or not....