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Thread: The Walleye Channel

  1. #1
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    Default The Walleye Channel


    Several things play key in that equation. One of them is the distance between your boards. The second is the settings you are running on your setbacks.

    As a rule of thumb, I run all of my baits from outside to inside. The longer leads go to the outside with the shorter to the inside. This way, when you trip the board, the bait is already behind the one closer to the boat.

    If you are running setbacks really similar right next to one another, I prefer to stager my boards futher from the boat. This puts that outside board further away on the triangle. Think geomotry and a 90 degree isosoles triangle!!!

    Another trick is, when you trip the outside board, let the bait and board fall back for a little while before reeling. This will ensure you are not reeling in your baits overtop of one another. Same when you have a fish on. No harm in allowing the fish to pull the board more towards the middle. Just ensure to keep pressure on them.

    Some people will tell you the opposite. They will tell you to go shallow to deep so that you can pull the bait overtop of the inside board. This is however WRONG! I don't say that too often but these are the guys you will hear saying "I only have one or two tangles". Always go by setbacks regardless of depth the bait is running. Here is an example:

    I am running three different baits on one side of the boat. A Rapala DDHJ 12, a size 9 Berkly Flicker Minnow, and a Reef runner 800. I want all these baits to run around 15 foot deep. My outside board would be the Rapala set at 80 feet back. My middle board would be the Berkley set at 65 feet back. My inside board would be the reef runner set at 49 feet back.

    If you do it like some say to do and run the reef runner on the outside you would be pulling it across 90 feet and 65 feet of line out!

    So, always go by setback with ONE exception! If you throw bottom bouncers in to the mix, always run your crank baits OUTSIDE of your bottom bouncers. Same for tadpoles.

    This is done differently however if you are running lead core. For lead, you run your deepest diving baits on the INSIDE. So, if you were running 10 color, 7 color, and 3 color your outside board would be the 3, the middle would be the 7, and the close one would be the 10. This is were the confussion comes in when guys tell you to reverse your setup.
    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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  2. #2
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    If you are not using the precision trolling ap on your phone I suggest strongly to get it. Dive curves that come from the bait shop or directly on the back of the package are not really accurate.

    Some guys also don't trip their boards. There are several problems with this. One being that everytime you put pressure on the board (not tripped) it wants to do what it is designed to do "cut out to the side of the boat". As you get closer to the next board you and up having to hop over the line. These guys usually start letting out line in order for the board to somehow fall to the back. Still doesn't matter however when they start putting pressure on it. This also takes a ton of time and you are prone to lose fish.

    One thing I learned salmon fishing: The quicker you can get the fish in the boat, the better you are. Wish salmon, I NEVER let them run. I torque the drag as tight as possible. With walleye, I want to get them in the boat as quick as I can. No reason to screw around with them. I've watched people battle fish for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I've caught 6!!

    It takes practice but you will get the hang of it. The key is knowing how to make the setback and knowing the distance to stagger your boards. I used to run all of my inside boards so they wouldn't trip. This is easy to do however, you always get confused putting them back out and end up putting it in the wrong spot. For that reason, I simply switched all of them to trip mode!
    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"

  3. #3
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    I started running 9's before the 11's even came out. I think it was the first year that 9's came out. Later on, when the 11's came out, I never switched to them for a couple of reason. One being that they are similar in size to the DDHJ 12 and I like having different profile and size baits for different applications. The other is that the 11's don't dive as deep as the 9's with the same amount of line out.

    Some professional writers/fisherman (Kevin knows the article I am talking about) will tell you that you "never" run cranks and harnesses together! Of course, this is the same person that will tell you that you never cross cut the wind or run into the wind too. My question was: "if the wind is out of the North and the dumping grounds run East and West, am I supposed to fish someplace else becasue I cannot cross cut the wind? The negatives with this article were so many that I had to save it and it has become the bane of my existance to try and dispell it at every single turn. It went on to tell you the reason you don't run them together is speed sensativity in that you should NEVER troll harnesses above 1.3mph and you shold NEVER troll cranks below that speed.

    It is funny considering that harness blades come in many sizes. The bigger the blade, the slower you run it. A number six works good to about 1.3, but will spin better at slower speeds than a number 5 or 4. A number 4 can be run all the way up to and over 2mph but will not run good at slower speeds. So, match the blade with the speed and you can run cranks and harnesses no issue. Maybe this is why in two years of tournament fishing, this so called professional has not beaten Kevin or myself in a single tournament? He doesn't get the right wind to fish his spots!!!!!!
    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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    Although everybody wants "custom" baits, pound for pound, the BEST baits have been standard colors from the manufacturer. Why? Because they more closely resemble bait in the water and are designed to produce some sort of "Flash" with the light in the water and from the sun. Custom colors have their days but by and large, I do the majority of my damage on standard colors. Flicker minnows have a larger selection of colors that more closely resemble a bait fish in size and color.

    Another factor is REGIONAL FAVORITES. I learned this many years ago while fishing in Northport. Everybody fished with Northport Nailers. We didn't have any and couldn't afford them. At the dock the first night, we had a limit of salmon, everyone else had one. Too many times people rely on a local bait. Unfortunately, those fish might have seen that bait's color or action 100 times. Regional hot baits in Erie have been the Smithwick P10 and P20 along with the reef runner baits and then Rapala DDHJ 12's.

    Conversly, regional hot baits in Saginaw have been the DDHJ 12, bombers, and flicker shad. Normal people tend to think you should have those baits. I prefer to put offerings in the water that other do not use. You tend to catch more fish. Also, don't be afraid to fish with something that worked 20 years ago. People flock to "the next big thing" and quickly forget about the hot n tots that put tons of fish in the boat.

    In shallow water situations or running over weed beds, I still prefer longer setbacks to keep sight weary fish away from seeing boards or the boat. For this I tend to use baits that do not dive as deep (for obvious reasons) but you can still run back a great distance. I love flicker shad in size 4 and 5's and pound fish overtop of weedbeds with setbacks of around 100 feet. I will also use them in conjunction with guppy weights to dive them quickly in deep water when the fish want smaller offerings. We also will run the standard husky jerk baits because they don't dive as deep.

    I'll can show everyone what I am talking about at Houghton lake. We switch up and will run a standard sized husky jerk, an F9 or F11 floating rapala, or Size 4 and 5 flicker shad. We can still run longer setbacks to keep fish away from the sight factor but they do not dive greater than 7 feet. In this lake where it is shallow and weeds run up to a depth of a few feet below the surface, running shallow baits can be key. Especially when the fish run to the weeds for cover.
    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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  5. #5
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    Default The Walleye Channel

    Okay, so we have crapped on enough threads! I figure it is high time we start our own. Many of us LOVE to fish. We fish for just about everything under the sun. We will dedicate this thread to ALL THINGS Walleye (ok, so we will try)!

    I've been asked this question a good many times before and always tried to provide the best answer. Below will be my list of favorite baits in no particular order. These are ALL normal off the shelf colors provided by the companies themselves. It is always a great idea to check all of your sources before purchasing baits. Oftentimes, places like "FishUSA" will have a great deal that you cannot pass up. The absolute best places I have found for these baits (pricewise) is:

    Rapala DDHJ 10's and 12's
    Northwoods
    Frank's great outdoors

    Flicker Minnows
    Jay's sporting goods
    Northwoods
    FishUSA

    In no particular order, here you go
    Rapala first:
    Chrome Clown
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    Pink Clown
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    Purple Clown
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    Silver Blue
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    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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  6. #6
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    Berkley Flicker Minnows: Size 9
    Blue Smelt
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    Copperhead
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    Purple Flash
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    Slick Alewife
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    Slick Black Pearl
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    Slick Blue Alewife
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    Slick Green Alewife
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    Slick Green Pearl
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    Slick Smelt
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    Slick Sunset
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    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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  7. #7
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    Please note that this is NOT my thread. It is for everyone to publish information and ask questions. There isn't always one right way to do things. Many people have years of experience and have a few tricks up their sleeves.

    Here is part one of a two part series for you:

    People like to catch fish. There is no question about that. Given all the information available, the majority of people will always take the easiest approach to catch the most fish.

    I’m often asked why I hate jigging so much. The truth is that I don’t hate jigging in general, I hate everything that goes with it. Personally, I don’t think it takes a whole lot to be able to go out during certain times of year and catch limit numbers of fish. Simple equipment and the ability to follow the other 5000 boats to the promise land is all that it takes. Heck, if catching fish wasn’t so important you wouldn’t see 1000 post on other popular sites talking about how they caught a limit of fish in one drift in 25 minutes. Or they caught their third limit of fish this week. Keep in mind that these are the same people that, during an average day, couldn’t find a walleye in a fish shop.

    I guess that I might fish for different reasons. Sure, I like to catch fish but I get more enjoyment out of finding them for myself. I don’t see success as the limit number of fish I can put in my boat in the quickest amount of time. I see success as the ability to go out to an area that I selected with no other boats in sight, put a plan of action together, and put fish in the boat. I take greater satisfaction in doing so when others are having a difficult time. Unlike jigging, trolling takes a considerable amount more skill and knowledge. Sure, you could follow the masses and go out and catch fish but, when the launch is empty, your cell phone gets zero reception, and you have no one else to rely on, these people tend to do very poorly.

    Trolling is a lot like bow hunting to me. I enjoy the preparation of it. Scouting to find the one spot that I know I can ambush my unsuspecting prey. Paying attention to the wind, placing my stand in the perfect spot to avoid detection, and waiting until just the right time. Whether I decide to harvest an animal doesn’t mean the difference between success and failure. What it means is that my plan worked. I got my prey within archery range and could have taken the shot if I had wanted to. It was everything that went in to it that appeals to me. Not the harvest but the plan of attack.

    The same can be said for trolling. Pouring over maps for countless hours. Looking at wind, weather, and wave reports. Studying currents from the last 72 hours. Guessing where the fish “Should” be, putting a plan together, and then going out and seeing if that plan produces results. That is the enjoyment I get out of it.

    When I was younger we didn’t have fishing electronics. We had to rely on our knowledge of the area, previous successful locations, and times of year. Oftentimes we didn’t venture out to other bodies of water. This was primarily because it took so long to learn these bodies of water. This was during a time when people were pretty hush about their spots. They were hard to find and giving them away would often mean you had to spend your hard earned time trying to find another spot that might be half as productive. Now days, we have all these things at our fingertips. It isn’t hard to transition from one body of water to another and produce the same results. If you know a couple of basic things that is!

    I know of one particular person that is a charter captain on Saginaw Bay. He is an excellent walleye fisherman on this body of water. Heck, he grew up there. Does that make him a great walleye fisherman? Unfortunately, he has shoe horned himself. On most days, he can produce limit numbers of fish in quick time. He relies on years of experience on this body of water in order to be successful for himself and his clients. Unfortunately, when his spots dry up, it becomes very difficult for him to locate fish in other areas. Take him out of Saginaw Bay and his success plummets. Why is that? Is he not as good of a fishermen as we think he is? Is he relying too much on the success of the past? Or does he simply not know what to do in order to be successful? Tune in for the next installment to find out the reason why. It will be sure to make you a better fisherman!
    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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  8. #8
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    Great post Rich! I concur with all of it, but especially the part about how it's like bow hunting. I like to catch fish just like the other guy but the whole hitting a limit in record time is over rated in my book. If you're having fun and a limit happens, then great, if not did I have less fun...nope.

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    Quote Originally Posted by wicklundrh View Post
    I see success as the ability to go out to an area that I selected with no other boats in sight, put a plan of action together, and put fish in the boat.
    I see it as a FULL TUMMY...................

    I know well about the jigging, and the hordes, highly concentrated runs of fish make it easy for some, and easier for those who can not travel as far or as often. Often those people posting are trying to "Fit In" so to speak. You can weed them out pretty quickly.

    Monday was the first time I had ever been to the DR during a week day. Compared to a weekend, I would have thought that my boat had Cootie's or something, as not one was around for a long time. Makes me think of making a few changes, and going down during the week more then a weekend.

    Another part of jigging, is watching other people, at least for me. Its not as fun with Walleye, but watching people @ Muskegon during the Salmon run is like a comedy show. Watched a guy in a Bass Boat hook into one, rotate his hips, and i thought to myself, He is going to try and pull that thing out like he does Bass, over some Lilly pads, like on TV. Sure enough, he rotated back the other way, loaded up that rod, and that King went the other way, and that rod went "SNAP"..... Another time, we heard a "SPLASH", then some cussing. Guess the guy wasn't ready, and the King Salmon snatched the entire rod out of his hands.....

    I found it amusing. Still learning trolling, migrating some of my Salmon ideas into Walleye. Will see how it goes. If i pursue this more (Walleye) I am going to have to look to Thorn-Apple Lake or Muskegon, as they are closer than the Bay from my place by ALLOT.

    OE
    Custom Rods: Out-Snagging Berkly's 7-2 Since 2019 / Custom Rods: Collecting more dust that Berkley due to Covid Since 2020
    Custom Rods: Not afraid to show, in 2021


  10. #10
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    Guys I merged some threads together from another topic, so if it seems like you joined mid conversation.....I apologize.

    I thought that this thread Rich started should be a stickie since so many of us fish walleye....and we can learn so much from each other, I tried to join previous posts to this one because those posts were very valuable in the learning of how to fish walleye effectively.

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