Favorite Weedy Walleye Tactic

David Cook asks:

I would say I'm above average walleye fisherman and catch a lot of walleyes but one thing I have been trying to figure out is how to catch them in the weeds. I can not figure out a method or maybe it's just the confidence in doing it to be successful doing it. With that being said here's my ?. What do you like to do or what is your favorite way to catch walleyes in the weeds? I have seen so many videos of people catching walleyes in the weeds and having super success. I try pulling Spiners over the tops but I can not figure out right weight or amount of line to have out. I always just snag weeds right away. Any help or advice would be awesome. I have tried for 2 years and I can just not get it.

Thanks
David

Dave – You’re not alone.  It’s a part of my own game that I’d like to get better at.  The guys I know that are great at finding walleyes and weeds virtually live there, relying on weed bites throughout the year for resident fish that are always there in at least some number. 

There’s a few ways I’ve been successful in getting walleyes to bite in the weeds, and much depends on time of year, where you’re fishing, and what types of weeds you’re targeting. My favorite way is definitely to rig around deep cabbage edges, and even within if sparse enough.

Knowing your weeds is important.  Cabbage is considered a broad-leafed, rooted plant in our lakes, and to me is the premium in fish-holding capability.  Coontail is a close second, though there are many species that hold fish, especially in the absence of the big two mentioned above.   

The first challenge to finding fish then is identifying great cabbage.  Being a map nerd with a natural resources background, I’m fascinated by the amount of great information the MN DNR has on its Lake Vegetation Reports.  While not available for all lakes, there are detailed maps with vegetative reports on species, locations, and abundance for the fishiest walleye “weeds” in all of our lakes.  Research the lakes you fish, and study these reports closely to see if there aren’t some prime weedbeds that exist in key locations.  To me, these are cabbage locations with an interesting twist, inside turn, or point, with access to broad sandy shallows inside, and immediate depths outside the weedbed.    

Early on, a lot of lakes I fish weeds for have the deep end of that cabbage being around 10-14FOW.  Fishing then when it is sparse, you can drag rigs in and amongst the weeds themselves, but need turbid, stained water or a good chop with some overcast conditions to make it a real winner.  Otherwise you’re just pushing fish around the shallows with your boat.  The perfect weed bite lakes in my opinion do not have crystal clear water, but have enough clarity to support ample weed growth to depths in the mid-teens by mid-summer.

Early I’ve pulled shiners, rainbows, or even large creek chubs on a short leash (3 foot leader or less), with a heavy 1/2oz. bullet sinker and a float.  This is a great early season big fish technique.  Later, as weeds develop more, I’ll float a worm up off the bottom a bit.  My experience is that it takes some floatation to keep away from the bases of those stalks which are the snaggiest and least forgiving.  You may tangle in the leaves or upper portions of the stems, but can easily pull through here.  Detecting fish vs. weeds is something that takes time and feel.  Especially with crawlers, gills in that same cabbage love to harass you.  That said, there’s many times I’ve caught walleyes in with gills on early weed bites so don’t be discouraged. 

A good way to get the feel and reduce snagging is to take a VMC Walleye Wide Gap hook , size 4 or 6, and texas-rig the crawler by just burying it into the body.  The larger gap allows that worm to collapse on the hookset, and though you will convert more bites to fish in the net by leaving the hook exposed, the frustration factor in not snagging as many weeds will keep you in the game.

Stick with it, try different lakes, and grow your confidence in this technique as it’s worked well for me.

Crappie and Bluegill Spawn

Bobby Kuenen asks:

How far out from  the crappie/gill spawn are we? I've been fishing the lakes around Faribault and catchin bass but just starting to see some panfish up in the shallows.

Hi Bobby - I've been out a few times including opener, and just fished a bit yesterday.  All I can say is man, what a difference from near 70 degree water temps to the 56-58 degrees I saw on Thursday.  

On the opener, we had 80+degree air temps, and crappies were around their beds, appearing to be finished from the few lakes I was on.  Bluegills were starting to move in and were just off the weed edges eating everything.  Everything now is in a bit of shock from what I saw.  There were fish shallow on the inside weedlines, but much more inactive than I'd seen before the cold weather we've been having.

Generally speaking - crappies spawn first in that 55-60 degree area, with gills next in that 68-70 degree mark.  That said, this spring hasn't been normal with that big swing of cold and rain.

From what I'm observing in southern MN and western WI, crappies appear to be done with some visible nests still holding a fish or two.  Bluegills were just pushing into the shallows around opener but had not been building beds on the lakes I've been on, and they'll be set back here until water temps gradually get where they need to be and stay there for a week or so.  Should that happen, it'll all come at once!  

Keep in mind that each lake is different, and water temps both leading up to the cool down, and how quickly they've rebounded will play a strong role in the progression of the spawn for each species.  

Braid Benefits

Chip Timm asks:

I mainly fish with a swim jig and plastics for walleye and crappies in Wisconsin. Could you simply explain the pluses and minuses for using braided line? I have never used it but have heard from others that it is the way to go.

Thanks for the question Chip - I think what you're hearing out there is a sentiment echoed by a good number of anglers that switch from mono to braid for a host of applications.  The benefits are many, and immediately noticed.  First and foremost, braid is much more sensitive, transmitting a great dose of extra vibration in the form of "feel" to your bait, bottom, structure, and/or a fish that eats.  Also importantly, braid stretches very little, increasing the ability of many to drive hooks into fish, especially on long ends of casts.  Because of its construction, your average braid is more durable in terms of abrasion resistance, so it fishes well in a number of snaggy environments from trees, to rocks, and even zebra mussel infested areas of bottom.  

Downsides would be some of the upsides.  Because of the lack of stretch in the line, some applications like pulling cranks, leads to people pulling hooks out of fish's mouths.  A softer rod with a more moderate action helps to diminish this effect while still getting all the benefits of braid.  Another downside would be the fact that braid is a "hard-line" and is not semi-transparent.  These opaque lines are then more visible in the water, but this effect can be nullified by simply tying in a section of fluorocarbon.  Sometimes in river current, I'll have a mono-rod that I fish to test the effect of current on the line, as each type cuts through water differently.  

All in all, I'm a huge braid guy, and think the benefits far outweigh the downsides.  Not all braids are created equal however, and depending on what you're doing, you may want to consider a few different options.  I'm a fan of Sufix 832 Advanced Superline in 10-20lb. test.  You can fish lighter line for sure, but I like the stiffness and performance of the slightly heavier line.  This is especially true with casting crankbaits that tumble and can potentially tangle in your line.  Braid that is too soft or supple can create issues with tangles and wind-knots.

For light-jigs, clear water and long casts, I prefer the Sufix Nanobraid.  The stuff casts a mile and really performs better than mono varieties on small reels.

Joel

Trolling Crankbaits for Walleye: Spring to Summer

Blayne Kasper asks:

I am just wondering if you have any quick tips to trolling crankbaits for spring walleye (speed, amount of line out/depth, equipment) that sort of thing. I usually fish smaller to mid sized lakes in Central Minnesota, and I am relatively new to this method and wanted to try it out more this summer.

Hi Blayne, this is a big topic, but I’ll do my best to boil it down for your specific area.  Walleye season opens in mid-May where you’re fishing, so spring trolling there is a somewhat relative term to that time period. 

As a general rule in lakes, most early season trolling works well with a big wind, as fish locations tend to be shallower during this time of year and overhead boat traffic can spook fish.  That said, you do run the full gamut, with some clear lakes that will likely never have a good crankbait bite with the exception of maybe dusk or after dark, and some lakes that are murky and turbid enough to enjoy a good shallow crankbait bite no matter what the wind does.  Still, wind will concentrate fish on shorelines and make for a prime trolling run.  For this type of fishing, I start with #5 Shad Raps  or #5 Smash Shads (for rattle) long-lined on #10-20 Sufix 832 or mono between 75-150 feet behind the boat depending on depth I’m trying to achieve.  As a general rule, be as close to the bottom as you can, often “ticking” it occasionally” without rolling or fouling. 

In clearer systems, consider planer boards to run your baits away from the boat towards shore, as you hover over deeper water and avoid driving over fish.  Some well-known systems like Upper Red Lake, Leech, and others allow you to pull shallow diving crankbaits on boards in as shallow as 4FOW and catch walleyes like crazy.  Planer boards or no, speeds should range from 2 – 3mph traditionally, with big winds often kicking up the preferred speed over 4mph. 

As fish move into summer patterns from near shore breaklines to off-shore structure, lead-core trolling really comes into play.  Don’t be scared by the specialization, as it’s a really effective tactic.  Make an investment into two St. Croix Eyecon trolling rod setups of equal length; longer if you’re going to try to troll other rods with them, or mid-lengths if they’ll be the only two rods being used.  The moderate actions on these rods really put more fish in the boat, especially with braid, as they give a bit while allowing the fish to get the bait all the way into its mouth. 

Get a linecounter reel and spool it with backing as needed to fill the entire spool with #18 leadcore line.  If you’re uncomfortable with this step, any reputable sporting goods store can do it for you.  Remove lead from the last few inches of line, then tie your favorite braid/mono knot to connect a length of #10 fluourocarbon leader and snap for the lure.  You can adjust the length of your leader from 30 feet in extremely clear bodies of water like Mille lacs, down to 3 feet in turbid systems like the Mississippi River. 

Find fish with your electronics that you’d like to target and start a tenth of a mile or more away to get your trolling run figured out.  Select baits, reset your line-counter, and let out line a few “colors” (10 yard segments) until you start to detect bottom.  Reel up until you’re just making contact occasionally and hold depth even while going 2.2 – 3.0mph.  Let out line to cover deeper water, and reel it in to effectively fish shallower while covering your bases in proven color patterns.  For me, that’s a mix of basic colors like perch, red craw, firetiger, purpledescent, etc.

This is a big topic, but hopefully I’ve covered a few key points that will help put more fish in the boat this summer.

Joel

Late Ice Crappies - Where to Look?

Henry Loew asks:

Hey Joel! How have you been? I recently found out that you weren't on IDO anymore and I was wondering where you went... well I found your page and its awesome! I really enjoy reading all of the stuff you got on there and I really admire how much you love the woods and the lakes. I created my own kind of fishing team called gotta love it outdoors we really enjoy fishing and hunting anyways I was wondering where are the larger crappies at this time of the year? Are they moving in shallow?  What do they like to bite on?  Also the bigger gills too. I know you are a huge pan fish guy so I thought to were the best guy to ask.

Thanks for the kind words Henry, and you're right, I love fishing for panfish year round.  It's funny, late-ice has come to mean a number of different things depending on where in the ice-belt you live.  I just got back from a photo shoot where we were looking for gills and crappies all over northern Minnesota, and found them very much still in their mid-winter patterns.  That should come as no surprise with subzero temps, plenty of snow/ice, and the fact that the calendar was just creeping into March.

True late-ice conditions to me means a pattern of melt during the day, with below freezing temps at night, over the course of a few weeks.  As ice separates from shore, some of the best angling is still to be had provided you can find a way onto the ice sheet.  It's some of the best fishing of the year, but also some of the most dangerous.  Wear a floating suit like a Striker and always be mindful of your exit plan at the end of the day.  

Late ice is great for a few reasons.  Movement of water washes in nutrients and even early terrestrials, while increased sun angle and light penetration breathes life to the shallows.  For a true late-ice pattern I'm looking in less than 15FOW, primarily around the best standing weed growth in the lake.  Cabbage and coontail both are great weeds to focus on, and one of the best big crappie patterns I've ever been on is a sight-fishing gig that happens over these expansive weed flats.  

Start with a clear lake that holds quality crappies, then focus on the closest flat to traditional mid-winter holes.  Knowledge of where crappies are mid-winter only shortens your search.  Drill holes in as shallow as 5 FOW across the flat, all the way up to 15 FOW and fish terrestrial patterns.  VMC Tungsten Flies and  VMC Wingding, Nymph, and Wax Tail Jigs are what I use for this bite, especially in the largest sizes, as they are "buggy" yet offer plenty of lifelike action.  

It's a slow process and takes a healthy dose of patience, timing, and stealth.  Setup in an Otter hub-style shelter and use it as a dark-house to get a leg-up on those crappies, and don't lean over the hole.  Rather stand back and let your line drape across the front of the hole and down.  Position yourself on a chair or focus on being as still as possible while looking at only a sliver of underwater real estate.  Any quick movement, and fish will be gone.  Jig aggressively to draw in crappies from far away, and work the fish visually from there.  

It's not a numbers game, but is a pattern I've successfully repeated in many clear trophy crappie waters for the biggest fish in the lake.  Remember to release those tanks, as brute crappies are as rare as big gills these days!

Good luck,

Joel  

Late Ice Panfish - Look for Bass

Jason from Perham, MN asks:

We have alot of lakes in our area that have bluegills, but how do you narrow down good late-ice panfish lakes?  What spots would you start looking for them and when?

Thanks Jason - it's funny but one of things I look for in a great late-ice panfish bite is the presence/abundance of large bass in the system.  I can think of a number of late-ice filming trips where we found the bass first, and eventually some great standing weedbeds (coontail or cabbage), then the great gills that go with them.  Healthy largemouth populations seem to go hand in hand with great bluegill lakes, and while the gills can be tough to find, the bass usually aren't.  Often, they're the tip-off you're looking for to keep the hunt on.

This weekend, we punched a pile of holes all over a small lake known to have some good gills, but never came across any.....until dark and after.  Underwater camera work, gobs of hole-drilling, and some meticulous jig-work within weed beds only yielded small panfish or bait-perch.  After dark, those bigger gills drifted out of the weeds they were buried in and were more than willing to eat.

Inside turns coming out of deep water with a strong, standing weed-growth at the top could be the strongest location I've fished for late-ice gills, regardless of lake size, depth, or location.  As for when, the later the better, as daytime melting washes terrestrials into the system, and night-time lows lock things back up again.  Latest ice is best, but be careful, it's also the most dangerous.  Fish fast and aggressive, and don't be afraid to fish the 3rd shift should you encounter nothing but quality bass during the day.  

Good luck!

Joel 

Lake of the Woods Resort House Advice?

John Steinhauer asks:

Hey Joel finally making my first trip to Lake of the woods ice fishing. For a few days. Going out of Arneson's, any pointers or must have lures? I've only ever been there for the spring sturgeon bite before so an absolute first for me.

Thanks for the question John.  In a phrase, fish loud and proud. One person should be trying to attract fish in at all times with blade baits, rippin' raps, slab raps, etc. VMC rattle spoons work well as a slightly more subtle, yet still noise-making approach. 

Two colors, gold and glow red have accounted for most of the fish I've ever taken up there, with a gold perch color being a close second to those.

Fish aggressively to draw them in, and make sure to have setlines with free swimming shiners and more subtle jigging presentations too.  When I know I can't be roaming the open ice to go to the fish, I do my best to draw them from distance to me.  The added benefit to being stationary is that you can provide a virtual buffet of baits, colors, and sizes to them, helping you get closer and closer to cracking the code of the day.

Enjoy it!

Joel

When To Go Fishing?

Jacob Kruse asks:

I've been a big fan of your work since your time at In-depth Outdoors and have enjoyed your latest videos with Tony Roach. I always love watching you catch big gills.

What are your thoughts on time of day, weather, barometric pressure and lunar phase affecting fishing or when you should be looking at getting out? Particularly relating to bluegill and other panfish. With young children my fishing time is limited, so I figure why not try to optimize when you can get out.

It's funny, the exact moment I read this I was eating lunch at Hunter's Point on Mille Lacs with Tony and I showed it to him.  His response?

"Go fishing anytime and every-time you can.  You may get hit by a train tomorrow."

My thoughts these days are much the same as his, but I fully understand when you're coming from.  More and more often, the pressure to catch fish surpasses the idea of just going fishing.  So to maximize your time on the water, I've found that 60% of the time the following works everytime:

• Fish pre-frontal conditions - These are signified by any change in the weather, typically for the worse, where calm stable weather gives way to precip, winds, or other storms.
• A stable barometer provides the best long-term fishing as fish settle into more predictable locations and patterns, while the hottest or fastest fishing is in the hours when the barometer has reached the "shoulder" of the slope and is starting to decline.  Continual peaks and valleys make for yo-yo-like fishing patterns and inconsistent action.
• Use a site like Weather Underground to show the graph of relative barometric conditions.  
• Lunar phases tend to affect predatory fish more from the research that's out there, and bluegills don't feed after dark in "most" lakes.  There are clear water bodies and lakes with active night-time invertebrates that are the exception to that rule.
• Early and late is always the best, but it's better to find them during the day and move with them if you can.

Per Tony's advice, don't look for reasons not to fish, but if you get the choice you're usually best served by heeding the above advice.  That said, I've had incredible days in bluebird conditions with pressure high enough to give every fish in the lake a headache, but they didn't mind.  All the more reason to hit it when you can!

Joel