WKND Warriors Blog
How To Catch More Walleye - 5 Tactics
How To Catch More Walleye - 5 Tactics
5 Tactics to Help You Consistently Catch More Walleye in Your Area
Walleye have been a long sought-after gamefish in North America due to their size, abundance, catch rate and tastiness. However, with the fishing pressure increasing on many bodies of water, anglers have had to change and modify tactics to remain consistent in targeting large and high volumes of Walleye. There are a variety of fishing techniques that catch Walleye; however, if you are an angler looking to target more and bigger Walleye, you will want to focus on the minor details outlined in this article.
Find the Baitfish Before you Arrive.
In today's day and age, electronics truly do make a difference on the water. Paying attention to your electronics and learning to read them will benefit every angler on the water no matter the species you are chasing. Loading charts and bathymetric maps on your fish finder or phone prior to the trip can give you a better idea of where Baitfish are likely to be located. Look for steep drop-offs, isolated structures, and bays, you can identify where the food sources of Walleye are likely to be. By focusing your efforts in these area's and finding the Baitfish before you arrive, you increase your odds of finding more Walleye. Constantly referring back to your maps and charts to ensure the structure you see is accurate. Real-life scenarios and depth readings can change based on water levels, numbers of forage, water clarity and many other factors you can't see from a map or chart.
Learn to Love the Wind
Wind, is a common denominator of hatred among many anglers all over the world. It makes boat control challenging, eats away at your skin on long days causing wind burn, and overall can make the experience of fishing not enjoyable. However, anglers that have made the wind their friend have been extremely successful on the water. Wind blows many anglers off the lake leading to wide open fishing grounds at the wind-blown bank. While wind may not be enjoyable, it does one thing extremely well. Move the phytoplankton and food of Baitfish into condensed areas. Then Baitfish follow their food into these condensed areas, which in turn draws in the predators. Focusing on wind blow points or bays, down to even a wind-blown weed bed, will help you find giant Walleye with more consistency as an angler.
Avoid the Sun
Through time, Walleye have adapted a larger eye that helps them see better in low light and late night conditions. The majority of Walleye feed in low light conditions and targeting them during these peak times will improve your chances of getting more fish to hand. The first and last hour of light a day is ideal hunting times for Walleye. By using the cover of low light conditions and baits that are better seen, like glow-in-the-dark swimbaits and deep diving crankbaits that create a lot of vibration. you can better attract more Walleye during their feeding times, leading to more violent takes. By thinking like a predator and planning your outings around the times that Walleye are most likely to feed (low or no light conditions) you can improve your chances of catching more and bigger Walleye.
Supersize/Downsize
Everyone has a go to bait that they are confident with in almost any conditions. So what happens on the days that confidence bait do not work? While some would throw in the towel and head home, however some of the most successful Walleye anglers find success in the smallest details. Upsizing or downsizing proven baits to try to trigger a fish that will not feed has led to success on some of the toughest waters. On fish that refuse to feed, going to a ridiculous over sized bait can sometimes trigger a fish that wants to feed but has not found a prey item large enough to suffice its appetite, especially on big Walleye. However, it works both ways, slowing down and fishing small micro baits on top of fish that have been refusing all the usual fixings has proven very successful for many top tournament anglers. To add consistency to your ability to catch Walleye, focusing on the minor details such as changing bait size can make a world of difference on the water.
Power Bobbing
Whether you have heard of it or not, it is one of the deadliest techniques for catching numbers of large Walleye with consistency. Power bobbing consists of using electronics and slip bobbers to drop baits right on top of big marks or schools of Walleye. Many anglers use down imaging and side scan electronics to mark and locate fish on drop-off's while setting their slip stops at a depth roughly a foot above the bottom. You can quickly cover a lot of ground by dropping baits on distinct marks and waiting up to two minutes for a bite. If you do not get a bite within two minutes, continue on the drop-off, looking for more marks and repeat the process of dropping baits right on top of the Walleye. With practice, it can be one of the most effective tactics in your arsenal.
These are just a few tactics you can put in your back pocket to help improve your consistency in catching more and bigger Walleye on the water. Combining a few of these factors in planning your next fishing trip can greatly benefit your day on the water leading to better "You should have seen the one I lost at the boat" stories around the campfire.
Walleye have been a long sought-after gamefish in North America due to their size, abundance, catch rate and tastiness. However, with the fishing pressure increasing on many bodies of water, anglers have had to change and modify tactics to remain consistent in targeting large and high volumes of Walleye. There are a variety of fishing techniques that catch Walleye; however, if you are an angler looking to target more and bigger Walleye, you will want to focus on the minor details outlined in this article.
Find the Baitfish Before you Arrive.
In today's day and age, electronics truly do make a difference on the water. Paying attention to your electronics and learning to read them will benefit every angler on the water no matter the species you are chasing. Loading charts and bathymetric maps on your fish finder or phone prior to the trip can give you a better idea of where Baitfish are likely to be located. Look for steep drop-offs, isolated structures, and bays, you can identify where the food sources of Walleye are likely to be. By focusing your efforts in these area's and finding the Baitfish before you arrive, you increase your odds of finding more Walleye. Constantly referring back to your maps and charts to ensure the structure you see is accurate. Real-life scenarios and depth readings can change based on water levels, numbers of forage, water clarity and many other factors you can't see from a map or chart.
Learn to Love the Wind
Wind, is a common denominator of hatred among many anglers all over the world. It makes boat control challenging, eats away at your skin on long days causing wind burn, and overall can make the experience of fishing not enjoyable. However, anglers that have made the wind their friend have been extremely successful on the water. Wind blows many anglers off the lake leading to wide open fishing grounds at the wind-blown bank. While wind may not be enjoyable, it does one thing extremely well. Move the phytoplankton and food of Baitfish into condensed areas. Then Baitfish follow their food into these condensed areas, which in turn draws in the predators. Focusing on wind blow points or bays, down to even a wind-blown weed bed, will help you find giant Walleye with more consistency as an angler.
Avoid the Sun
Through time, Walleye have adapted a larger eye that helps them see better in low light and late night conditions. The majority of Walleye feed in low light conditions and targeting them during these peak times will improve your chances of getting more fish to hand. The first and last hour of light a day is ideal hunting times for Walleye. By using the cover of low light conditions and baits that are better seen, like glow-in-the-dark swimbaits and deep diving crankbaits that create a lot of vibration. you can better attract more Walleye during their feeding times, leading to more violent takes. By thinking like a predator and planning your outings around the times that Walleye are most likely to feed (low or no light conditions) you can improve your chances of catching more and bigger Walleye.
Supersize/Downsize
Everyone has a go to bait that they are confident with in almost any conditions. So what happens on the days that confidence bait do not work? While some would throw in the towel and head home, however some of the most successful Walleye anglers find success in the smallest details. Upsizing or downsizing proven baits to try to trigger a fish that will not feed has led to success on some of the toughest waters. On fish that refuse to feed, going to a ridiculous over sized bait can sometimes trigger a fish that wants to feed but has not found a prey item large enough to suffice its appetite, especially on big Walleye. However, it works both ways, slowing down and fishing small micro baits on top of fish that have been refusing all the usual fixings has proven very successful for many top tournament anglers. To add consistency to your ability to catch Walleye, focusing on the minor details such as changing bait size can make a world of difference on the water.
Power Bobbing
Whether you have heard of it or not, it is one of the deadliest techniques for catching numbers of large Walleye with consistency. Power bobbing consists of using electronics and slip bobbers to drop baits right on top of big marks or schools of Walleye. Many anglers use down imaging and side scan electronics to mark and locate fish on drop-off's while setting their slip stops at a depth roughly a foot above the bottom. You can quickly cover a lot of ground by dropping baits on distinct marks and waiting up to two minutes for a bite. If you do not get a bite within two minutes, continue on the drop-off, looking for more marks and repeat the process of dropping baits right on top of the Walleye. With practice, it can be one of the most effective tactics in your arsenal.
These are just a few tactics you can put in your back pocket to help improve your consistency in catching more and bigger Walleye on the water. Combining a few of these factors in planning your next fishing trip can greatly benefit your day on the water leading to better "You should have seen the one I lost at the boat" stories around the campfire.
By Wknd Warriors Co
