Walleye Fishing Trip

Leeches and minnows and worms, oh my...

There is nothing better than a walleye fishing trip. Getting out on the water and fishing for the best tasting freshwater fish in North America is a terrific way to spend a day (or three).

As we described in a recent article, versatility is the key to catching walleye. The fish can be down right picky at times and the right lure and presentation is very important when it comes to catching walleye. The strategy for the fish often varies by location, season, time of day and weather conditions. In other words, you will often need a variety of options if you are going to maintain success.

Crank baits, jigs and spinners are all terrific tools to catch walleye. But remember, you need to practice a variety of strategies. Have a number of effective tactics in your back pocket and every walleye fishing trip will be one to remember.

To really entice the walleye to strike use bait that is as natural to their environment as possible. Leeches, nightcrawlers and minnows generally work better than any other bait around. When presented in the right fashion walleye can’t resist them.

The sight of a leech or worm dancing through the water is something most walleye simply can’t refuse. As your rig bounces past them at the bottom of the lake or river you want to make things look as real as possible. Remember, you are looking for the best presentation to maximize the bite.

A spinner rig with a worm or leech is a dynamite combination on a walleye fishing trip. Hook the leech or worm through the head on the “front hook” of your spinner rig (by the sucker on the leech, your guess is as good as anyone’s which is the head of the worm). Carefully stretch the bait and hook the lower end of their body on the last hook of the spinner rig.

Test your bait combination by dragging it beside you in the water. You want to make sure the bait doesn’t ball up. A walleye will usually ignore bait that has rolled into a ball. What you are looking for is for the spinner rig to run the leech or minnow relatively straight, giving it a swimming action.

When you’ve got the movement you want, add a splitshot about a foot and a half up the line to “get it down there”. This should get the bait and spinner to travel just off the bottom as you back-troll or drift. That’s right where you want to be. No matter where your walleye fishing trip takes you, you need to be on the bottom!

If you are in a jurisdiction that allows you to fish live minnows, you should really consider it. Remember, minnows are available to walleye as food year round. Because of this, live minnows often perform better than any other bait. But be careful, they can be tough to transport and are relatively fragile.

It is best to use a light rod with slow action when fishing a live minnow. It will give you a better feel for what is going on at the end of your line.

There are a handful of ways to put a live minnow on your hook. The first method is to hook the fish through both the lower and upper jaws as close to the lips as possible. This will give the minnow the ability to “swim” and provide action the walleye seem to love.

If the walleye are hitting light, you may want to move the hook up the body. Try bringing your hook through its back right in front of the top (or dorsal) fin. Take care to only pierce the skin. If you avoid the spine the fish will live longer and provide action that will draw a strike.

Lastly, if the fish are hitting really soft (and you feel like a surgeon), try drawing the fishing line through the mouth and out through the “anal escape” with a small needle. Once you have the line out, tie on your hook. Gently pull the hook close to the body to tighten up the presentation. For obvious reasons the minnow will not live as long, but this method gives you the ability for repeated casts. It also will make the walleye “commit to the bait” giving you a better chance to land them on those soft hitting days.

There are so many different places to catch walleye in Canada (and North America for that matter). It is the favorite game fish of many anglers because of the battle and spunk the walleye often exhibits. Oh, and by the way they taste excellent.

Do yourself a favor on your next walleye fishing trip. Make sure you have a variety of lures and bait. Do a little bit of homework and understand what the natural feed in your region is. Lastly match up your bait to your fishing tactics and get ready for a terrific time.

Thanks for reading.

Good fishing.

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