Walleye River Fishing

Your trophy is waiting

Walleye river fishing is a terrific way to land a trophy. The key to success on any river is mastering your drift. There is a bit more to it than simply pulling up anchor and letting the wind or current take you. If you can master controlling the speed of your drift, you can have success walleye fishing in Canada for a large part of the year.

There are a number of factors that go into walleye river fishing. The type of lure, the bait and location all play a significant part in your success. Understand the mix and it will help your success rate walleye fishing in Canada.

Get yourself a good map of the region. Talk to your fellow angler about strategies and locations. Use electronics if you can while out on the water to help locate reefs and humps. These three small tactics take very little time, and can help you produce better results while fishing.

Slip sinker rigs or jigs work well while drifting. Some of the favorite baits with these rigs vary from season to season. Generally speaking, leeches, minnows and nightcrawlers all have good success. Beef heart is another bait not to be overlooked.

Whatever you are using as live bait while river fishing in Canada, make sure you allow your bait “to move”. For the leech, a couple of hooks through the body close to one end will allow the leech to still “swim” with the rest of its body. This is an important key to get any walleye to strike.

The same strategy as the leech should be followed for a nightcrawler while walleye river fishing. The nightcrawler obviously cannot swim, but as you drift along, the water will cause the body to lightly flutter. Many walleye cannot resist this.

If the region you are fishing allows you to use live minnows go for it! There are 3 simple ways to rig them on your lure. Each way addresses a different level of aggression for the walleye. Take the hook and run it through the lower and top jaw of minnow’s mouth. This really gives the minnow the ability to “flutter” while on the end of your lure.

If the walleye are not hitting that hard, the next method is to move the hook back in the minnow’s body. Take the hook and run it into the mouth of the minnow and out the top of its “neck” just behind its skull. This will not let the walleye sneak away with your bait as they try to pull it off of your lure.

Lastly if they are really hitting light, take the hook through the mouth and bring it out of the upper back of the minnow. You will have to stay sharp if the fish are in this mood. Give them an extra couple of seconds to take the minnow. The lack of aggression on their part can cause a lot of “misses” on your part as you try to set the hook if you are too quick.

If the fish are indeed hitting light, there is a simple strategy. Open your reel and lightly hold the line with your index finger. As you feel a walleye take interest in your hook, let go of the line with your finger. Your line will go completely slack. But under the water you have stopped the “drift” of your bait and have made it easier for the walleye to take. After a couple of seconds, close your reel and you should see the slack in your line tighten. This is the moment to set your hook. Follow this strategy, and it will increase your success on those “light hitting days” while walleye river fishing in Canada.

Thanks for reading.

Good luck out there.

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