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6/07/2001
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Article/Press
Release
Secrets
to summer walleyes
by Ron Anlauf
 Summer
walleye fishing can be a little tough, but it doesn’t have to be
that way. The key is understanding how warming water temperatures
and a changing environment can effect walleye location, and activity
levels. A walleye’s environment is one that is constantly
changing, with walleyes reacting accordingly. To stay with the fish,
anglers need to be willing to change how and where they fish for
walleyes, and keep an open mind. Doing the same things in the same
places, time after time, will probably yield less than satisfactory
results.
Photo:
The author went deep for this summer walleye
As
walleyes vacate early season hideouts, in favor of deeper summer
haunts, there’s a period of time when fish are in transition. When
there aren’t that many fish shallow, and there aren’t that many
deep, fishing can be a bit sporadic.
However,
as more and more fish show up at their new “home for the
summer“, the action can only get better. With an increase in
numbers, your chances for finding a few active ones greatly
increases. Walleyes don’t all do the same thing at the same time,
and when it comes to feeding movements, it’s like they take turns.
Some will be totally inactive, some may be starting to stir a little
but won’t move far to take a bait, and others may be extremely
aggressive and willing to take just about anything you put in front
of them. Those are the traitors that can give up a schools identity,
and location.
Summer
location can include deep, offshore structure, like sunken islands,
bars and humps. Look for structures that have most of their mass
above the thermocline. Structure that is too deep will see little
walleye activity, if any, until after the fall turnover.
Larger
structures will often out produce the smaller ones, simply because
they can offer more feeding opportunities for ‘eyes on the prowl.
However smaller ones can be easier to fish, because of their
simplicity. There’s only so many places they can hide. You can
quickly check the top, sides, and the base of the break, with a good
graph, like the Raymarine L750. The L750 provides incredible
definition, and has a white line feature that allows the user to
identify fish that are holding tight to the bottom. If they’re
there, go ahead and fish, if not, it’s time to move on.
Larger
structures will require you to spend more time watching your
electronics, and less time fishing. Walleyes can be anywhere, and it
doesn’t pay to fish where they’re not. To find them, you can
save some time by cruising the entire structure, making note of
where you saw the largest concentrations. In that situation, a
Global Positioning System can be a huge asset, as concentrations can
be marked with an icon, allowing you to return after your search is
completed. The Raymarine 425 is a GPS that possesses the new W.A.S.S.
capabilities, and is accurate to within nine feet, which can help
get you back to an exact spot. Another option is dropping a marker
which can be a good idea, and will help keep you oriented with the
area you’re fishing.
One
of the best places to start your search, is near a break line that
drops quickly into deeper water. The top of deep structure can play
host to perch, baitfish, insects and crayfish. Active walleyes will
often be found cruising the top edge of a break, where they can
quickly move up to grab a bite to eat.
Another
place to find summer ’eyes, that is often overlooked, is the
transition line where hard bottom meets soft. Where gravel or rock
changes to mud or silt, a transition line is created, and can
concentrate fish. Transition line fish see little attention by most
anglers, and can be one your best bets for a shot at a real hawg.
Once
you’ve found a potential area, and have marked at least a few
fish, it’s time to get down to business. The
early season presentations of rigging and jigging may still produce,
but quicker methods, like trolling spinners, really start to pickup.
Rising water temps can push a walleye’s metabolism to the boiling
point, and increase the chances that he’ll react to a speedier
technique.
One
of the top summer producers, is a spinner and live bait combo.
Spinners possess an element of speed, and it’s the speed that can
often nail walleyes with a bad attitude. To get a spinner in the
“zone”, it’s hard to beat a spinner and bottom bouncer
combination. A bouncer can get a bait where you want it, and run
relatively snag free. Bouncers in the two to three ounce range are
the ticket, and allow the user to keep the bait close to the boat.
By keeping it close, you can react to sudden depth changes. You can
also lift the bait off the bottom, to get it in front of any high
riding fish that you mark on your depthfinder. If you see a fish
riding high of the bottom, try to lift the bait to the same level.
Walleyes tend to feed up, and by lifting your bait up, you increase
the odds that he’ll take your offering.
You’ll
want to keep the spinner snell short, let’s say three feet or
less. Longer snells allow for more drop, and result in more snags.
The odds on favorite bait for dressing a spinner rig, is a big fat
juicy night crawler. However leeches can be effective at times, and
minnows can turn late summer ’eyes when nothing else will.
One
thing to keep in mind in your quest for mid summer ’eyes, is the
fact that walleyes continue to feed, and do so more heavily than at
any other time of the year. The key is to find them, and then find
out what they want. Quite often, what they want is something with a
little speed. Think about it, not only does a walleye’s metabolism
increase, but so does it’s prey. Everything is moving at a faster
pace, and it’s a fast paced world we’re living in. See you on
the water.
Ron
Anlauf
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