06/14/2000
- Article
The
Reason for the Presentation
By
Norb Wallock and Rick Olson
A
question that comes up a lot is, why use that particular
presentation? Why jig
instead of troll? Why
spinners instead of crankbaits?
What is the reason for the presentation?
The
first thing we take into consideration is, what conditions do we
find the walleyes in. Are
they shallow or deep? Spread
out or concentrated? Are
they in a negative or a feeding mood?
Answer these questions and you can sharpen the focus.
There are definitely better techniques for the different
situations.
If
the fish are shallow we’re going to get the bait away from the
boat. If we’re
running a live-bait rig we don’t present it vertically, but run it
out 50 or 60-feet behind the boat.
If we’re jigging we’re going to cast the lure to get it
out away from the boat.
If
the fish are deep we can take a more vertical approach and use
heavier sinkers or jigs. Sonars
become a very important factor when chasing deep fish because now
you can easily spot the fish and the forage and target those areas.
If
the fish are spread out we will incorporate techniques that allow us
to cover some water and target fish that are here and there. We might use a heavy bottom bouncer and spinner setup or
troll crankbaits.
If
the fish are concentrated on deep structure a vertical jigging
approach is the best option or consider a live-bait rig with a heavy
sinker positioned right under the boat.
Boat control is going to become a factor when targeting
concentrated fish. If it’s too windy to maintain position with your gas or
electric motors then you will have to anchor.
When anchoring then another option becomes available and that
is incorporating a slip-bobber.
If
the fish are negative then finesse techniques are the direction we
go. The slip-bobber we
just mentioned is an excellent technique for negative fish.
You can position the boat, make it stationary with anchors
and dangle a bait in front of the fish until one gets hungry and
commits.
Live-bait
rigs are a great finesse presentation.
Once again you can hang a bait in front of the fish.
With the rig you can move slowly and work around and through
a spot. You have a
little more mobility that you would with the anchor and bobber
technique.
If
the fish are scattered and negative the bottom bouncer is an
excellent choice. Instead
of adding a spinner use a plain hook, and a leech or nightcrawler.
The extra weight of the bottom bouncer lets you move around
at a faster clip and keep the bait near the bottom where the fish
are.
Feeding
fish allow you to become more aggressive in your approach.
Bigger blades on the bottom bouncer/spinner rigs.
Instead of live bait tip your jig or nightcrawler harness
with a plastic grub body or an auger-tail worm.
Trolling or casting crankbaits works great when the fish are
biting. Troll if the
fish are scattered and cast if you want to strain an area.
Once
you have answered the initial questions and have discovered which
techniques to incorporate into the program then it’s time to
fine-tune the approach. When
jigging you can experiment with color and size.
Try a stand-up head instead of a ball-style jig head.
Use a bucktail, or hair jig instead of one with a rubber
body.
When
live-bait rigging the snell length is worth experimenting with.
On waters that have pressured walleyes or real clear water
extend the length of the snell to six or eight feet.
When fish are tight to bottom and concentrated then run a
shorter snell.
With
crankbaits you can really fine-tune your presentation.
There are so many body styles, actions, colors, and sizes of
crankbaits your options become endless.
Remember a few rules of thumb and start there.
Dirty
water, shiny lures. Use
real silver-plated lures to ensure flash and don’t be afraid to
step up a size to create a bigger target.
In
clear water match the hatch. If
the fish are foraging on shiners use a silver body/black back. If it’s a perch forage base use a firetiger pattern.
Make
sure your crankbait is diving deep enough.
A mistake a lot of anglers make is the bait isn’t getting
into the fish. Know
where that bait is running and make sure the fish are seeing it.
There
is always a reason we choose a particular presentation.
It’s not because we just like fishing a jig or a rig or a
crankbait. The reason
we pick a presentation is because that’s what’s going to catch
fish under the conditions we’re presented with.
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