|
Over the winter months I have traveled the
country teaching and instructing on walleye techniques that revolve
around improving ones program. Every seminar is prepared with the
hopes of being entertaining and educational. No holds barred, we give
it our all.
Whether attending the show or as the
instructor, there comes a point when we become tired of listening or
teaching and we have had enough of
“Talking the Talk” so to speak!
As winter has taken her toll on all of us,
including ‘eyes, she is also starting to lose her punch! Walleyes
have spent the winter in deep flats off humps and reefs, sluggish and
buying their time, but now there is something else happening to those
fish. Day light is growing longer; water temps in rivers are starting
to rise with late winter floods. These floods are producing ice
breaking surges of water into main lakes. The sun light is beginning
to offer warm rays and the promise of a nearing spring. Now we are
entertaining thoughts of infamous Walleye runs on Lake Erie’s Maumee
and Sandusky Rivers among others. What we tend to overlook, however,
is the pre-spawn season and every year we catch ourselves saying, “
Next year“.
Walleye begin to stage at the mouths of
creeks, rivers and main lake humps. Water temps are still too cold to
make a run but they are rising. It‘s time for the next show to begin.
Just as the fall pattern produced trophy - size fish feeding for
winter, the new goal is to store the energy for the spawn.
It’s Ice Out! The ‘eyes are now the ones on
the stage, prepared to put on a show and teach us some new tricks.
During Ice Out, you need to look for water
that is around 40 degrees. Start your search for concentrations of
walleye off the edges of shallow water, shallow being 8-15 feet in
depth, adjacent to deeper water that is 20-30 feet in depth. Keeping
in mind that shallow is a term that will be relevant to overall lake
depth. Small reservoirs may not have the inlet streams and notorious
humps. In that case, look toward the north sides of the lake or
around pump stations where water is being pumped in from local rivers,
producing changes in the local water environment. These can often be
honey holes, however, the time frame can be short.
Look for drops on the main lakes. In
rivers, look for deeper holes and eddies near shallow, current - laden
structures. You will find the toothy critters as they feed on bait
fish that have found oxygen - filled water and are taking a break from
the currents. In the murky depths of these drops and holes will be
the cure to our winter blues!
In terms of a presentation there is an old
saying; “Keep it simple”. Start with a vertical jig presentation
because these fish are not aggressive enough to be chasing anything.
Your jig needs to be heavy enough to fight winds and currents and
remain vertical. Round head jigs with long hook shanks are best in
the vertical presentation. A long shank jig with small diameter hooks
leads to good hook sets without much effort. You also want to be as
light as possible and still maintain your presentation so that it can
be sucked in without much effort, often achieved with 1/8 to 3/8 ounce
jigs. Tip them off with minnows, and work every angle off that hump
before you move on. Spool light lines for jigs, 8-10 pound
monofilament, is ideal. Another top pick is a Blade presentation from
Luhr Jensen’s Ripple Tail or similar choices. You want that blade to
fall slowly, so a good 20 - pound monofilament such as Bass Pro
Shops, Premium Excel, in a low vis green is preferred. If
you stay light, go with a 20” leader and then the blade. With a blade
you can feel the action. “Thump, Thump, Thump” is the feel you are
looking for. If your feeling more than a few thumps as you raise the
rod tip you’re working too hard. Short moderate raps are the key.
Allow it to free fall and imagine the imitation of an injured shad.
Keep a grip on the rod. When they hit it, there will be no
question…”FISH ON”
The weather is still cold and wet, but the
payoff here is heavy action and trophies swollen with eggs. It is
time to get off the couch, shake the dust off that rod and “walk the
talk” for staging walleye.
Captain Troy Young
Erie’s Future Charters
For the best
in hunting whitetails....
I mentioned making a living in the outdoors....and that I do.
Visit some of the best Whitetail Deer hunting in some of the most
picturesque landscape known to man!
Come Visit us for a Hunt of a Lifetime at
Kentucky Whitetail
Outfitters. |
