As surface temps begin to warm up, post spawn walleye start their decent to deeper water. A transitional period in which walleye can be found very scattered along slow tapering drops migrating to their summer areas. Once walleye have made it to their summer holes, they can be easily located in big numbers. This allows fishermen to effectively set up and jig over these big schools of walleye. However, the weeks leading up to this happening can leave fishermen in awe trying to figure out why they struggle to find numbers of fish. The truth is, during the migration from spawning areas to summer time holes, walleye are often very spread out over these areas, but still very willing to bite!
WHERE ARE THEY?
We have to cover ground and different depths while at the same time keeping our lures near the bottom. I know traditionally walleye fishermen would long line troll crank baits which is very effective when you’re covering a certain depth with long passes. During this time you have far too many depths to cover along with area. The best success I have had on many different lakes during this stage is on a 3-way rig with a shallow diving crank bait.
On several different lakes we have compared the size and number factor with this rigging vs. a spinner rig tipped with leeches, crawlers or minnows. None of these baits on a spinner rig could touch the production of the 3-way crank bait rig in size or numbers! There are many other times and situations this rig can be effective but this is the time it really shines! Before we get setup, lets remember how much more room we got in the boat without bait jugs and coolers? If you pack as much bait as my dad does you can probably bring a couple more friends now!
EQUIPMENT
I prefer seven foot and a half or eight and a half medium heavy rods and there are many reasons for this. If your rod is in the holder there’s a lot more absorption for strikes with very little slack from head shakes versus shorter rods. This also gives you the ability to make tighter turns in awkward hook setting positions simply allowing the walleye to load up the rod. You’re also covering a wider boat path keeping your lines further away from the boat which can be a huge factor if fish are “boat spooky”. A couple different starter options I use faithfully are the Okuma Deadeye Bottom bouncer 7 ft. 10 inch (6-20lb ½-30oz} and Shimano Clarus 8ft 6 medium/heavy fast action. Both extremely versatile for other situations as well, such as spinner rigging, slow death rigging and casting crank baits. These are also extremely light rods, which is important for long days trolling with this set up.
I strongly recommend the use of longer rods and believe once you get use to them you will never go back. I also like to use a smaller bait caster reel like the Shimano Curado or Citica series. These are super light reels with very smooth drags. If you prefer a spinning reel the 2500 Shimano Saros is a very nice reel with plenty of power for this application. I then spool my reels with 10 -15 lb. braid to the 3 way swivel. Using braid rather then mono or fluorocarbon allows you to make sure your crankbait is running properly and you haven’t picked up any debris. Having the combination of the long rod and braided line you can feel the tiniest weed on your lure.
Now from the swivel to your weight section you want to run 12 – 18 inches of 10 lb. fluorocarbon to a 2 oz. bell sinker. I ensure that this knot is very basic and not as strong as the line to your crank bait. It’s a lot cheaper to replace a bell sinker then a crank bait if you snag up. Finally from the 3-way swivel to your crank bait you want to run 3ft to 5 ft. leader of 10 – 15 lb fluorocarbon. I base my line size depending on abundance of pike in the area. My go to lures are the Bagley Minnow B and the Original Rapala. However, size and color will always vary depending on the prime forage in the lake. If you can match the size and color to the forage you have almost got it completely made! Then you simply let the walleye tell you what speed they want it at, which can vary on any given day.
SPEED/LOCATION
Slow tapering flats/drops adjacent to spawning areas and deep holes has been our best location. Shallow rocky shorelines are also over looked spawning areas that supply key transition spots adjacent to them. This is by far your highest percentage area hands down! While letting out your line, you want to make sure that after hitting bottom, you let out a little more line to maintain bottom contact with your bell sinker. I vary my speeds all day long from 1.2 to 2.2 mph always taking a note when getting a strike.
If you see a pattern in a certain speed, stick with it. I also like to keep the rod in my hand to give it little pulls and pauses to change speeds of the bait to entice followers to bite. While leaving it in the holder let the fish load it up before you pull it out to ensure you don’t loose the fish. This is a proven method that has also cashed cheques in walleye tournaments for myself and fellow fishermen I know very well. I hope you get a chance to work the transition areas in your favorite lakes with this application. A big fish method that just might break your personal best this summer on the lake!
Good luck and tight lines friends.