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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
Western and Central Basin Charters
 (419) 569-3100
E-Mail: captaintroy@eriesfuture.com
Website: http://www.eriesfuture.com