??? Not to sound like a dummy but does anyone have any tips or advice on fishing for walleye? I had heard that they are night feeders so the best time to fish for them is at night, but then heard it didn't matter. Also that they tend to feed near shore in the evening, and go deep in the daytime because they have sensitive eyes, that they like blue gill and to set my line like i would for cat fish on the bottom. So i tried all that but all i caught were catfish. duh? ha !
tips on walleye
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Im not sure how helpfull this will be but im heading down to the Walleye expo this weekend. May learn some stuff your self:
http://www.cwaonline.net/all_eyes_expo.htm
-Jay
http://www.cwaonline.net/all_eyes_expo.htm
-Jay
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6,546 Posts
Those are all good tips!
Don't believe all the night time only stuff! Walleye's do feed at night yes! Because they have a sight advantage! But they also can be very shallow around weeds and rocks in broad daylight. Try to fish wherever the wind is blowing into.
I fish half the time from shore and still catch lots of walleye. Pick a couple of lakes and learn them well!
Also try swimming grubs and shad style soft plastics in shallow water. It works and you won't lose all your expensive cranks on the rocks.
I have replaced most of my 3" grubs with 4" and 5" grubs. I reel them just slow enough to keep them off the bottom but keep the tail moving. Get some Power Grubs, Kalin Grubs and some Storm 3" and 4" Swim Shads.
It also helps alot if you use quality jigs! Goto Gopher tackle.com and order abunch of the Mushroom heads that are poured on Owner wide gaps. Get 3/32, and 1/8 heads. You will rarely ever miss a strike!
Don't believe all the night time only stuff! Walleye's do feed at night yes! Because they have a sight advantage! But they also can be very shallow around weeds and rocks in broad daylight. Try to fish wherever the wind is blowing into.
I fish half the time from shore and still catch lots of walleye. Pick a couple of lakes and learn them well!
Also try swimming grubs and shad style soft plastics in shallow water. It works and you won't lose all your expensive cranks on the rocks.
I have replaced most of my 3" grubs with 4" and 5" grubs. I reel them just slow enough to keep them off the bottom but keep the tail moving. Get some Power Grubs, Kalin Grubs and some Storm 3" and 4" Swim Shads.
It also helps alot if you use quality jigs! Goto Gopher tackle.com and order abunch of the Mushroom heads that are poured on Owner wide gaps. Get 3/32, and 1/8 heads. You will rarely ever miss a strike!
Hey thanks for all the tips! I saved all the web site links you suggested Ken into my favorites so i can go check them out after i get off here. Thank You! Yes i do have a lot to learn. ;D And i wrote down all the tackle that you suggested Neal, and the Gopher tackle.com site so i can go there. I havn't used a lot of artificial bait, not really sure how to use most of it properly so have stuck to live bait mostly, but i need to learn how to use the artificial baits too. I know i won't be going to the Walleye Expo, not this year anyway but thanks anyhow Jay. I appreciate all your tips here. Koni
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Walleyes will surprise you, I have caught several walleye in shallow water during broad daylight in earlier summer. Now is a great time to get on the water for walleye, they should be staging for the prespawn and hungry. As the water temp approaches the low 40's they will feed well, because they spawn at around 45-50 degrees. I found that a slow presentation works well in this cold water and the hits are soft.
Dan
Dan
I go to Canada every year fishing for walleye. And I have learned so many different tips. I have caught them in the middle of the day as well as at night. The best that I have found that works for mr is a 1/4 ounce jig with a minnow on it. Cast it out and retrieve it a t a slow jerky pace. with a slow stop every few seconds. I have very rarely failed to catch walley at Chatfield this way. Now if some one would tell me how to catch the ones over 18 inches I would really be happy.
Thanks I have lived in Colorado my whole life, In fact I use to fish the Hall sand and gravel sand pits where Chatfield is now located. I spent a lot of time down there when the town was down there. My family grew up in the Littleton, Highlands Ranch area. If any one wants to know any history of Colorado I am thrilled to talk about. I have fished Chatfield ever since it was built. I hear many stories of how no one catches any fish out of it, but I seem to have luck every time I am there, Nothing to brag about but I have fun.
Walleye Lovers should try Boulder Reservoir.
I'm not much of a walleye fisherman, but I know this lake has plenty of walleye.
I had a walleye specific outting last spring from shore right at the inlet. To be specific, I used a half of a nightcrawler on a size 6 hook about 8 inches below a split shot sinker. Toss the worm into the current of the inlet, let it drag all the way out to where the current is weak enough that the worm hits bottom and slowly jig the half worm home. Only caught a few but two were over 18 inches and those two hit the skillet. Other fisherman who were doing the same thing were using minnows too. This lake only sees a small amount of pressure during the colder months.
During other times while catfishing, I always see boaters and bellyboaters catching walleye at Boulder. Seen some hefty ones too. Made me jealous!!
I'm not much of a walleye fisherman, but I know this lake has plenty of walleye.
I had a walleye specific outting last spring from shore right at the inlet. To be specific, I used a half of a nightcrawler on a size 6 hook about 8 inches below a split shot sinker. Toss the worm into the current of the inlet, let it drag all the way out to where the current is weak enough that the worm hits bottom and slowly jig the half worm home. Only caught a few but two were over 18 inches and those two hit the skillet. Other fisherman who were doing the same thing were using minnows too. This lake only sees a small amount of pressure during the colder months.
During other times while catfishing, I always see boaters and bellyboaters catching walleye at Boulder. Seen some hefty ones too. Made me jealous!!
G
Guest
·Hey there...IF you are serious about catching eyes, then get serious about understanding bait.
Walleyes are no mystery. They will always be found where the bait is. Wind is a major help in most western reserviors. If you are bank fishing, it is tough to do, but you would want to have the wind blowing AT you, and then cast beyond the foam line with 3-5 inch grubs on leadhed jigheads...use the lightes thing you can pitch out there, and still maintain contact with the bottom...keep the line tight, even on the drop...watching for any ticks or movement of the LINE...they are sneaky little critters...
You will feel the lightest strike you can imagine..if ANYTHING...sometimes the rod just feels a bit heavy...Keep the line tight and the rod slightly bent, and you are close to the finest dinner you could have!
This surely isn't the ONLY way to do it, but it is a very PRODUCTIVE way to get into lots of fish at once...that and casting husky jerks and rs-7 shad repas off the dm of these reservoirs at night...GREAT chance at a BIG fish. I usually don't get into the numbers of fish at night, but the SIZE can be amazing!
Stay in touch, and maybe we can go out sometime...
Walleyes are no mystery. They will always be found where the bait is. Wind is a major help in most western reserviors. If you are bank fishing, it is tough to do, but you would want to have the wind blowing AT you, and then cast beyond the foam line with 3-5 inch grubs on leadhed jigheads...use the lightes thing you can pitch out there, and still maintain contact with the bottom...keep the line tight, even on the drop...watching for any ticks or movement of the LINE...they are sneaky little critters...
You will feel the lightest strike you can imagine..if ANYTHING...sometimes the rod just feels a bit heavy...Keep the line tight and the rod slightly bent, and you are close to the finest dinner you could have!
This surely isn't the ONLY way to do it, but it is a very PRODUCTIVE way to get into lots of fish at once...that and casting husky jerks and rs-7 shad repas off the dm of these reservoirs at night...GREAT chance at a BIG fish. I usually don't get into the numbers of fish at night, but the SIZE can be amazing!
Stay in touch, and maybe we can go out sometime...
G
Guest
·You probably WERE feeling some eyes!
A small suggestion...instead of "setting the hook", as soon as you feel that small tug, just lift the rod so you take some slack out of the line, and start reeling a touch faster-keeping the line tight until you get some bend in the rod tip...never really setting the hook like you might for a bass or a trout.
I burnt through about 2 dozen leeches, and missed at LEAST as many fish before I got my first one, but the GOOD NEWS is that after you get ONE, you WILL get MANY MORE and it will seem REALLY EASY>
Another little hint....when you find ONE eye, you found HUNDREDS...they stack on top of each other like rats in a sewer!
Stay on 'em!
A small suggestion...instead of "setting the hook", as soon as you feel that small tug, just lift the rod so you take some slack out of the line, and start reeling a touch faster-keeping the line tight until you get some bend in the rod tip...never really setting the hook like you might for a bass or a trout.
I burnt through about 2 dozen leeches, and missed at LEAST as many fish before I got my first one, but the GOOD NEWS is that after you get ONE, you WILL get MANY MORE and it will seem REALLY EASY>
Another little hint....when you find ONE eye, you found HUNDREDS...they stack on top of each other like rats in a sewer!
Stay on 'em!
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Like mentioned, I like to use 4-5" curly tail grubs in crawfish color because that is their only forage in the lake I fish. I also like to use 3/8 oz buckshot rattlespoons. Cast them out, sink them to the bottom, rip the rod to the side, let it sink right near bottom and jiggle the rodtip. Let it sink to bottom, rip the rod a bit to the side (adjust this part based on how active the fish are, this is the attractor because it rattles and the jiggle is the thing that makes them strike). Repeat, repeat. This works very well.
During night and early morning, I'm talking like 3-4 in the morning, I had great success ripping poppers parallel to the bank in a shallow cove that led to deep water. I caught 9 in about an hour. This was late october last year, and I definitely want to try that again this year.
During night and early morning, I'm talking like 3-4 in the morning, I had great success ripping poppers parallel to the bank in a shallow cove that led to deep water. I caught 9 in about an hour. This was late october last year, and I definitely want to try that again this year.
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I don't use a light, and as for moon phase, yes it is important. The new moon is when you catch the fewest, but they tend to be the biggest ones.
G
Guest
·Grumpa...watch out with the lights! You'll scare the fish! They are right up in the shallows sometimes in as little as a few inches of water! If you are on the bank, NO LIGHTS! If you are on a boat, use something that has NO BEAM or if it does have a beam, diffuse it by plaicng something over it, like nylon or something....careful, careful!
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