weed walleyes

[Guest]

Looking for advice on how to catch them other than longlining the tops at night.
They are shallow,7 foot max, and grow within 1-3 feet of the surface. They are'nt cabbage weeds, I think coontail. Pockets are few and difficult to spot. What about rip jigging? What would be the best jig, type and size, as well as the best grub to use? Any other techniques? TIA

[Pherris]

Rip jigging can be a very effective approach if you do not mind the hassle of getting fouled up. The more you do it the better you will get a snapping it so the jig gets through the weeds rather than getting hung up. An interesting bit of information is that in stocked lakes Walleyes will be more weed related than rock because in the DNR rearing ponds the only cover for the fry is weeds so in effect they are "raised" from an early age to relate to weeds as a safe haven and feeding ambush point. I have also found that pulling a spinner rig at the weed edge at low light periods to be really effective. These are some of the tactics that I have found to be effective for weed walleyes. I am sure others on the forum will be able to provide other tips as well. Good Luck!!

[Mark Christianson]

This sounds a lot like Big Sandy Lake in Aitkin county.
Last year the DNR had a guy doing creel surveys and interviews on the lake for most of the summer.
I talked to him for a long time one afternoon, and he clued me on the hot walleye technique out there.
1/4 or 3/8 oz yellow jighead, and a white grub, with a spinner(beetle spin type), fishing right along the deep weed edge(which is only about 5 to 6 feet max).
He said that was hands down the best walleye presentation for the lake.
Can't say I have ever heard that before, but you know what? It worked. The other fun part is that you get pike nailing it as well. Chances are good that your lake is probably not like Big Sandy, but maybe it is.
I have not tried that method this year yet, but I have only been up there once.

[mistermom]

The twister beetle spin combo works on weed walleyes on any lake. I've personally caught many nice walleyes on Goose (up by Rush City) and Rice (just upstream from Koronis) using that method.

mm

[Dano2]

How do i rig this type of rig up?

Do you tip the jig with anything or just plain plasctic?

Are you slow trolling with it?

thanks

[Mark Christianson]

Casting it into the weed edge and bring it out. I did not have minnows when we used it.

Fatheads I am sure cant be a bad thing.

[Guest]

Since this is sort of related, I'm posting it...

My whole life I was taught that if you want to find walleyes, you need a rocky/sandy bottom in 10-25 feet of water, depending on time of day, season, etc, and to fish the drop offs/reef edges/etc.

So then I read the In-Fisherman book "Walleye Wisdom" and I was surprised to learn that most walleyes spend their time in the weeds - up to 70% of the time in fact.

And stocked walleye spend even MORE time in the weeds - I don't recall the numbers off of my head, but they put radio transmitters on a bunch of walleyes and tracked them - the results of where they spent most of their time went against all traditional wisdom.

[MJP]

The best way I have found is to use a Phelps Weedless Floater with a split shot above it and just drag it through the weeds slowly. The next best ways are to either use a light jig and work it over the weed top or slip bobber with a light jig. I usually use an 1/8 oz, but you can go smaller. Good luck to you.

MJP

[Surface Tension]

I find this situation on Rice lake near Duluth. Going over the tops of the weeds isn't the best presentation. Find an opening or alley between two weed beds and slip bob them with a leech. Leech's are what these eyes are slurping up out of the weeds. Besides cover, these weeds give off oxygen. At these shallow depths these eyes are in very warm water and need the feed to match their metabolism. Being so shallow cold fronts and unstable weather can really shut them down. So abandon theres areas in those conditions and look for deeper water that is more stable.

[tjwierz2]

I spent a lot of time on one of my favorite lakes west of brainerd with an Aqua-Vu. I would occasionaly see walleyes on some sand flats...but by far the best action was around the weededge...deep weededge around 17 feet. The fish were occasionally IN the weeds...but most often they would hang, say 10 feet just off the weededge. Caught most of my walleyes in there trolling a 1/4 oz jighead with redtail chubs. If you can find deep weeds, you will find walleyes

[JohnO]

I've had great luck on weededge walleyes using a weight forward spinner(erie dearie, Mepp's spinflex) with a chunk of crawler. Just count it down, then slow roll it parallel to the weedline.

[mistermom]

Hey JohnO!
I can't remember which pro it was; but Perry Good or one of those MN guys talked about doing the same thing. I forgot about it; but now I'm going to try and remember to give it a try. It shold work great.

mm

[EBass]

Not that I'm a walter chaser, but last night on Medicine I caught and released a 22.5" walter. And as mentioned before it was just off the weed edge and 8-10ft in coon tail clumps. However, I was using a crank bait. Also had a really big bass on but spit the crank out - DANG.

[Guest]

The body of water in question is a Ohio flatland res around 8,000 acres. It is stocked with no significant natural reproducton. It has little pronounced structure except the river channel although it's loaded with wood. I had been doing real well on cranks, Hot n Tots and Little N's, but the crank bite died after about the Fourth. Jigs and rigs are a bust also. This happens every year. Mid summer and mid winter are always real tough. There are few weeds due to off colored water. There is one patch in the lower end where the water is a bit clearer that is about 3 or 4 hundred feet square. It is connected to the channel drop by a submerged logjam. It looks like spinners around the edge get the most votes and I plan to try them as soon as we get some stable weather. The pressure has dropped off quite a bit due to the tough bite. There are still a few crankers and riggers working the channel and flats with little or no success. I've yet to see anybody working the weeds. I let you know what happens. I appreciate the advice yet I'm still open to all suggestions.

[Rick]

esox,
a lot of good answers from FishingMn folks. Hope we get some more.

Please keep us posted on your results.

Thanks

[Guest]

Esoxlucius,
I would kick myself if I do not respond to you need for a weed-walleye "wonder lure".
If not the best, I consider my Walleye Willospoon slow dirfted or trolled real slow... one of my favorite weed walleye lures.
Willospoons have live bait, wobble like a crank-bait, and ride "up" on the retrieve.
Drifted or trolled at a steady rate, they wobble and flash and stay at the same depth steady, only feet below the surface.

Walleye's hit this and are screwed... they are real light and have a pivioting hook, that they can not spit, they suck in your live bait (1/4 of a crawler or a leech, or minnow head) and turn... setting the hook. All you need to do is set your drift or troll so you are not kissing the weeds. Dead stick your rod and wait to reel in a fish. If you are quiet and drifting... you may be only 20 to 30 feet behind the boat in two feet of water above the weeds!
Placing the rod in a holder verticle allows you to go farther behind the boat at the same speed.
Here is my "propaganda" on the Walleye Willospoon...

Willospoon Article
- Dave Hoggard
I created the Walleye Willospoon as an ice fisning lure. It does work great when ice fishing with it's slow fluttering fall, fantastic flash, and darting action. It darts and dances when "popped" and "snapped" on a virticle rerteve. When suspended motionless, then snapped upward with the rod-tip... the lure does an "injured minnow dance" that can not be resisted by gamefish.

I have found that the Walleye Willospoon really does it's best action on a slip-bobber. The spoon is so light... and flutters so fast (on such a short fall lingth... only an inch is needed to begin a flutter where many inches are required by some heavier spoons) that every wave that makes the bobber rise and fall....and makes the lure just come "alive". Having a one inch long piece of crawler on the hook or a minnow head makes the slip-bobber & Willospoon combo absolutely deadly... and the effect works at any depth with the slip-bobber's depth setting easily changed.

I have also found the lure very effective when trolled behind a three-way rig or bottom-bouncer. Behind a three-way rig, the Walleye Willospoon's cupped design actually planes the lure upward and provides for a woobble action (much as a crankbait) with a side to side wobble. You would think that with increased speed, it would spin in circle... but nope... it just wobbles faster side to side. Then, when you drop slack to the rod or cause the rig to stop forward motion, the Willospoon falls with a tight flutter action. The wobble...flutter... then wobble...action is unique. The attraction of this wobble & flutter action is even more effective than crankbaits due to the fact that there is a bit of LIVE BAIT attached to the hook. This live bait gives the addition of a natural food appearance look, natural smell / taste, and a live bait texture. Those are some attractors that you do not get from crankbaits.

Another thing going for Walleye Willospoon is the fact that they are extremely light and are able to be "sucked-in" when the walleye bites and flares water out its gills... they are just eaiser to swallow than a jig with live bait... this is also the same effect when fishing crappies and bass... they just inhale the Willospoon and do not feel any weight. With the hook eye being extra large, the hook pivots on the split-ring allowing the live bait portion to be "sucked-in" even eaiser. and this allows for deeper hooksets. Even though they are deep hooking, Willospoons are eaisly removed, because you can hold on the spoon / blade eaisly with your fingers. This same design make it harder for northern to bite you off... Willospoons have more lingth and metal before the knot than a standard jig head.

On www.catch-n.com you will find a Glow Willospoon Kit. The glow-in-the dark Walleye Willospoon is rare at the least, and very hard to find in in any retail outlets. These Glow Walleye Willospoons are one of the most effective perch and walleye night fishing lures I have ever used. The glow attraction of this fluttering spoon is so deadly that perch even hit it BETTER at night than in the daylight!

Most outstanding fact about the Willospoon, is that it is the best lure choice you can tie on to a kid's fishing line. Willospoons catch ever type of fish in the water and hold on to live bait better than a plain hook. Why? Fish have a very hard time pecking bait from the pivoting hook... and tend to just suck it in.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

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Fishermen are catch-n on[/b
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[This message has been edited by Catch'n (edited 07-24-2003).]

[Dano2]

which size do you prefer for wallys?

I cant decide if I should get the kit with the 5 large and 5 small, or the 5 small and 5 for panfish.

i do crappy fish as well, but am thinking I would like the bigger ones for the wallys.

how do these stand up to the angel eyes?

thnaks

P.S. Has anyone tried their glow devils at all during the open water months?

[This message has been edited by Dano2 (edited 07-24-2003).]

[Guest]

I use the larger Walleye Willospoons for Walleyes. Smaller Walleye Willospoons, I use in winter for Walleye and Crappie in open water.
Panfish ones... I use for Sunnies & Perch.
Remember to sharpen your hooks!
Even though these are quality Mustad hooks, I sharpen them up some more so... there is NO ESCAPE. Walleye that touches these has had it!
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

------------------
Fishermen are catch-n on[/b
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[ghotierman]

Our guys have discovered jig-worming for bass in thick cabbage will also pull the 'eyes from the same structure. a small mushroom head jig and a plastic worm or centipede (6" or so) pitched to any opening in the canopy then bounced down the stalks...similar to the beetle spin mentioned earlier, i suspect.

let us know how you do...

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Alexandria Outfitters
915 Hwy 29 N NE
Alexandria, MN 56308
(320) 763-9598

[honker23]

I've spent a lot of time fishing southern mn shallow weedy lakes and some of the best fishing we had was slip bobbering at night. If there is a REALLY thick straight weedline with no pockets, make your own. During the middle of the day back your motor into the edge and grind up a pocket (10' x 10'), mark it , the return with slipbobbers and leeches at night. The fish follow the edge hit the pocket and your bait. The only real "trick" I have been successful with. The beetle spin thin works too.