methods for fishing crawlers

[PFUNK]

I would like to hear the different ways all of you like to fish with crawlers for walleye. Aside from pulling crawlers on lindy rigs, which I know there are countless approaches to, I am wondering what other methods you like to use like split shot fishing or fishing them on a jig. Are there times that you have found these alternative methods useful. I should add that this will be used on natural lakes, as I do not fish rivers often. Thanks for any input.

[goblueM]

ever read Nightcrawler Secrets? if not find a copy and get it, its a classic

Check out this link in the meantime

[edited - please review forum policy - thank you]

I fish whole crawlers on light line (6 lb) and the smallest split shot I can get away with.

Sometimes i'll use a slip sinker rig, just a straight leadhead

[PerchJerker]

There's something called a mayfly rig --- it's basically a single spinner blade and 1 or 2 beads, with a single hook and a half crawler. Can be good when the fish are feeding on bugs and taking smaller baits.

Speaking of half crawlers -- there's also the Slow Death hook.

And lots of open water trollers pull crawler harnesses with BIG blades behind planer boards, up in the water column and not right on the bottom.

Hope that helps a bit.

[Het]

On one of these, behind an inline weight, trolled at one mph.

[tunrevir]

A trick I use is to put a small piece of crawler on the rear trebel of the crank I am trolling. If it is a stick bait a small piece on the middle trebel. Kills the action a little but can be very effective when pulled at slow speeds when the fish are finicky. Another way I like to fish with cralwers, on a split shot rig, is to dress the line with a bit of flyline floatant to keep the crawler up off the bottom a bit.

Tunrevir~

[PFUNK]

Thnaks for the tips guys. All sound very interesting. I will have to get a copy of the nightcrawler secrets book for sure. In the meantime I will have to whip up a batch of those "super crawlers" they were talking about.

Tunrevir... I like the idea of the flyline floatant. Do you also inject the worm with air then?

[tunrevir]

I usally add a small bubble of air but have fished half crawlers sans air and did fine that way as well. Good luck out there!

Tunrevir~