Plastics for walleyes

[gspman]

Hi folks,
I've noticed in the past on the river forums that people oftentimes use plastic ringworm baits instead of live bait for walleyes. Will something like this work on a lake or is this more of specific river thing? If so why does it only work on rivers? Is there forage that this mimicks? Is it because the walleye has to make a quicker decision in a river and the ring worm is just enough to fool them? Any other ideas?

Thanks
gspman

[Navigator]

Good question and your right alot of attention is given to plastics in the river forums.

Snap jiggin' plastics on lakes have worked for me when the eyes' are active and in less than 10' of water. I can think of at least a dozen lakes in central MN that have produced for me. Under certain conditions they out produce livebait...often I am switching between casting plugs and pitchin' soft plastics. Hmmm...think windy conditions...enough said. Nav

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Jon Navratil
Navigator Guide Service
www.naviguides.com
Central MN rivers & lakes

[WaveWacker]

gspman...I have begun using plastics for walleyes on MN lakes a couple of years ago with success. Mainly a worm rig on a jig-head or a swim type bait (minnow) and working them in the mid-summer in the weeds on top of mid lake humps (or long extended points). It can be a very fun way to fish as you pick up bonus northerns and some lunker sized bass as well. It does feel weird starting out for the first time but once you put a couple of eyes in the boat that feeling goes away.

[Guest]

GSPMan,

I use Berkley Power Grubs on a 1/16-1/8 oz. Jig as soon as the Cabbage weeds are mature.

I use 6lb line and the jig, cast along the outside edge of the weed line and "rip" the jig off the cabbage when it hangs on the drop--it's deadly for 'Eyes, Snoots and Bass

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Chells

[Guest]

GSPMAN,
I have used "plastics" for walleyes on rivers and lakes for years. Mostly twister tails and shad bodies... way back... and lately been using larger grub bodies (kalen's)& ringworms.
Yep, more guys using plastics now on the rivers... and I too think it is from the "fast bite" syndrome that the walleye / saugers have in nabbing faster moving baits in moving water.
I began to try ringworms on the lakes two years ago. When the bite is on, you can get lake walleyes on ringworms! This happend to me on a weedline on Tetonka one evening... the walleyes were snapping ringies right at the boat. The conditions must have been just right, sun going down, and they were chasing baits. Still, I do not use ringworms as a go to bait on lakes! I just do not have the faith in that presentation yet. I will continue to toss jigs & grubs/"tails" as it has done the job in the past. I like this presentation... swimming the grubs over emerging weed tops in spring. I use as light of a jig as I can get by with and a Ring-N Grub or Berkley Power Grub. I like to tip with a tiny bit of crawler (or nowdays, I now use Bio-Bait too).
On the river, it helps to keep the ringworms real close to the bottom! I "tumble" my ringworms along the bottom. Throwing up ahead in the curent and work them back to me and past the boat... till I loose the bottom.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

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

[Northlander]

I started some experimenting in area lakes and the St.Louis river. I found that as water gets colder the plastics seem to work better. Also color is a huge issue with plastics, as is size. In spring you can go bigger and faster. In my experiences the farther you get along in the fall the slower and smaller I go. I do Deadstick some larger profile plastics like the Super do's by Catch n Tackle. The eyes seem to hammer these deadsticked 6" to a foot off bottom! I really like the Ring n Grubs also by Catch n Tackle. Ring worms and twister style plastics I like to work against the current or drift them at the speed of the current near bottom. Ring worms dragged on bottom really produced on a few days.
Anyway thats what I found out.