Early season cabbage beds

[Scoot]

One method of catcing walleyes that I've never really figured out is fishing cabbage beds in reasonably shallow water (typically about 6-15 FOW, depending on the lake and time of year). Mostly this is an early season approach, but I know guys who are successful doing this at all times of year. I've never fished with anyone who's really knowledgableable about this tactic and for some reason I've never felt like I've nailed down the method myself. I've had some success doing it, but certainly not consistently. Those of you who consider yourself good (or great) at this, please give me a Cabbage Bed 101 course in the posts below.

The fist few questions I've got for you are related to: 1) location of the cabbage beds, 2) boat position and how to work a bed, 3) tackle set ups, 4) any other info you can offer that'll help me get better at this technique.

Thanks much- I look forward to your posts and info!

[JohnMickish]

I'll throw a little help your way.

1; location. Well, cabbage beds don't move, so if it was there last year it will be there this year. You can wait until later in the year to visually see them and place waypoints or depending on your sonar and sonar reading ability, you can find them that way. I do not believe you can say that X depth and X bottom content = cabbage. It grows where it want to, but it's more into the sandy type bottoms and usually less than 12' deep.

2; I possition the boat on the outside of the bed and cast into it, or if it's not to clear I will use the electric to go over it or drift if the wind is right. A good wind and walleye chop that will break up the surface will hide the shadow of a boat. Cabbage is usually pretty sparse so the fish can be a little spooky.

3; I have used jigs, weedless lindy rigs with bullet sinkers, cranks and crawler harnesses, all with success. You will have to fish it and see what the fish want. Minnows, leechs and crawlers all will work. Keep in mind that there will probably be lots of smaller bait stealing perch and panfish in there as well.

4; Practice, practice and practice. Like most other places that hold fish in the lake, they might be active on one lure today and something different tomorrow. Have fun and put some back so they will be there tomorrow.

[PerchJerker]

I agree with what John said, and have a few things I can add.

1. I've seen cabbage beds "move", although "move" isn't really the right term. I see them come and go from year to year, on metro lakes that are infested with milfoil and curly leaf. Some years those weeds seem to take over everything, but some years those weeds aren't nearly as bad and the cabbage does better. I know of several cabbage beds on my favorite metro lakes that can nearly completely disappear some years, but then flourish the next year or two. Just need to check them every year to see what the cabbage is like. I've only seen this on the metro lakes with the invasive weeds, I haven't noticed it on other waters.

2. John is right on that cabbage is pretty sparse compared to other weeds, and that makes it a lot easier to fish, even right in the heart of it. It is a crisp weed, and when you snag on it a good snap or jerk on your line will usually clear the weed and free your hook.

3. A jig with minnow or plastic is a good cabbage bait. Dropshot rigging is another good approach, and you can rig a dropshot to be nearly weedless if needed. A 4" GULP minnow on a dropshot rig in the cabbage will catch walleyes, bass and pike for you .....

4. I love crankbaits. Cast or troll along the edges. Cast or troll over the tops of emerging cabbage. If the cabbage is sparse enough, cast or troll right through it and rip off any snags you get. This is a dynamite technique for early season until the weeds get too thick or the fish relocate to deeper water, and again for in the fall when the fish move back shallow and the weeds are dying back.

Hope this helps a bit, and good luck!

[Scoot]

Great info so far, fellas! Thanks and keep it coming!

Regarding location-- just to clarify, I didn't mean "how do I find cabbage beds?" I can handle that! What I meant was- are there particular ares in regards to the structure around the cabbage I should be looking for? Is cabbage on a shallow flat a high likelihood area? Points? Inside turns? Where in relation to the rest of the structure should I be looking for beds that are the most likely to be productive?

Any more info on specifically what jigs and tackle work best would also be great!

Thanks again!!!

[mallardnwalleye]

Take a look at Greg Bohn's book on Weed Walleye Fishing. It will give you a foundation but your specific lake is as always "specific to itself" and you'll have to do some trial and error fishing. My experience is that Cabbage isn't on the hard bottom, windswept areas that walleye spawn on and are a post-spawn pattern. I usually hit the weeds (whatever kind they are) in shallow water (3-12 ft)close to the spawning areas early. Good Luck!

[mallardnwalleye]

Look for the top of the cabbage plant sticking out on a calm day. Confirm by seeing the plants. Mark the border with GPS. You will find cabbage generally but not always in bays more than on a point.

[JohnMickish]

To add a little bit more, when you fish it, use a good braided line. When you feel a snag coming, snap the rod tip back to free the lure. If your jig fishing, let the jig settle back down but beware that many of your week bites will come when the jig is falling back to the bottom so don't let it fall on a totally slack line.

[Scoot]

Good stuff- thanks fellas! Another question- do you go through bait like crazy? What do you do to keep bait on your hook? I like to use a plastic on my jigs when I do it so when I lose my bait, I still have a chance to catch a fish. However, I usually have to lip hook the minnow when I have plastic on the jig, so I lose them a lot quicker. Thoughts?

[mallardnwalleye]

A Slip bobber and leech sitting in a pocket or hole is one method I use. Another is like you said - plastics on a jig head. I personally think cabbage is over rated on the lakes I fish for walleyes on. Give me hard bottom, wind, weeds, deepwater nearby and an inside turn that the wind is blowing into and I know there will be walleyes there. Cast a jig with GULP or plastic into and along the edge, snap and fish like bass or slowly roll along the bottom. The snap method works best most of the time. That is a great pattern in June if you have to fish during the day. Earlier in the year (May) I would fish a slip bobber and a leech in the weeds or hop a weedless jig through. Wind blowing into a large pocket acts as a funnel and the walleyes will be right in the bend looking out it also IMO makes them feel more secure. Hope this helps. Again Greg Bohn's book is a great foundation for weed walleye fishing.

[Scoot]

Thanks again MnW! I looked for the weed walleye book you mentioned, but haven't found it. I googled it and even looked on Greg Bohn's HSOforum, but didn't see it (I see books on slip bobbering and fishing wood, but nothing on weeds). I've also found online articles by him on the topic, but no books on that topic. Any suggestions on where I can find it? Again, thanks for the replies.

Anyone ever use an Erie Derie in cabbage? I'm not sure if they come in a weedless version, but it seems to me that might work well...

[mallardnwalleye]

As I remember his "Slip Bobbering" book has a chapter that covers weeds-cabbage well. His "Weeds'n Walleyes" book is a little more in depth on weeds but is out of print so the ebaby or amazonian may be the only way to go to get it. He lays down some pretty good ideas but again you have to adjust to your specific local area.

[Scoot]

Great- thanks!

[fishlips]

A slip bobber in cabbage can be deadly early in the year when the cabbage first starts to come up. This early cabbage provides the first shelter for the smaller perch, etc. Look to the north shore or near spawning areas first. The clear spring water also makes the fish skittish of the boat. One trick that I learned is to place a barrel swivel with a slip weight about 3 - 4' up from your hook or jig. The slip weight (I use a barrel style slip weight) gets your leech or other presentation down to the fish zone quickly and it also allows you to reel and stop the presentation back to the boat, so you can cover more water. Kind of like trolling while you are anchored. The weight keeps the presentation down in the zone.

[mallardnwalleye]

I'll have to try that one out fishlips. I suppose it would work in pure scattered cabbage. I agree walleyes are spooky or negative in the day with boats by or over them. So many times I will see them on the camera below and drop the kitchen sink down at them including redtails, leeches and crawlers only to have nothing or only 1 fish in 2 2/2 hrs. I can then from the same spot cast the area away from the boat with a jig and plastic and a snap jig retrieve to get a reaction bite. I can pick up 2 fish in 15 minutes just by casting away from the boat.

[reinhard1]

i fish a lake in northern Minnesota that is realitively clear. the lake had good structure with some rock piles and mostly sand and gravel. has some deep spots and of course areas of cabbage. this lake early in the year when i fish it with it's many bays and some islands i basicly go to one spot [not to say that there are not other areas just like this that produce]. why? because if i want a meal of walleys it produces consistanly at certain times of the day.

i believe it has a lot to do with cabbage and also it is an entrance to a shallow bay where the eye's come in to feed. the water goes from 16 and then gradualy up to 10 feet and the cabbage starts at 8 feet with new growths. i park the boat within casting distance of that weed line and wait for the eye's to come in. simple bobber and leech a couple feet off the bottom usualy does the trick. weedlines are also the key in shallow lakes with just a basin and no structure. good luck.

[jentz]

To add a little bit more, when you fish it, use a good braided line. When you feel a snag coming, snap the rod tip back to free the lure. If your jig fishing, let the jig settle back down but beware that many of your week bites will come when the jig is falling back to the bottom so don't let it fall on a totally slack line.

Maybe you or anyone here can help with my cabbage question.I have a favorite cabbage bed,its 5 ft out to 9ft.The last 12 years this was my go to spot.ALWAYS caught eyes before 9AM and after 6PM even midday at times.The last 3 years I cant catch or mark (sonar) any fish,Tried hard every time out!! always my first stop nowdays.The fish arent there or seem not to be.So will fish leave a spot like this just suddenly,Same weeds, same depths they do vary with water fluctuations.But they always did.I just cant understand where the eyes and sunfish went?? Bass are yet there and a nothern now and then.

[JohnMickish]

Jentz, has the walleye population in the lake stayed the same but they just aren't where they used to be? Has the lake changed? Is the water clearer or dirtier than it used to be? Is there a new forage base in the lake or have bad things come in line rusty crayfish or milfoil and zebra muscles? Is the lake busier than normal with recreational users? Any of these factors can and will change where and when walleyes hang out. If there are now jet skis buzzing the cabbage then you know the fish are gone during the day.

If everything has stayed the same, try a different time of day in the beds or different colors to start with. If any of the above factors has changed, maybe it's time to look for a different spot.

[jentz]

Thanks; The small perch population has increased,thats the only thing that really would have changed,panfish pop.dropped, but maybe they are somewhere else, with them we had a number of areas, and now get few since the eyes got so hard to find,We catch a few here and there but the numbers dropped for us anyway.It was abrupt.Never saw a dieoff or DNR reports of anything wrong with the lake. I will try later evenings and earlier mornings,Finally have a boat with all the lights we need.

[Sportland_Bait]

Another tactic we use around here for shallow cabbage bed walleyes is longline a splitshot plain hook and a minnow or leech. Works great in 6-10 feet of water. Drift or slow troll with the electric. A little wave action always helps the cause.

Jason Erlandson

[honker23]

Favorite tactic of mine is casting cranks with braided line. I think its important to fish the bait parallel to the weed edge so your crank is in the zone longer. Low light they may be off the edge more, bright days may be tucked in. Once I work an outside edge a few times, I may go to the inside edge a few passes. Then switch to some jigs or corks to work the pockets in the middle. Glasses are key to help pinpoint your cast, 5 feet left or right can make all the difference. If you have 3-4 feet on top of the weeds, trolling with the electric using spinners and a split shot or bullet sinker can work too.

[Slab_Supper]

I am good at making cole slaw out of cabbage beds. Makes a great shore lunch with the walleye I catch. I use a weedless rig and fish the tops of the weeds. The key is to get the bait on top of the weeds and fish something with vibration so they can detect that something is there to eat. I have also been successful with bobber rigs.

[fishuhalik]

Two words: slip bobber!! If it's a clear lake there's no way you can fish that shallow water traditionally, and a slip bobber works great to thread the bait in pockets and keep it in front of the fish. I've had very limited success casting cranks and keeping them just on top of the weeds, but that's because I've spent very little time doing it. Sometimes it seems they hang out right on the edge of the weeds, and the only way to get them consistently is trolling a jig/rig right along the edge. There's a couple lakes up north that I have this down to a science because I know the weededges so well. I can keep the boat right on the edge without going into the weeds & it's really effective, but they're all dark lakes. I've also had limited success with a drop shot rig. Made popular bass fishing but it works great if you throw a leech, shiner, or crawler on the drop shot instead of a plastic. A buddy of mine fishes drop shots on 'tonka for bass a ton and gets at least one 30" walleye every year, along with alot of eater & bigger ones.

[tunrevir]

You got some really great replies here Scoot and I'll add my .02. I like to position on the outside edges of the cabbage and depedning on the growth(height)(depth) and work cranks along the edges and even into the cabbage much like pitching jigs. Early on you can use cranks like a suspending huskyjerk and twitch over the tops. You will know by the weeds contacting the bait as you twitch it down if your in the zone. Another method that works well is working smaller lipped deep divers into the cabbage and when they hangup, just like jigs, is give them a small rip to impart action and break them free of the cabbage and stall the retrieve and then restart. Active fish in cabbage will absolutely pound a small crank as it works through the stalks. If your not getting bit then I'd move up onto and even into the cabbage or just to the edge and pitch jigs. Clear water seems like it needs a stealthier approach by pitching from a distance while dirty water you can move right in tight and work the bed.

Pitching cranks to cabbage is going to require a superbraid and a fairly stiff rod to rip the baits free. I use a 7 foot Fenwick medium action spinning rod spooled with 30# powerpro but a 14-16# mono can also work with this application with the deeper diving cranks and a 6-8 pound mono if running them outside the weeds with just occasional contact. If I have a good feeling about the bed of cabbage I'm working and I'm not getting bit working the outside edges or probing just inside then I switch to a weedless jighead and a plastic trailer like a shimmy shad or twister tail and may even tip with live bait. Some of the gulp crawlers/leeches are great for pitching into cover and working a jig back and saves you the time and hassle of rebaiting or having the weeds tear the bait off the hook. The nice thing about pitching artificials is that you can impart the action on the jig and can go subtle or aggressive. Let the fish tell you what they want. An important thing to note is those early and late times of the day can often be thrown out the window when working thicker weeds like cabbage because the fish are in there and just waiting to dart out and snap up an easy meal. The other fun thing is that with this approach your going to contact alot of other species, not just eyes and that can often make a slow day on the water into a phenomenal one. Good luck, I love hearing others responses and learn alot from them!

Tunrevir~

[Scoot]

You got some really great replies here Scoot...

You bet! Excellent info and thanks very much for it! I've got some questions about slip bobbing in the cabbage beds- 1) do you try to get your bait on the top of cabbage? and/or 2) do you get the bait down in the cabbage in the holes? Also, do you pitch your bait out in a spot and wait a long time or do you use the bobber as a way to get in a spot and only let it sit a minute or so? Any more info appreciated!

Again, great stuff here and thanks much for the help!

[tunrevir]

You can work the slip bobber all different ways from fishing over the tops of emerging beds to precision casting into holes and pockets. Ideally, you want to fish down into the stem area where the fish are seeking shade and shelter but aggressive fish will dart out and take an offereing up high as well. Sometimes you gotta experiment and let the fish tell you what they want. You can use a heavier jig 1/16th-1/4 oz below a slip bobber to work down deep, and pull, hop and rip it in and out of the cabbage. One advantage to this is you have a vertical presentation that can be moved horizontally and into holes ect and the bobber becomes a visual strike indicator and will also indicate when your jig is hung up on a stalk, where a small rip or pop can free it.

Tunrevir~