How walleye fishing is viewed by outsiders

[Queenswake]

We had a family reunion last summer in Brainerd and one afternoon the group went out on a Mille Lacs launch (we unfortunately could not get an open boat for the night trip). In this case, the people not from MN were from CA. Not fisherpeople, but I'd have to believe that to them they associated fishing with saltwater, salmon, and maybe largemouth bass.

So, of course, as often is the case on these launches, fishing was slow. I believe maybe a perch or two were caught until the guides finally drug us over to some rocks to get some smallmouth bass. And there were I think 4 smallmouths caught. Nice sized, and luckily most of them that were caught were caught by the people from CA.

But I still couldn't help but feel kind of embarrassed for us MN folk watching our bobbers and getting nothing. Even if we did get on the walleyes, would they have even been impressed? How did they feel about how 25-30 people can go out fishing for a few hours and all but a few fish were caught? They did not say anything but I just couldn't help feeling embarrassed for the whole thing.

I think the allure of the walleye is something that you can't understand unless you've grown up with it. Why people spend so much time and effort to catch relatively small fish that have little fight. Outsiders just cannot understand our obsession with the species.

I had a similar conversation recently from another person from CA. When I told her about going ice fishing one day and only catching one small perch, she laughed at all that effort for so little reward. I think a lot of people unfamiliar with fishing think that you are constantly catching fish, and big fish.

After being on a few launches now and only seeing one decent sized walleye caught, I almost think that they just need to call it a day and either only offer night launches or just go after smallmouth full-time.

[Scott M]

I was reminded of this at a talk I attended a few weeks ago...Southwick Associates is nationally recognized for collecting natural resource management user data and notably in this case, surveys at a national level of angler species preference.

Overwhelmingly, at a national level, sportfish popularity usually falls in line as follows (from Southwick and Associates).

1. Black bass

2. Panfish

3. Trout

4. Catfish

5. Walleye

The walleye's lack of national appeal is probably attributed to its range, but I still think the list is interesting. Says a lot about the importance of catching fish. Usually if you are near black basses, they are biting. Minnesotans that target the fish probably do like the challenge and tradition of walleye fishing. Most of us have seen the really good days and it keeps us coming back, but try taking a group out walleye fishing in the middle of the day in late August. It can be tough. Time of year and time of day make a big difference.

[Tom7227]

In hunting there is a concept about the five stages of hunters. None are better than the other but it ranges from someone who will shoot anything to being happy just watching. Maybe there's a similar thing with fishing. Some have to catch something every 5 minutes and some don't care all that much. I don't understand the focus on walleye myself unless you're really hungry.

[Shawn Kellett]

I think the allure of the walleye is something that you can't understand unless you've grown up with it. Why people spend so much time and effort to catch relatively small fish that have little fight. Outsiders just cannot understand our obsession with the species.

It's my fathers obsession with walleyes that got me to quit fishing when I was younger. They don't fight, you drag bait, and the usually one bite at night or during terrible weather. Not much to like except the fillets in the grease IMOP. True big ones can be fun to catch, but 20 years ago there weren't big ones in many places. It was cigar central for the most part in MN.

Just saying.

[itchmesir]

Honestly.. I've never targeted walleyes.. I've caught less than what I can count on two hands.. and i've been fishing for as long as i can remember.. I'm 30 now.. last who knows how many years i've easily fished 200 days a year... I've always associated walleye fishing with fishing from a boat.. and all the ones i have caught have felt more like snags than fish... now i'm not saying i don't like walleye... i just never target them

[Eric Wettschreck]

For work purposes I was in Houston, TX a while ago. The guys I was working with were all either from TX, or Louisania. We started talking about fishing and how it's different up nort than it is down in Dixie. They just could not comprehend the thought of standing or driving on frozen water, drilling holes, and dropping down a line. They're pretty cool guys so I invited them up next winter to experience it for themselves.

Who knows, maybe they'll show up and see the other side of life.

[TruthWalleyes]

For work purposes I was in Houston, TX a while ago. The guys I was working with were all either from TX, or Louisania. We started talking about fishing and how it's different up nort than it is down in Dixie. They just could not comprehend the thought of standing or driving on frozen water, drilling holes, and dropping down a line. They're pretty cool guys so I invited them up next winter to experience it for themselves.

Who knows, maybe they'll show up and see the other side of life.

You hear that ice crack...that was a bad crack...If you hear two cracks within 10 seconds run out of the house! Have some fun with them southern boys!

[PerchJerker]

Couple things come to mind .......

When you're on a launch with that many people you have very limited options to try other locations and techniques that might work better.

I have been on plenty of trips in other states and in salt water where we've gone out with high expectations, and not had many bites or caught any large fish.

Sometimes the fish bite, sometimes they don't. That's fishing.

[gloomiseye]

Some of you guys must not catch very big walleyes. All of the big walleyes I have caught fought like a mother. Usually 25"+ fish fight good.

[gurkster]

Even a 25"+ walleye can not come close to the fight of a 15"+ bass. I think bass are king because they are explosive, fight hard, easy to catch, plentiful, and found all across the U.S. The targeted fish of choice is very much regional though.

[Knoc]

I like to call myself a die hard fisherman, I do fish nearly every day, and the allure to catch walleyes just isnt really there for me. I was born and raised in Minnesota, buy a fishing family, but to me panfish have always been something that caught my attention more. I love catching a nice sunny or crappie on my 5 foot ultra light rod. What a fight. Largemouth Bass are a close 2nd. For me if a walleye passed through, it was always just a bonus.

[Jacob]

Even a 25"+ walleye can not come close to the fight of a 15"+ bass. I think bass are king because they are explosive, fight hard, easy to catch, plentiful, and found all across the U.S. The targeted fish of choice is very much regional though.

That makes no sense. I'm a bass and a walleye guy and I would rather do battle with a 25" walleye than a 15" bass anyday.

[gloomiseye]

Even a 25"+ walleye can not come close to the fight of a 15"+ bass. I think bass are king because they are explosive, fight hard, easy to catch, plentiful, and found all across the U.S. The targeted fish of choice is very much regional though.

I'm going to have strongly disagree with this, no way a 15" bass fights more.

[TruthWalleyes]

Yeah but most people's "20" bass" is really a 15" bass so its not a fair comparison.

Catfish wear the crown!

Walleye fisherman at least bring a tape measure!

[BTL]

Walleyes are hard to figure out. On the rare occasions I fish for them, I usually catch 5 of every other species in the lake before I hook one 'eye. It's almost never worth the effort for me.

[hawgchaser]

This is a great thread. To add a different wrinkle...my (walleye) fishing buddy's dad immigrated to MN from Norway after WWII. He worked on commercial fishing boats in Norway and would just shake his head and gruffly say, "Makes no sense to spend all that time and money to catch one fish at a time."

[hanson]

This is a topic that I've thought hard about as I personally have come full circle with my attitude towards the walleye. I grew up fishing walleyes and panfish and always enjoyed walleye fishing but just never fished on that many great walleye fisheries. We would take a trip or two a summer up to Lake of the Woods to fish with the grandparents and more often than not, the wind would be blowing so hard we'd resort to shooting pool in the lodge at Springsteel Resort.

So rewind now to about 5 years ago… maybe 6. 2 things happened. Paul Waldowski at Appledoorn's on Mille Lacs organized a little Get-Together for FM members to take in the fall crankbait trolling bite. This was a new thing for me and figured why not? You have to get over that close mindedness and be open to new ideas. In the leadup to this event, another FM member Jeff Borchardt was helping me with crankbait tips, lure selections, etc for the trip and then offered a spot to me on his family's fall trip to Cass Lake. While I had a good time on Mille Lacs, I was learning and our results weren't that great but had enough success to want to figure this out. Once I got up to Cass Lake to fish with Borch, he showed me the ins and outs of the technique and man, did we catch fish. Lots and lots of 19-22" fish, all caught from 3-7' of water pulling crankbaits until we were too tired to keep fishing, oftentimes coming in at 3am. I should mention I hooked and landed a beautiful 48" muskie on this trip. Thats it, I was hooked.

Now 3 years ago, I also decided to start fishing the FLW Walleye Tour as a Co-Angler to learn more about walleyes and experience other fantastic bodies of water. So I've fished walleyes on the Missouri River in Bismarck, ND to Lake Oahe in Pierre, SD, Green Bay, WI to Lake Erie in Ohio, Lake Winnebago in WI to Leech Lake and the Mississippi River here locally. Those are some extremely diverse, large, and incredibly productive walleye fisheries.

What has really hooked me is all the different techniques you can use to catch the walleye. Most places we go, its a trolling bite - trolling spinners, trolling cranks, pulling boards w/ spinners or cranks, leadcore & cranks, 3-waying, slow death, etc. Most of these other states allow 2-3 lines a piece so you can get quite the trolling spread out there and it is a bunch of fun.

Being a Minnesotan, we still have our jigging and rigging techniques but its a lot more fun down on the river when you can jig 2 rods. The range of techniques that catch walleyes on the Mississippi River is also incredible and greatly increases the fun factor – 3-way rigging stick baits, 3-way rigging bait, jigging plastics, pitching plastics, blades, handlining.

I think the big key here is there is a heck of a lot more to walleye fishing than dragging a leech around on a Lindy rig. While I completely enjoy that as well, I’d rather be playing with crankbaits or crawler harness colors. The crankbait collection has grown into an addiction as well. I really challenge everyone to learn a new technique or two this summer, maybe it’ll bring the fun back to walleye fishing.

[wahoo]

I think the best fishing is the fishing you are doing at the time. Comparisons of fish species just brings out favorite fish--for whatever reason--nothing wrong with that. As for the people from CA. I fish out of San Diego a fair amount. Sometimes for 7-12 days on a boat where we never touch shore until the end of the trip. Ok, lots of fun and, when found some big fish. Have also spent 2 days on hot slick water 100 miles offshore and no one caught a fish while they filed around us. Catch 1 fish the 3rd that goes 200 plus--good 3 days. i als have friends with 1/2 and 3/4 day boats in SD. There are slow times of the year when few fish are caught on the party boats. Still FISHING.

I have an equal amount of fun fishing from the bank on the river that runs through my farm in MN and catching smaller Northerns and the occasional eye. Fun--I am fishing. Ditto with a Grandkid standing on a bridge and watching their eyes light up as they pull in a sunny--no matter what the size. Taking someone ice fishing who has never done it--as they say--priceless.

The point, we have a terrific sport and are very lucky. Fishin is FUN!

Tight Lines and remember to have fun!

[itchmesir]

I think the best fishing is the fishing you are doing at the time.

The point, we have a terrific sport and are very lucky. Fishin is FUN!

Tight Lines and remember to have fun!

+1 to all of this... in the end.. wetting a line is all that matters

[Stick in Mud]

What an interesting thread. I guess I'm a bit confused by it, though...walleyes fight well enough if you fish them on reasonable tackle, and the bite can be insane if you figure it out, which isn't always all that hard to do, especially early in the season.

Yes, a day launch trip will probably be slow, though the fishing in the spring can be awesome all day long. I work on the boats for free bar pizza and we frequently catch 100+ fish in a night. Last year our best was around 200. They can be tons of fun and tons of frustration, but that's part of the fun.

By this same logic, what about muskie fishing?!? Spending $20 on EACH lure? Casting, what, all day/night for one fish, maybe, and being happy with a follow? OF course, better fishermen get more fish, but I bet that's the same thing with walleyes. One of those 26/28'' fish does it for me the same way that one of those 'skis does for those guys.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

What an interesting thread. I guess I'm a bit confused by it, though...walleyes fight well enough if you fish them on reasonable tackle, and the bite can be insane if you figure it out, which isn't always all that hard to do, especially early in the season.

Yes, a day launch trip will probably be slow, though the fishing in the spring can be awesome all day long. I work on the boats for free bar pizza and we frequently catch 100+ fish in a night. Last year our best was around 200. They can be tons of fun and tons of frustration, but that's part of the fun.

By this same logic, what about muskie fishing?!? Spending $20 on EACH lure? Casting, what, all day/night for one fish, maybe, and being happy with a follow? OF course, better fishermen get more fish, but I bet that's the same thing with walleyes. One of those 26/28'' fish does it for me the same way that one of those 'skis does for those guys.

Couldnt agree more... Especially with the last paragraph. Unless its the right time of year or the right day walleye are the trickiest fish to get to bite and thats the fun of it for me! Whoever thinks walleye dont fight obviously hasnt gotten in to any hogs.

Flatheads are a close second for me... When you hook into one, it feels like a full grown man down at the bottom of the river tugging back at you!

I pass on bass.... You can throw on any mickey mouse tackle and cast all day long and catch bass on a bass lake without much of a challenge. Not saying its not fun to catch them though, especially small mouth, which are pound for pound awesome fighters.

But really, its just a matter of personal preference! Any kind of fishing in the great outdoors of MN is a blast for me!

[Down Deep]

I like about any kind of fishing and living near Duluth allows for fishing opportunities of many species. I especially like to fish for walleyes in the fall. One of my favorite stories about walleye fishing came when a couple friends of mine from KY wanted to come to LOW for some bass and northern fishing. We went to Nestor Falls in mid-June and they fished a hot largemouth and smallmouth bass bite on the south end of Whitefish Bay. I went with another guy to Stevens Bay and after some looking around found a hot walleye bite. The next day I asked them to go to Stevens to try some walleye fishing. They called fishing for walleyes every derogatory name in the book, but I made them go. We went to the same reef I had fished the day before and the bite was still on. We sat on that spot for 5 or 6 hours and someone had a fish on every minute. Later that evening when we were feasting on some of the catch they seem to revert back to their earlier remarks about walleye fishing. The next morning I asked them where they were headed to. They said in their Kentucky southern drawl " we thought we'd get some of those jigs from you, get some minnows and head over to that walleye hole". I went to do some bass fishing with another guy and we didn't see them again until late in the evening. I never heard another comment about walleyes being a fish on par with a gar, sucker or guppy. They went walleye fishing two other times that week. A couple of new converts to walleye fishing.

[lutzy]

For me I was always a pan fish guy, mostly sunnies. That is because that is what I did with my dad growing up. I couldn’t understand going all day for just a few fish. I would rather go for several hours and catch 50 or more fish and keep 20. then I went walleye fishing for the first time on Mille Lacs with a guy from work. I caught 8 eyes all over 24”. Again this was my first time walleye fishing. From then on I was hooked. Lyndy rigging was incredible. The suspense after getting that little tap and waiting and giving line before setting the hook was the best feeling. It didn’t take more than 1 1/2 years and I had bought a cabin on Mille Lacs so I could do it every weekend. Just personal preference and what you have experienced I guess. I do miss sunnie fishing though, not much of that on Mille Lacs. Sunnies are still my favorite fish to eat.

[Desperado]

I think a lot of people unfamiliar with fishing think that you are constantly catching fish, and big fish.

not saying this is necessarily the case regarding the individuals referred to in THIS post, BUT ...

well ... if someone's impression of fishing were formed by watching a "fishing show" on TV, why would they (or how could they) NOT think that we're hooking nice fish every couple minutes ?

[Comit 2]

Just fish near a family with small children and you can see where it comes from.

Most of the time it goes like this. The child gets a fish on. Dad says Oh that's a good one, maybe it's a Walleye! Don't give him slack. (dad is more excited then the child) Reel in, Reel in, keep reeling! I'll get the net! Keep your rod tip up. OUG It's a White Bass. All excitement ends. Every one forget the excitement and are disappointed about it being a White Bass. The child thinks, Why couldn't it have been a Walleye every one would be happier. Another Walleye fisherman is born!

I see it all the time.