Match the hatch or be different?

[walleyeking19]

My favorite walleye lake had a huge number of perch hatch in the last 2 years which has led to way too many 5 or 6 inch perch swimming around for walleyes to eat. Becuase of that, fishing has been slow.

Should I use perch colored lures and try to get lucky that a walleye will eat mine instead of a real perch? Or use something completely different to change it up?

[Grum]

I always Start by trying to match the natural forage, if I mark fish but nothing bites then I downsize. If that doesn't work then I like to try something completely opposite, like bright or fluorescent colors. If I can still mark fish on the flasher and no bites, I move on, but may return at a different time of day, to see if I can still mark fish and see if they have become active.

[DrJuice1980]

Fire Tiger pattern, different but similar. Also you are jigging it to act as a wounded fish-easy prey.

[FISHINGURU]

There are no rules really, I like to match the hatch or the forage because your putting down a presentation that is similar to what they are looking for naturally.

Sometimes I wonder if they don't get sick of their food source and want to try something else that is totally new. I know the pannies are eating dark colored bugs out of the mud but they sure do still like to hammer a neon pink jig even though there isn't anything living in the water that is neon pink.

I'd switch it up until you find what works the best, pretty much what you always need to do it can change by the hour.

[rockman]

It gets down to finding out what lure/bait, action and color, trips the fish's trigger, to bite. It's not always about what the forage is in that lake the fish might be eating, and matching the lure to that. It's finding what triggers that biting reflex. That's part of what makes fishing so much fun.

[WalleyeChaser]

It gets down to finding out what lure/bait, action and color, trips the fish's trigger, to bite. It's not always about what the forage is in that lake the fish might be eating, and matching the lure to that. It's finding what triggers that biting reflex. That's part of what makes fishing so much fun.

And that's how we end up with so much tackle! Every presentation has a time and place. And unfortunately its always changing.