What should I use to catch these Walleyes?

[Chef]

BWS--As I mentioned earlier--you'll get differing opinions for almost every question you post.

My .02's come from years of experience with these products and I'm rather opinionated; especially about poor quality products and service.

My approach to fishing isn't about catch rates, numbers or speed--it's about fishing the way I like and having fun doing it. I'm sure you'll develop personal preferences as you refine your tactics, regardless of the type of equipment you decide to buy.

My tongue-in-cheek statement about trolling for Musky was a statement about my preference not to troll for Musky. When I fish for Musky, I locate specific holding and feeding areas they prefer, I stop my boat and I cast for them.

If you've ever had a huge Musky follow your bait to the boat and provoked it to strike (figure 8 technique)you know what I mean. You can't get that by trolling.

I equate trolling for musky to harvesting Deer or Elk with a gun--it's harvesting, not hunting.

I'm sure this post will "ruffle feathers", but hey, that's the beauty of this forum--eveyone's entitled to an opinion.

[james_walleye]

I have a lowrance unit on my boat. It was about a $450 unit 3 years ago and i love it. I dont drop a line until i find the fish with this thing. My opinion is this, you cant go wrong with a lowrance.

[BIG_EYE]

Chef, like I said in my pre. post Eagle & Lowrance are made by the same comp., so wouldent it be safe to say that they have the same technology and components? Just wanted to know.

[delmuts]

if you go to the open water forum, there is a disscussion/debate on the difference between the lorance and eagle units that may answer some of your questions!

[Chef]

Bigeye--By the look of it, Lowrance owns Eagle; however, there's a deal pending for the sale of Lowrance, et al to a Norwegian company, Simrad Yachting:

The Norwegian marine electronics provider Simrad Yachting AS said on Monday (30 January) that it had agreed to acquire the US marine electronics provider Lowrance Electronics Inc.

Darrell Lowrance is the standing CEO and plans to stay on.

Back on point--Eagle branded products are manufactured and priced for the lower-end market and consumers. No manufacturer would put their more costly components into a low-end line of products--it doesn't make sense in any fashion.

[PerchJerker]

What you post about Eagle is not true, at least not for all of their products. Eagle has a full line of electronics at a WIDE range of prices, including high end (over $1,000 if I'm not mistaken). Eagles are quality products just like Lowrance .... not identical, but very similar, and very good quality.

I am a Lowrance user but in the past I have owned 2 Eagles, neither was my primary sonar but both were bulletproof. One of the guys I fish with a lot put Eagle color sonars and gps in his boat a couple years ago, other than the color of case and the pixel count you cannot tell a difference between them and my Lowrances.

If you have some specific factual info lets hear it.

In the meantime, my opinion and experience is that Eagle provides a lot for the money at quality comparable to Lowrance - you give up some power and features by going with Eagle, you do not give up quality.

[BIG_EYE]

Chef thanks for the info.

[BlackwaterStout]

Back to the topic, what things should I do if I'm trolling for Walleyes in a lake that is also known for Muskie. I'm sure it could get ugly if a big Muskie rips into a 7' medium trolling rod with 15lb mono and no leader. On the flip side I'm not too sure how much fun it would be to catch walleye on 8' heavy duty pole running 60lb line. But I guess if I use that equipment I'm not too sure I'd be catching any walleyes anyway. What are your thought?

[delmuts]

hmmm! you're in kind of a risk reward type deal! i know a few guys that have started using a flouro leader( or line) that is a little heavier # to help with it some. my understanding is that the flouro's are a little smaller dia, and tougher than the mono. it would still be a trade off. many bass,and pan-fisherman donate lures to the toothy critters too. no one likes to loose a lure or leave in a fish as it swims off, but it does ( and will ) happen.

[Chef]

Perch--If you go back an re-read my posts regarding Eagle quality issues, you'll see I base my opinion on past ownership and brief use of their products and possibly the worse customer service experience ever. I spent numerous hours trying to get support for defective equipment--in the end, Eagle blamed the issues on power/voltage in my boat--which checked-out fine by-the-way.

So, what I say is actually true. I gain nothing by bad-mouthing a product I have no experience with.

I'm a Lowrance user too-FYI. If you own Lowrance stock, don't worry .

I'm glad you've had better luck with yours. Let's agree to disagree and BWS can make his own decisions.

[Chef]

BWS--You'll always run the risk of an un-wanted strike from a toothy fish like a Musky or Northern. Don't rig your Walleye trolling gear to prevent the occasional bite-off--you reduce your success rate for your target species to almost zero.

The rare times I troll Cranks for Walleyes, I use 6-8lb. test, no swivels or leaders except running three-way rigs or bottom bouncers. I don't troll Great Lakes or Erie style. I use planer boards when it makes sense.

I can't count the numbers of 6 dollar Raps I've lost to Northerns-Whoa--it's just part of the deal.

If you use 15lb. test for Walleyes, you'll lose a lot of lure action and you'll need a lot of extra weight to get the lure down into the strike zone. Light line has a lot less drag and it allows your lures to swim and vibrate properly--these two things are very important when trolling.

[BlackwaterStout]

Good info. Thanks a lot. What if my 15lb is power pro. With it's smaller diameter it should troll smiilar to 6 pound mono shouldn't it? Otherwise I can easily just use lighter mono.

Makes sense to not worry about the muskie when walleye trolling. If I loose one I loose one.

I really needs a little more education on where and when to troll for eaither species. Because I definately plan on Muskie fishing as well. Although it will probably involve casting more than trolling.

[TMan]

One thing I know is different between Lowrance & Eagle is the backlighting. Lowrance is that blueish (Cold-cathode?) lighting and Eagle has regular bulb type backlighting. Not a big deal if you're not fishing low light or dark. But the Lowrance is easier to see at those times. I own both. Mechanics & features are equal in my eyes.

And I'd use a Wobbler floater on those walleyes BWS...

Tackleman

[Chef]

If I'm going to troll(this applies to both of your target species), pick a day that has had a steady wind preferrably from the West.

Fish the wind-blown shorelines or points. The water gets stirred-up by the wave action, brings in baitfish and then the big fish follow. The murky water is perfect for the predator fish to cruise in looking for baitfish.

I really prefer to cast a 1/6oz. jig and Shiner minnow along the shoreline structure on these days--some of my best Walleye, Bass and even Northerns or Muskies are all doing the same "gig".

You can give the powerpro a try, if it doesn't work well, switch to lighter line.

[BlackwaterStout]

I just bought a new Okuma Epixor spinning reel and I'm looking to use it for walleyes. I'm looking for a decent rod to put it on and I'm need recommendations. I'll be using either 15 or 20 pound power pro and I plan to get a 7' or 6.5' medium action graphite rod. Anyone familiar with Cabelas Pro Guide series rods? They are $39.99 with IM6 graphite. I'd rather not pay much more than that.

[Team Otter]

The longer the better for trolling. I would even consider an 8' rod.

[BlackwaterStout]

I should've explained myself better in the previous post. Although most of this thread has been about trolling techniques I bought the Okuma Epixor for casting crank baits and jigs. I think a 6.5' ot 7' medium rod would work well wouldn't you think?

[Team Otter]

For casting, I would go with the 7' rod. Cabela's makes a nice rod.

[delmuts]

i'd second the 7ft.

[BlackwaterStout]

Quote:

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For casting, I would go with the 7' rod. Cabela's makes a nice rod.

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Cool. That's what I was thinking. Do you think Medium action is the best option for use with a spinning reel?

Would this same rig be a decent rig for smallmouth bass?

What about the 20lb power-pro. Is that a good choice or would it be better to just use a good 10lb mono?

[Team Otter]

Medium action would be suffice. Don't go "down" from that. Certainly this same set-up would work for bass fishing, if you're into that sort of thing. But, we are in the walleye and perch forum. I'm partial to Fireline but I would definitely choose something with minimal stretch. You can leave the mono at home or in your tackle box.

[delmuts]

a 7' med should fit your needs well. on line choices; i'm a PP guy, but if your are throwing light jigs for walleye,or fishing vertical, the 20# mite be a bit much. you may want ot look at something not quite as heavy, like a 2 dia- 8 # or 4 dia - 10# ( i think it is?) but don't rule out a mono either! ( that is why you have a spare spool!) maybe a 10# mono, or may give a flouro a try , especially if you plan to use it for bass too! i have seen a different fall rate( when using tubes,and other plastics) when using a braid vs a mono, and at times that can make a difference. and if casting cranks, maybe a mono . try to figure out/guess( )how you will be using the most and go from there.