Walleye plastics for post spawn fish?

[bnbrk94]

I am going home to south dakota in a couple weeks and was wondering if the post spawn is a good time for plastics? The spawn should be over by a little more than a week. I have a good idea where to target these fish just not sure how to present a plastic to them. Any ideas would help. Thanks.

[Tony Boshold]

IMO when the eyes are done spawning they are VERY hungry after recovering from the rigors and stress of spawning. I almost never use live bait after the spawn...when they are less than ten feet deep. I throw cranks and the plastics then.

Likes been said on the other "plastic" threads, get on some fish with your usual confidence bait and then try out some other techniques and presentations.

I have two main techniques for presenting them, 1 is to cast, sink to bottom and lift and drop all the way back, 2 is a slow steady retrieve over snaggy type cover bumping bottom. The 3rd and hardest in my experience is swimming it above bottom and can be a killer, I lift it off the bottom with a sweep of the rod and then start a steady retrieve. If they are higher off the bottom try a countdown method or go to cranks.

For me, no bait after the spawn and water temps are above 55...unless they are deeper than 10' or usually after a front and they are tentative.

I can't tell you how many times I have had eye's picking up a minnow and dropping it and not committing to it. I switch to something that triggers them to bite with a reaction strike and they can't shake the hooks. Target the aggressive fish and that is what you'll get. Keep fishing tentative fish and well...insanity.

Basically if they are in shallow, they are there for one thing after the spawn and that is to eat.

Hope this helps.

[walleyeking#8]

Very well put Tony. I happen to do a lot of crappie fishing early in the spring, and I am usually using plastics and plastics only. Here's my point, I have probably caught as many walleyes in shallow water using a tube jig of some sort just casting it out and slow retrieving. You can also catch them vertical jigging in stained water with the same types of plastics. Twister tails, Tubes, Minnow type plastics. One thing to consider is if your fishing shallow, clear water, be careful not to spook them out of there. In the spring you want to keep the plastics on the small side. Once the water heats up then you want to expand your size on the plastics. This is just from my experience.

If your into the night fishing, cast husky jerks, original rapalas or maybe even the smaller countdowns into shallow, rocky shorelines where bait fish may be present can be very rewarding also. My oldest son caught his largest walleye only a week after opener on a red/white tube jig in 10' of water while fishing crappies. (27.8 in.) Plastics can be deadly all season long if presented correctly.