Tales from experienced walleye shorecasters

[CHM]

The time is near! Let's hear some stories from the past. We don't need to know where it happened - just the month, moon phase, water temp, favorite crankbaits, etc.

My favorite story was told to me by a 70 year old gent that used to shorecast at night near Battle Lake. He used a red & white Bass Oreno and just did a very slow retireve and took hundreds of walleye on the surface.

I had a surface experience once as well. I had a nice walleye take a Bagely Bang O Lure on the surface twenty feet from me as I worked on a line tangle on my reel.

Chuck

[Borch]

Sounds like the imfamous frog run phase. My brother caught a couple one night on hula poppers during the run. It's a wild time of year.

[Team Otter]

#13 floating Rapalas drug along the water's surface or just under can be one of the greatest bites to experience ever. Southern MN lakes are well known for it when the timing is right.

[Boedigheimer]

CHM, my best shorefishing has been in Oct. and Nov., usually including frozen rod guides and numb fingers, but having walleyes smash your bait five feet from your rod tip then running into your waders during the fight is pretty cool.

My favorite baits are husky jerks, rogues, and #13 rapalas. I prefer current areas but have done well in the backs of weedy bays as well, if you could find a hard bottom area in the bay all the better.

Speaking of 'frog runs', I used to spend alot of time shorefishing in Meeker county which is supposedly a froggy area (lots of wetlands adjoining good walleye lakes) and can honestly say I have never witnessed a 'frog run', nor have I ever found a frog in a belly. Do you think the days of these runs are over?

Maybe the fact that some frogs are showing up with two heads or seven legs has something to do with it.

[Borch]

You're right that there just isn't as many frogs as there used to be. But there eyes still eat them during the small window that they are available. The ones that are left still work their way to larger marshes and lakes. I've seen quite a few frogs in their bellies when I shore fished for them back in the day. Now I spend more time in my boat in the fall.

[Boedigheimer]

Borch, have you ever heard fish coming from a distance? I can remember many times hearing what sounds like a school of fish surface feeding, moving down the shoreline toward my location. These would occasionally turn out to be big carp, but most of the time they were walleyes.

The problem came when you hooked a fish and had to turn a light on to net it, it would get awfully quiet once you turned the light on, the fish would return after a short while.

[CHM]

I can't prove it, but a red lens on your light does not appear to spoke fish, nor does it degrade your night vision.

More stories:

Many years ago I saw some frogs in the water when wading at night. I didn't catch any walleyes that night. I have caught hundreds over the past 20 years in current areas when no frogs where present.

I have had walleyes nail a crank bait just as I was pulling it out of the water for my next cast. I caught a northern one night while wading and he made a run through my legs! And, of course, I didn't have one of those handy tools to hold his jaws open and I had to walk back to my car to get the Rap out of his death grip. I have been out on nights when the wind switched direction several times, the sky when from totally overcast to clear, and I've even had nights that got warmer the later it got. I've seen the most awesome displays of Northern Lights, and I've heard huge flocks of geese fly over at 1 am, and I've had beavers swim past me that scared the dump out of me like you can't imagine. It's weird, but on some nights I can tell when the fish will be biting. What's up with that???

Chuck

[Northlander]

A green lense is supposed to be more animal and fish friendly. At least thats what the boys on the hunting show last night said.

[Team Otter]

I have found a light blue to work well too.

[Borch]

I hear fish feeding all the time. I guess that I've never tracked them to determine if they were closing on my postion. Although I do cast in the direction on teh noise if it's close. Sometimes It's a walleye, sometimes a bass and frequently no hit at all. Generally you can get away with a little bit of light without spooking fish. On moon lit nights I don't even turn on a light to land fish. I just don't need it. Otherwise I just use the cat eyes cap clip light and they don't seem to spook fish but provide enough light to land fish and change lures.

[CHM]

I found a 27" eye that was spooked by a 5" floating Super Rogue!