Matthew Breuer posted on July 15, 2005 14:28 :: 3138 Views
Old marble eyes, also known as the walleye, is one of the most fascinating fish in the water, and in Minnesota they are also the most sought after. The walleye is named for its pearlescent eye, which is caused by a reflective layer of pigment, called the tapetum lucidum, that helps it see and feed at night or in murky water. Let’s talk about targeting walleye during these periods of low light….
A lot of Minnesota waters are exceptionally clear, making it tough to get the fish to cooperate during daylight hours, but come dusk, pulling crank baits is the best way I know to cover a lot of water and put more walleyes in the live well. Once you get the basics down you can fine tune your approach and really get it down to a “T”.
The equipment needed is fairly simple and is inexpensive if you don’t go overboard. I like to use a depth counter reel so I can precisely put my bait a certain amount of feet behind the boat so that my bait is running at my desired depth, and when I catch a fish, I can put my bait that far back every time. For a rod, I use seven foot medium action glass rods, they are the best for keeping an eye on my baits’ action. If the tip is wiggling I know it’s running true, and if it stops wiggling I know I’ve got myself a weed or piece of floated debris. 10 lb. Berkley Fireline does the trick for pulling cranks and reeling in the pigs!
I always start pulling something small like a Salmo Hornet in size 4, clown in color, this bait typically runs 4-5 feet below the surface allowing me to target the active walleye that come in shallow at night to feed. I’ll head out roughly an hour before sunset and begin trolling 1.5 - 2.2 mph near shoreline structure with my bait 50-60 feet behind the boat. What you want to do is troll in an “S” shape varying your depth and allowing the bait to slow down and speed up when you are in the turns. Some baits suspend, some sink, and the most common crank bait floats, when you troll in an “S” shape and your bait is waiting for your line to catch up the slack, your bait will either sink, suspend, or float, which is when you will get many of your strikes. I always begin in 9-11 feet of water getting shallower as the night progresses, and I’ll pull baits in less that three feet if the lakes vegetation allows it.
You can get fancy down rigging and using planer boards, using lead core line, and bottom bouncing stick baits, but we’ll concentrate on straight lining your bait behind the boat. A variety of crank baits should be purchased, some small, some large, some slim and sleek, some fat and short. My favorites are Salmo Hornets, Bullheads, Stings, and Minnows. A variety of colors is also a must, I like to start off with something in a fire tiger or clown color and play around until I find something that’s working. A variety of floating, sinking, and suspending baits is necessary as is a selection of baits that run various depths.
Hundreds of walleye, and most of my biggest fish come on crank baits, whether casting or trolling them. Much of my tournament angling time and guiding time is spent pulling cranks because of the ability to cover so much water effectively, and the percentage of fish hooked that make it into the boat. If a client hooks into a nice fish and loses it on the way up, they think about it the rest of the day, that doesn’t happen very often when pulling crank baits!
They key in pulling cranks is finding an approach you’re comfortable with, spend some time on the water playing around with different depths and lures until you find something you’re happy with. Just make sure you try a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes! Good luck out there and I hope this helps you put more fish in the live well!
Take care and good luck!
Matthew J. Breuer
Northcountry Guide Service
(218) 444-6479
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