We fished Friday night just to get out with some friends for a fishing night. There was a pretty good wind and we managed to find some walleyes on top of the big mid-lake flat. Small walleyes… but walleyes nonetheless. So when we pulled the lake for league Tuesday night I figured we had a shot at catching some fish. See the rest of Walleye League Episode 5 – Small Walleyes and Big Wind →
Not much to say about this big walleye. The boy hauled it in last night using a leech on a Lindy Rig in 20 feet. She measured out at 28 inches. After returning it safely to the water he boated a 23 and a 19, both put back in the lake. His mother pulled in a 26 incher five minutes after we arrived. I spent the evening watching, netting, and drowning a leech. No complaints.
When the lake for this week was announced as a “surprise” at the bait shop, the news was met with a whole bunch of grumbling and complaining. This lake had been dubbed the “Dead Sea” for a few years for its notorious lack of walleye action, and a few of the guys in the league had some personal experience with fishless nights on it. Since my son and I had never fished it, we had no reason to gripe. We were in for a pleasant surprise. See the rest of Walleye League Episode 4 – Hog Night →
It was back to the real world this week for my son and I. After managing to scrounge up enough fish to nail down third place last week, we came up short last night with no weighable fish in the live well. This is fishing… sometimes you find them, sometimes you don’t.
With the second night of league, we start pulling lakes out of the hat. So when everyone pulled up to the bait shop it was a complete mystery until about 5:00, when the lake was drawn. The lake pulled was definitely not our favorite. We never fish it (other than during league). The lake is about 540 acres and has a couple of holes about 50ft deep. For the most part, the boats in our league were working the windy side of a couple of mid-lake points. See the rest of Walleye League Episode 3 – The Agony of Defeat →
I got a little reminder about experimenting last week when my wife and I hit a local lake to test the walleye action. Earlier in the week my son and I had fished league using lindy rigs and leeches. Our setup was comprised of a six foot leader with a plain red hook tipped with a nice big leech. The idea was to move very slowly using the electric trolling motor to let the leech swim around. We were lucky enough to boat one nice 22″ fish using this setup, but did not catch another walleye that night with this setup. You can read that blog posting for the rest of the story, but we switched to other baits, basically giving up on the rig for the night. See the rest of Experiment with Lindy Rig Snell Length when Fishing for Walleyes →
This year’s fishing opener exceeded my hopes with respect to the weather, but missed the mark a bit with respect to the walleye bite. Chalk it up to the early ice-out and warmer-than-average temperatures. We were more in search mode than fish mode for a couple of days and had to work for the keepers that we found. This is not to say that fishing was bad… plenty of folks got on top of some nice bunches of fish and did very well… we just spent more time searching for good spots than actually working the spots where we marked fish.
On this lake, we generally let the wind tell us where to fish. Find the likely structure taking the wind and work our way in and out. We also knew that shiners were still spawning and decided to play that hand as well. We stuck with jig and shiner for Saturday and Sunday. Working close to a couple of creek outlets in about 8 feet of water produced a nice 17″ walleye in the first few minutes of our Saturday afternoon outing. We worked that shore for a bit longer but decided to move around a bit to see if we could find other locations holding fish. We wandered across a popular mid-lake flat and started searching along the south edge. We finally started marking some fish in 20 feet and were able to pull a few smaller walleyes over the next hour or so. Satisfied that we had another good possibility for our first night of league, we left the spot alone. The remainder of the weekend followed a similar pattern. We played the wind, found a few fish and moved on. Jig and minnow in 20 feet or less seemed the most productive, although we managed a couple pulling crankbaits in shallower water in the evening. We managed to boat enough fish to enjoy a fresh walleye dinner Monday night. See the rest of Walleye League Episode 2 – Opener and First Night of League →
22 days until the Minnesota walleye opener. My son has been down to the river and the suckers are thick below the dam. Plenty of walleyes scattered in as well, and it’s enough to get the blood pumping.
We’ve fished a local walleye league for the past three years and I thought it would be fun to blog about it here. Those who fish, and even those who don’t might find it interesting.
The night we fish has 15 boats, and for the last three years we’ve finished in the middle of the pack. Our goal every year is to do well enough to make it to the top four by the end of the season. Top four go to the end of the year fish-offs for the championship.
League rules are pretty simple; 10 lakes go in the hat and every week we head to the bait shop, pull a lake out of the hat and everyone heads to the landing. Every boat has to be back at the landing by 9:30 for the weigh-in. 15 points for top weight (4 fish max), 14 for second, etc. Everyone who blanks gets half of the last spot left (i.e. if only 5 boats catch fish… 15, 14, 13 ,12, 11 points, then everyone else gets 5 points). Keeps it interesting. See the rest of Walleye League Episode 1-Pre Season →
Wow… spring is really early this year. The ice is off the big lake about two weeks ahead of time. This is going to probably mean some early spawning activity. With warmer waters around the opener a couple of my favorite early season haunts will probably be out the window, so I’ll have to concentrate on some of my spring spots out on the main lake. This should be fun.
Where do you plan to start this opener? Register for the WalleyeGuy Forum to start a conversation with other walleye fishermen. Opener will be here before you know it!
As spring approaches I’m starting to make my checklists. Looking out the back window I see the water flowing nicely down the river and know that the walleyes will soon start contemplating the yearly trek upstream and to the natural spawning areas on local lakes. While they make those preparations I’m making my own, going over my gear, thinking about what I need to add or remove.
The boat.
I hate to say it, but the boat was left in a bit of disarray last fall. Hunting came too fast and all I could manage was a quick change of oil in the lower unit before I shoved it in the garage. So I need to do some serious work there. Be sure to drain and replace the lower unit oil if you didn’t do so in the fall. Replace the spark plugs. Plugs are cheap, you’d hate to be sitting at the dock trying to fire up the Merc with old plugs. Charge the batteries… I have three deep cycle batteries in my boat and try to replace one of them each year. Make sure all of the lights are working, including the trailer lights. These things all seem so simple and they are… you just need to dedicate an afternoon to running through the checklist. Check your trailer tires for wear and make sure the bearings are in good shape.
The Gear.
Nothing too complicated here. Change the fishing line, buy more stuff. 
See you on the water!
Picking a high quality walleye fishing rod can be a daunting task. G-Loomis is a great option. They make some of the finest rods on the market. If you are looking to upgrade from a mid-range rod, this guide will help you understand some of the choices available.
Among the choices you will find models tailored specifically to walleye fishing. These models were developed with input from top walleye fisherman and perform well in most fishing conditions:
- G. Loomis Walleye Spinning Rods Model: WJR751S (6′ 3″, Mag. Light)
- G. Loomis Walleye Spinning Rods Model: WPJR822S (6′ 10″, Med)
- G. Loomis Walleye Spinning Rods Model: WRR8501S (7′ 1″, Med. Light)
G-Loomis walleye fishing rods are individually designed for different walleye fishing techniques. They pay attention to detail to the point that even the line guides are carefully matched to each technique. G-Loomis offers several different models and has perhaps the best warranty in the business, Xpeditor Service, which guarantees any broken rod will be replaced with no hassle wherever you are fishing.
A word or two about graphite: Graphite fibers are longitudinal (they run from the butt of the rod to the tip). The higher the modulus, the stiffer the rod. Rod builders put a light, woven scrim (the material that holds the fibers together) on top of the graphite to keep the blank round. A graphite scrim is four times more expensive than fiberglass and much more difficult to manufacture. However, the fiberglass scrim adds weight to the blank, but not stiffness.
The following materials are used in the various walleye rod models:
GLX- Extremely light, yet strong. GLX is an ultra-high modulus graphite coupled with a super-light graphite scrim. The GLX rods are their top-of-the-line walleye fishing rods.
IMX- Very light, sensitive, and powerful, with graphite scrim.
GL3- High strain rate and an advanced resin system which means these fishing rods are really, really strong but light. They are also their most affordable rods.
GL2- GL2 offers superior strength and durability for any situation. GL2 was G-Loomis’s original graphite walleye fishing rod and has undergone significant changes in past years.
G-Loomis uses “Action” and “Power” to rate their rods and defines them as follows:
Action
Rod action refers to the flex characteristics of a rod, varying from Slow to Extra-Fast. An Extra-Fast action rod flexes mainly at the tip. Slower (or softer) action rods flex throughout the entire length of the rod. Moderate action falls in between. G-Loomis tailors the action of each of their rods to the particular fishing application for which they’re designed, taking into account the preferred lure action, optimum casting range, fighting power, the feel of the rod, and countless other variables.
Power
Loomis rates the power of their rods on a scale of 00 to 8. This rating gives you an idea of how each walleye rod in the series compares in terms of lifting, lighting and casting strength. Because each series is rated independently, a 2-power Spin Jig rod, for example, does not feel the same as a 2-power Steelhead rod. Another way to measure power is resistance to flex or how much each specific rod bends under a load. The 2-power rod flexes more easily than a 3-power and so on. Generally speaking, the heavier your choice of line and lure, the higher the power rating you’ll need.
