Any walleye angler value their salt is aware of the fondness these fish have for the underside. Sure, generally walleye chase suspended baitfish, however for probably the most half, they’re denizens of lake and riverbeds.
Here’s a refresher on three bottom-dragging sinker combos assured to deliver extra ‘eyes topside.
1. Walking sinker rig
You would have been hard-pressed to seek out me looking for walleye and not using a strolling sinker set-up (also referred to as a Lindy rig) in my formative angling years. Whether trolling or drifting, this versatile rig is a skeleton key for lock-jawed walleye. I’ve used it to catch fish on flats, humps, sandbars, factors, and weedlines.
When drifting a strolling sinker rig, maintain the road together with your index finger and maintain the bail open. This makes it straightforward to set free line on the first indication of a nibble. Wait a pair seconds to let a fish get a mouthful, then reel and sweep the rod to set the hook.
2. Bottom bouncer
On craggy, rocky bottoms, it’s robust to beat a backside bouncer for conserving a presentation within the strike zone with minimal snags. Bouncers go hand-in-hand with worm harnesses and Slow-Death rigs, two potent summertime choices.
A rule of thumb when selecting a weight is one ounce for each 10 ft of water (so two ounces for 20 ft, for instance). Don’t hesitate, nonetheless, to go heavier to enhance management and make sure the predominant line stays inside a 90-to-45-degree angle. Long-lining bouncers may end up in extra snags.
Bottom bouncing is advantageous as a result of metallic wire sends vibrations up the road, performing like an data probe. This reveals backside composition. Dragging a bouncer helps find backside transitions the place walleye congregate. Even when utilizing the newest sonar know-how to seek out rock strips, boulders, and different remoted buildings on mud and sand flats, a bouncer’s vibrations lets you recognize precisely when the presentation is travelling by way of prime territory.
3. Three-way rig
I just like the three-way rig for trolling stick-baits and spoons close to backside. It shines at catching walleye holding tight to particular spots in rivers. Once the sinker is on backside, the boat could be moved slowly ahead, or backward and forward, to bounce the bait by way of a pod of fish. As the present offers the lure loads of motion, a three-way rig lets an angler methodically dissect a spot. A backside bouncer can be utilized equally, however a three-way permits you to customise dropper size to fine-tune how excessive off backside a bait runs.
Don’t hesitate to deploy strolling sinker rigs, backside bouncers, and three-way rigs this season. Whether pulling live-bait or a lure, these set-ups maintain the providing close to backside and within the strike zone of walleye, catching fish from opening day to ice-up.
Dragging versus bouncing
Bottom contact length is an vital consideration with these set-ups. Sometimes, fish reply greatest when a rig’s weight drags continuously alongside backside. In different cases, walleye want a weight hopped alongside backside, which provides a presentation extra of a vertical swim. Experiment with dragging and hopping to study what walleye need on the given day.
Originally revealed in Ontario OUT of DOORS’ 2022 Fishing Annual.
Tim Allard is a full-time freelance journalist and photographer primarily based in Ottawa. He’s the writer of the multi-award profitable ebook Ice-Fishing – The Ultimate Guide. Reach Tim at: mail@oodmag.com