Over the past few weeks the wind and temperatures have started to act more like summer. The wind is calm or not there and its the middle of the day and your sweating sitting in a fishing boat. People always say, "Those walleyes aren't biting". Wrong! Make best with what you have. What I do is move fast to cover ground. I will either take out the bottom bouncers or grab the trolling rods for some cranking.
If I am fishing a lake with lots of structure, I take out the bottom bouncers. I feel that I have much more control over tight corners, points and drop offs. I am able to manage where my bait is at any given moment. What I am looking for are really steep breaks with good weed growth. Now that you found these, put on the bottom bouncers and go! Stay right on the weed edge or a few feet from it. Dont even turn around to cover the ground more than once. Now if I get a fish or two on, I will turn around one more pass and then keep moving. For speed i'm moving between 1.0 and 2.2 MPH. A good rule of tumb on a bottom bouncers is, for every 10 feet down add an ounce. So for example if I am 20 feet down I have a 2 ounce bouncer on, 30 feet a 3 ounce. For bait, simple Night Crawlers and spinners. With this style of fishing we are looking for fish that are active, and aggressive, spinners tend to get those fish to bite. It is a great way to search for fish when the wind lays down and the fish seem to spread out.
Now, if I am on a lake with no structure, its a big bowl with one or two points, I am pulling out the trolling rods and crankbaits. In the middle of the day I am searching for fish in the basin or bottom of that lake. But they still will relate to drop offs and bottom content. What I am doing is pulling my crankbaits out off the break 10 to 30 yards, looking for those fish that are just laying down on the bottom waiting for something to pass by. Speeds vary but I like to move around 1.5 to 3 MPH. You make think thats fast, but when your rod starts double over going 3 mph, you'll want to go faster! Crankbaits that I like are the Reef Runners or Salmo's. These baits I feel have the best action to get the job done moving at these speeds. I try to keep my crank baits two to 3 feet up of the bottom, and the dirtier the water the closer to the bottom I will be.
So the next time that the wind lays down and its in the middle of the day, GO FAST! Cover ground and dont be afraid to just keep going. If your just learning a lake you may find new structure, rock piles or even catch a few walleyes. Its a great way for kids and other family members to get out and catch some walleyes on a nice day, when its not raining, cold and windy. Good luck to all those who are heading out. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to email me at hhguide@hotmail.com or call at 320-766-2320.