Summertime walleyes can be tricky to catch because they often are distributed widely and found at various depths in a water column (definition: a hypothetical "column" of water from surface to bottom). This means walleyes that in earlier season might have hung out at or near the bottom instead, in midsummer, might be 2 or even 3 feet off the bottom. A standard Lindy (or sliding sinker) rig might miss these fish by presenting bait too near the bottom. An alternative is to deploy a floating snell, whose tiny float lifts the bait higher while still utilizing the presentation advantages of a sliding-sinker rig. Floating Lindy rigs or similar snells are available at bait and sporting goods shops.

Dennis Anderson