By Steve Weisman
In a recent column, we looked at the way Jason Mitchell, recent fishing clinician at the spring Iowa Great Lakes Fishing Club’s spring get-together. Mitchell gave great information about “Weed Walleye” and that weeds are the last best-kept secrets for walleye anglers. However, they are not for the faint of heart, and there is a true learning curve in first understanding weeds and walleyes and then turning that knowledge into how to catch weed walleyes!
Each lake has its own characteristics, so while things can be similar from lake to lake, there are also little nuances that can make the difference between tipping the scales in your favor or coming up short and frustrated.
In visiting with Mitchell, we discussed the first column entitle “Weed Walleyes: The Next Frontier,” so if you need a refresher, go back to that first column…this one is going to be about presentations.
First off, Mitchell says, “Things are always changing. It’s important to relearn and don’t get caught up on yesterday’s success!” These are Mitchell’s presentation arsenal: #-casting bait, jigs and plastics, rattle baits and crankbaits; #2-slip bobbers; #3-drop shotting; #4-spin trolling and spinner harness trolling.
#1-Cast, Cast, Cast…but stay away. Use the Spot Lock to keep you away from the weeds and to help you not spook the fish. Use the spotlock to help you probe the area, looking for openings in the weeds, changes in the height of the weeds and looking for the troughs (highways) where walleyes will travel. Jigs and live bait/plastics are the more finesse casting baits. Mitchell says, “You look for those spots and cast, cast, cast. You have to work the jigs to trigger a walleye’s interest.”
The rattle baits and crankbaits are the aggressive presentations. The rattle bait works well, when you cast, let the bait settle right above the weeds, followed by a pull to get it to swim and then let it drift back down, followed by another pull…A snap helps give the bait more movement.
Early in the season when the weeds are not as high in the water column, try the crankbaits like Northland’s Rumble Shiner, which is meant to mimic the action of a minnow and depending on size will dive anywhere from 4’ to 10’. Another casting crankbait is the Rumble Shad.
#2-The slip bobber…Mitchell says, “The slip bobber is a deadly presentation. It’s one of the easiest to use, and anybody can fish them. It’s so simple, yet so deadly. You can catch the aggressive fish and also the neutral fish on a slip bobber.” The nice thing about the slip bobber is that you can change the depth based on the area you will be fishing. The slip bobber works especially well in openings in the weeds and right along the weed edges. Any wind/water movement will make the bait go up and down. Mitchell especially likes using a leech as a bait. “I hook the leech in the middle, so that it doesn’t ball up, and it really moves well on the hook.”
#3-Drop shotting…Mitchell notes, “Drop shotting is truly finesse and can be extremely deadly. Live bait is good, but it is tough to beat soft plastics because they are more durable.” The amount of line from the hook to the weight is up to the angler, but it seems that having up to a couple feet of line from the hook to the weight helps the fish see the bait better and it’s easy to drift with the rig or cast and then move the bait (weight stays on the bottom) with a slight twitch, twitch.
#4-Trolling/drifting over the weeds. Here is where the electric trolling motor comes in again. With just a little breeze to cause a ripple on the water and with weeds up in the water column but not to the top, using a bullet sinker and a spinner (2’ to 3’ in length) tipped with a soft plastic or live bait can be extremely deadly. Mitchell says, “Walleyes in the weeds are true predators. Run the bait just above the weeds. You can put the rod in a rod holder, but I also like to hold one rod that I can pump the rod and then let it back.”
If the wind is right for a drift over the weeds, then drifting can really work well. Either way, the key is the speed. Some days the walleyes are more neutral, and a slower speed works better. Other days, the fish are extremely aggressive, and speed increases the strikes. Mitchell also stresses with this type of fishing, do not let a rod sit on the floor in the back. Lots of rods have gone out from a jarring strike!
Check out YouTube
That’s quite an arsenal for catching weed walleyes, and yes it can be daunting when you first get started. One of the best ways to work on these presentations is to take it a bit at a time. In other words, take one or two presentations and make them yours. Want to see Mitchell working the weeds? Turn to the Internet and Google Jason Mitchell-weed walleyes. One of his is “Weed Walleyes-Dog Days of Summer” where Mitchell targets shallow weed walleyes in July on Devils Lake.
A second one is Mitchell’s “Pitching Suspended Jerk Baits for Big Walley” in northeast South Dakota. This 18-minute video discusses shallow weed walleye patterns.
These YouTube videos give you a good visual, a potential hands-on of how the presentation works. If you don’t quite get it, play it again. You can also Google other anglers and their weed walleye presentations. Most of these videos will be targeting weed walleyes during different times weed growth, which will help you replicate the presentation when you hit the water.
Fishing with a trusted fishing partner is also a good step. In other words, why reinvent the wheel. Fishing with a partner helps you to more quickly hone in on the presentation. Finally, if you want a good tutorial on the water, hire one of the trusted guides in your area. One day of doing things right can make a huge difference and really shorten the learning curve. Then go out yourself and replicate what you learned from the guide.
Most importantly, don’t try it for just a little while, get frustrated and quit. It takes time and proper repetition and also a good sense of awareness as things change. As we all know, nothing ever stays the same, even on the same fishing trip.
