Catching Walleye is fun, a good fight, and they are great eating, but catching them can be a challenge at times. On this three day adventure we found the Walleye bite different each night, requiring us to work three different presentations. The first night the Walleyes were very aggressive and slammed the crankbaits, the second night we had to change to a rig that allowed the Walleyes to run with the bait before siting the hook (leech on slip bobber), and the third night we had to change to a smaller presentation with a slow retrieval right on the bottom.
Most Aggressive Walleye Strikes – Evening 1
On the first evening of our Walleye trip we started off using the Bandit 200 & 300. We worked three different colors with the bandit 200 Purple Back producing the most strikes and the Bandit 300 Bumble Bee close behind.
The action was incredible as we caught over 15 Walleyes in just 2 hours. The Walleyes ranged from 14 inches to 22 inches, which is a good eating size. We kept just enough for a good meal that night and then set back to enjoy a few drinks as we told many of our past fishing and hunting stories.
Finicky Walleye Strikes – Evening 2
On the second evening we started off with our Bandit Crankbaits, but after 30 minutes and not one strike we needed to change things up. So we went with a slip bobber and a large leech, eight feet down (11 feet of water) just off a sandbar with a weed line cutting across it.
The Walleyes were very picky as the bobber would go down quickly, but if you set the hook right away you missed them. So we had to let them run, tighten up the line and set the hook once we felt tension. This worked great, as we again caught a lot of walleyes in less than two hours. We then went back to camp and prepared a meal for the neighbor, which he really appreciated.
Slow Retrieval Walleye Action – Evening 3
On the third night I finally remembered my GoPro and told the two Michigan Fishermen that I had to video tonight’s Walleye trip, and that anything they said I could use. They both agreed, I think?
So on this night we started with both the Bandits and a leech on a slip bobber. After ~30 minutes and only one hard strike on the bandit 300 Bumble Bee we figure the Walleyes had to be on the bottom and were even more finicky than the previous evening. So we took a small Jig, added a black/green Crappie Skirt, and tipped the hook with a small leech. It did not take long before the action was on, as you will see in the video.
The Walleye Action ranged from soft taps to almost ripping the rod right out of my hands. The retrieval needed to be slow with very little bouncing off the bottom. The Walleye Bites came in threes, so they had to be traveling in small schools. The video shows it all, enjoy!
