Cranky Summer Walleyes
by
Gary Parsons & Keith Kavajecz
 In
this, the hottest part of the season, a walleye’s metabolism is running
as high as it’s going to run all year. That’s what makes now such a
great time of year ... aggressive fish that are eating all the time. For
years we have heard old tales about how tough fishing can be during
these “Dog Days”, but in reality, if you’re not catching fish, it’s
because you’re either not in the right place or you’re using the wrong
approach. To find them, find their food source. Most of the best summer
walleye fishing will key on either Open Water Basins or Deep Structure.
While these are vastly different locales, your best choice of
presentations will be the same for each ... trolling crankbaits.
Open Water Basins:
Waters such as the Great Lakes or large natural lakes like Wisconsin’s
Lake Winnebago, feature immense areas of open water in the lake’s basin
area and fishing walleyes over these vast areas has become increasingly
popular over the years. Open water walleyes relate to baitfish roaming
these basins in the summer. In most cases fish will be suspended in the
water column, but will occasionally be found hugging bottom. No matter
where they are, keep in mind that these fish feed in an upward
direction. This is important, because when running your lures, you’ll
need to target depths at the same level, or above where the walleyes are
located. Experimenting with lure depth will zero-in on the walleyes’
“feeding zone”, which is the depth at which they will most likely attack
your bait. Many anglers make the mistake of marking fish at a particular
depth, say 20 feet down over 35 feet of water, and run all their lures
at 20 feet. The actual “feeding zone” of those walleyes may be at 15
feet, thus, by putting the baits below that level, they go untouched.
This style of fishing calls for covering vast amounts of water, so it
only makes sense that by spreading your lures out as you troll would
greatly increase your chances of contacting more walleyes. For this
reason, in-line boards like Off Shore Tackle’s OR-12 Side Planer are
considered essential gear for trolling. These boards are well designed
and work flawlessly pulling deep diving crankbaits under the toughest of
conditions, whether that’s bouncing through rough water, or trolling at
higher-than-average speeds. The fact is, if you’re trolling open water
without boards, you’re severely handicapping yourself.
 Deep
Structure:
Walleyes that inhabit large reservoirs like those found from the Dakotas
to the hills of the Ozarks are occasionally caught in open water, but
are more likely to spend the late summer period relating closer to deep
water structure such as the old river channel, main-lake points, or deep
flats. These fish may be sitting tight to structure, or hanging in what
we call “the fringes”, where they’re suspended just off structure.
Although considered to be “structure related”, these walleyes tend to be
scattered, calling for techniques designed to cover water in order to
contact good numbers of fish. Contour trolling is a deadly tactic for
these fish, yet, as with the open water trolling scenario, it’s
important to be reminded that these are aggressively feeding fish, and
finding the fish’s “feeding zone” in relation to their location is key.
Again, plan on running your lures just above the fish for best results.
The Right Baits:
The warm waters of late summer call for crankbaits that can really draw
attention to themselves. Lures that exhibit a lot of “wobble” and
vibration, as well as plenty of flash are the ones that will serve you
best. The Berkley Flicker Shad has all these traits along with a great
rattle system and has proven itself a great late-summer walleye producer
in both open water and deep structure trolling situations. Trolling with
no-stretch Berkley FireLine in 10 pound test will enhance your depth
coverage, allowing you to add as much as 30% to a crankbait’s maximum
depth range.
Color can be a big factor for success, and one key color stands out no
matter where we troll in late summer ... aggressive walleyes like seeing
red! A splash of red on the head or bill of a lure has proven to be an
effective attractant, as has adding red to the belly of a lure. Red is a
color very visible to walleyes, and since you are presenting the bait
above the fish, in his “feeding zone”, it makes sense to give him
something he can easily see from below. As the crankbait wobbles back
and forth, the red belly also gives a good contrast to the lure’s side
color (be it silver, chartreuse, etc.) adding to the bait’s appeal.
Summary:
Don’t get caught thinking that the “Dog Days” of late summer mean slow
walleye fishing. This is a hot time of season, calling for aggressive
trolling tactics. Cover water with a bevy of high action lures trolled
in the walleyes’ “feeding zone” and you’ll have some scalding action on
those hot summer fish.
Editor's Note: If
you have questions or comments on this or other articles of ours you may
have read, contact us through our website at
www.thenextbite.com .
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