Walleyes in Precarious and Particular
Places
By Bruce
Mosher
Walleyes
and whales could never coexist. Well, first there’s that saltwater
to freshwater issue, and then the fact that whales breathe air
through a blowhole and walleyes take oxygen aquatically, through
gills. Granted, both species spend time in wide open spaces – whales
sucking plankton through their baleen and walleyes sucking flesh
through their choppers – but their timecards differ considerably.
Whales are always at sea. Walleyes are only sometimes at sea;
structure is equally as important to the crowned kings of freshwater
fishes.
 Walleyes
are as committed to formations such as reefs and timber as they are
to the basin. And in the spring, walleyes can be particularly
attached to structure.
From an
angler’s viewpoint, though, structure can introduce dilemmas. Many
of the finest, most fishy spots are the hardest to access. They’re
saturated in snags. Walleyes adore rocks, but they’re a deathtrap
for sinkers and hooks. Emerging greens, such as cabbage and coontail,
are a favorite hangout for springtime walleyes. But unfortunately,
vegetation goes out of its way to snare passing hooks. And forget
about operating amongst emergent weeds, such as maiden cane and
hardstem bulrushes – they’re completely merciless.
Professional walleye angler Johnny Candle and fishing guides Kevin
Neve and Jason Hodos understand walleyes in the willows all too
well. They carve livings on
North Dakota’s
Devils
Lake.
The lake, as you might know, is a flooded entanglement of timber and
shrubbery, not to mention accented with submerged homes and
roadways.
Devils
Lake
is swollen with walleyes, though, so anglers aim to tame it.
To
counterbalance the inherent disadvantage, guys like Candle, Neve,
and Hodos must be deft at working amid the wood. And one of the
surest techniques is also the most elementary, so long as you’re
rigged correctly and working it right.
They
bobber-fish; take a morsel of bait, fix it beneath a float, and
place it in a pocket.
Sound
easy? Ain’t always so, though. Each cast must be positioned with
guidance-system accuracy, because even near-misses result in losses
and mandatory reties. And if it’s rough and the wind’s flapping into
the timber, an anchor won’t do. These boys are adept at tying up to
a tree and gaining the perfect angle.
They
don’t throw conventional bobbers, either, because run-of-the-mill
floats are useless in a headwind and inaccurate with a tailwind.
Rather, Candle, Keve and Hodos rely on the Wave Buster Bobber by
Today’s Tackle. The pencil-style, foam bobber features a 1/8th
ounce weight on its keel, which not only bolsters casting distance,
but also reduces its drifting speed in the open water.
Speaking
of ‘eyes in more reachable venues, I have a special spot that I fish
with my family each spring. It’s a shallow sandy point with
scattered weed pockets; walleyes cover it like a tarp. The fish
don’t like being driven over, though. That sends ‘em fleeing, as is
evidenced by the collapse in the bite if we accidentally drift or
troll over “the spot.” So to eliminate the spooking-factor, we cast
bobbers.
We attack
in one of two ways, too. In a stiff gale, I’ll anchor upwind and
simply drift bobbers back across the hot zone. Casting isn’t
requisite, either. I blanket more water by sliding the bobber in at
boatside and letting Mother Nature slowly take it away. However, a
typical balsa float drifts too briskly in this scenario, but not the
Wave Buster Bobber. The attached, submerged weight combats the wind
and whitecaps.
In a more
manageable wind, we’ll anchor alongside the target with the bow
pointed into the breeze, cast upwind of the spot, and let the waves
walk the bobber across the target and past the stern. From above,
the bobber’s path looks like a wide pendulum swing.
Sometimes, we’ll narrow down center-stage to a 6 or 8 yard area. A
little clump of cabbage or heap of rubble might be the glue that
binds. In such cases, I reposition the boat nearer the spot and give
everyone choice access in a downwind direction.
The Wave
Buster Bobber is calculated to work with a 1/16th or 1/8th
ounce jig – or sinker and plain hook – without any modification. I’m
a supporter of jigs versus hooks on slip-bobbers, too. The jig
furnishes attractiveness and hooking power in a single tool; less
margin of error and tangling potential as well.
Lately,
glow jigs have been the hot ticket. I especially like the red and
green Glo-Ball Jigs from Northland Tackle. Unless otherwise
directed, I set the jig inside a foot of the bottom because walleyes
usually ride super-low in the spring.
On the
subject of glow, the foam body of the Wave Buster is the perfect
match for colored, glow-in-the-dark light sticks. The tiny devices
can be pressed into the head of the bobber, instantly converting it
into a night-fishing tool. And we’re all familiar with the walleye’s
inclination to feed under cover of darkness.
As for
bait, I’m adamant about carrying both leeches and minnows. I let the
local bait shop owner guide my choice in minnows. With leeches, I
dump ‘em in a Leech Tamer and stick the mesh bag in the livewell or
lake-temperature water for 4 to 5 hours before fishing. That
acclimates the leeches and abolishes the “balling-up” predicament
associated with using leeches in the spring.
Effective
hook-setting is another important component in slip-bobber fishing.
Pencil-style floats like the Wave Buster submerge with slight
resistance, so it’s unusual to see one do anything other than
vanish. When it disappears, I point the rod tip to where the bobber
used to be, take up the slack, feel for “weight” or movement, and
set with a decisive sweep. More often than not, that walleye’s
heading home, to me.
Being
constructed of foam, it’s easy to modify a Wave Buster to meet
special circumstances, too. In a gentle wind to dead calm, I’ll
sometimes trim an inch or so off the bobber, especially if I’m using
a lighter 1/16th ounce jig. Even more can be clipped if
you want the bobber just peeking above the surface, further
minimizing resistance to a selective walleye; or if you’re scaling
back to a 1/32nd ounce jig, possibly fishing for
crappies.
I save
those chunks of foam as well, and not because I’m a packrat. They
have legitimate utility. I use them as floats for live bait rigging.
Never
consider a spot too formidable to fish. There are ways to address
those walleyes; whales if you’re whaling. And more often than not, a
surgically planted slip-bobber is the precise device for reaching
walleyes in precarious places.
The
Wave Buster Bobber and other products from Today’s Tackle are
available at finer sporting goods stores and bait shops. You can
also visit their website at
www.todaystackle.com .
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