Mitchell’s swivel trick can make a big difference. To further fine-tune and slow your presentation, use a spring-bobber rod (St. Croix and Thorne Brothers make good ones). Twitching, shaking, and jigging baits with a spring-bobber rod creates natural movements that seem more acceptable to leery walleyes.
Duke ’Em with Droppers
Dropper Rigs—A walleye search lure can be made from flash or swimming lures in your tackle box—simply remove all the hooks and add a dropper line. The idea is to attract fish with the bigger bait and get them to eat the little one. Walleyes reluctant to strike bigger flash lures often take the smaller offering. When the bite is as tough as it sometimes can get, the In-Fisherman staff often has been successful with search lures, a deadly package most fish can’t resist.
Below flash lures like a 3/4-ounce Northland Buckshot Rattle Spoon, I prefer a Nils Master Hali Snap Chain rigged with a single #6 Aberdeen hook or a #6 or #8 treble tipped with a minnow or minnow head. The chain is strong and doesn’t seem to deter strikes.
Modifying swimming lures such as the Rapala Jigging Shad Rap, HT Quick Strike Minnow, or Salmo Chubby Darter is another option. Use a wire-cutter to clip off both the tail and nose hooks on a Jigging Shad Rap to prevent the dropper from tangling. Heavy-pound-test mono droppers, like Northland Dropper Hooks, are strong enough to hold big walleyes, and the short, stiff line rarely tangles with the main line.
Steadfast Sticks
Deadsticking—Keeping a minnow suspended right in the critical zone often has produced more than any other presentation. Put a minnow on a plain hook or teardrop-style jig, place a deadstick rod in a holder, and let it sit while you jig nearby. Many times fish move in, shy away from the jigging lure, and take the livebait dangling on the deadstick rod just a few feet away. Sneaky trick, but it works.
A deadstick is half backbone and half noodle. The rod should bend with ease when a fish takes the bait (serving as a strike indicator), but must have enough backbone to fight fish. Several companies make rod actions specially designed for deadsticking. Thorne Brothers, for instance, makes deadstick rods for walleyes that offer the right combination of extra-ultralight tip plus sturdy butt section.
Using a jig keeps minnows anchored. For walleyes, a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jig keeps 2- to 3-inch minnows or 3- to 4-inch shiners pretty much in place. To slow minnow movement further, pinch off the bait’s tail fin.
Last word, Mitchell: “It’s critical to know that walleyes are in the area. When you stop seeing fish on screen or with an underwater camera, it’s time to switch locations. Keep moving until you find fish, then downsize.
“Downsizing can get extreme. Use jigs that weigh 1/32 ounce, tipped with maggots and presented on 2- to 4-pound line. Keep scaling down to determine if it makes a difference. When it does, you’ll be glad you experimented.”
