The first thing “they” tell you—“they” being veteran anglers skilled at extracting useful information from unsuspecting fishermen—is not blatantly to ask another angler, “What did you catch ‘em on, and where?” That’s like demanding insider trading secrets; nice to have and highly profitable, but few folks are gonna spill their guts with that caliber of information, especially to some stranger. You’ll more likely get disinformation, or no response at all.
Instead, be more subtle and humble, beat around the bush a bit, offer a few compliments, and then skillfully sneak in a probe or two. Weasel your way into their confidence. “Nice fish. Bet they fought good. How deep did you catch ‘em?” Always a good first question—sort of generic and not too intrusive a threat.
Next: “Is that so?” Great. You now have a productive depth range. Relate (share) some of your own recent experiences, even if they’re not particularly productive, and then slide in, “What kinds of areas?” Don’t flat-out ask the exact location of their best spots, but try to get a handle on the types of areas that produced. You can find similar areas on your own.
If you can weasel that much out of your new best buddies, you earn a passing grade in psychology and have garnered some useful information. But don’t stop there. Try to improve your grade, and see how much water you can draw before the well dries up. It doesn’t hurt to make another cast; they just might bite.
“Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I suppose you caught ‘em mostly on . . . jigs . . . rigs . . . cranks . . . bouncers”—whatever you think might be logical for those depths and types of areas. If they agree with your apparent wisdom and prowess, you’re all set. If not, and they offer you some additional or unusual insights, you’re in. Set the hook.
“Oh, really! You caught ‘em on spoons . . . bladebaits . . . slip bobbers! Now that’s interesting. I wouldn’t a thought o’ that. Goofy fish. Did they bite best during the day, or just in the morning . . . evening . . . when the wind came up? Hmm, I suppose color made a difference?” And you’re picking their pockets even farther. By the time you’re done, you have a pretty good idea of what’s been working, where, when, how deep, and in what colors. Oughta be against the law. In some states, it probably is.
In a perfect world, everybody would get along, there’d be plenty of big fish to go around, and they’d always be biting. And folks would just share their information, and maybe even mark your lake map. In fact, if you want to be an optimist and try that route, don’t hold back; be the first to offer the most and hope for the best. Sometimes, however, you’re gonna get burned on that deal. And sometimes, when you really need to pull a rabbit out of your hat, you gotta weasel the competition—or perhaps even some poor unsuspecting angler who’s catching more and bigger fish than you are. In essence, all’s fair in love and walleyes. Remember, if you feel guilty afterwards, you can always release their fish.
Establishing Structure and Depth Patterns The Hard Way—Earning Them
If you have a shred of decency and a talent for fishing, you’ll also likely spend a good deal of time establishing and refining fishing patterns on your own. That’s the difference between ferreting out your own productive spots and methods, and weaseling them out of someone else.
Begin with a general premise: Search for seasonally appropriate areas, given what the body of water has to offer. In spring, walleyes head to rocks swept by current—spawning areas. Productive patterns usually revolve around shallow water, the first available drop-off outside such areas, or adjacent cover.
