Top Options Right Now (No Matter Where You Fish)

As we passed a point (shoreline-connected projection) in the Bay where the water went from 30 up to 25 feet and then back down to 30, the rod with the deep-diving plug pulled down hard. As I fought the fish, one of the other rods went down as well. Each fish weighed about 8 pounds. Reeling in the other rod to motor up and make another pass, we found it fouled with weeds or we might well have had a tripleheader.

Long story short: A huge school of fish was feeding heavily in the area of the point, suspended from 15 to 25 feet down. Although we made another pass like the first, we soon realized the shallow plugs on long lines far behind boards out to the side of the boat were unnecessary. At that point we just ran two rods, each with a Deep Tail Dancer, about 90 feet behind a board only 25 feet out to each side of the boat.

But the boards weren’t necessary, either. On our fourth pass we just ran a Tail Dancer 80 feet straight back on each side of the boat—and got bit on both rods almost every pass. In an hour, struggling arduously into the wind each time to reposition for a trolling run past the point, we caught more than a dozen fish that went 7 to 11 pounds. Then the conditions worsened and we quit.

Where had the fish come from? Had they moved the four miles or so from the Ferry area? Had they just been in the area the previous week or so but not feeding?

Typically in the situations I’ve mentioned, color can matter greatly or, in the last instance, probably not at all. But color only becomes a factor once the elements of depth control, speed control, and plug type have been solved. By far our best shallow-runner color was a Glass Rapala pattern called Glass Blue Minnow, although we also caught a few fish on the Ghost Minnow. Many other anglers working the Bay had narrowed the best Reef Runner colors to Eriedescent, Blue Prism, and Blue Chrome. Our best Tail Dancer color in previous years was Purpledescent, and this was the color we had on that day of frenzied fishing.

In water with marginal clarity, I believe in trolling multiple baits in a closer set that tends first to bring fish to the set, after which they decide which of the individual baits they want. This is another story I’ve already covered—in our August/September issue 2006, should you face those conditions where you fish this fall and be puzzled about how to proceed. Double-rigging including a spinner rig can be a top option in these waters. Back issues of In-Fisherman are available at 800/260-6397 or in-fisherman.com.

Casting Swimbaits

I’ve addressed the swimbait option many times before. It can be dynamite during fall in certain situations. Although I haven’t been able to do it myself, we have enough feedback from anglers around the Great Lakes to know what I suspected: That swimbaits are a top option from piers on Erie and on eastern Lake Ontario, fished at night in November and sometimes into December. They should be a superior option anywhere walleyes swim in near-shore areas on the Great Lakes.

I’m talking about using the combination of a Berkley PowerBait Swim Shad (5 inches), marketed as a saltwater product, coupled with an Owner Ultrahead Saltwater Bullet jighead weighing 1/2 or 3/4 ounce. The Owner heads are available online at ownerhooks.com or through the Bass Pro Shops Saltwater Specialties catalogue. The easiest place to get the Swim Shads, if they aren’t available in nearby tackle shops, is via the Berkley website at berkley-fishing.com. My favorite colors are Senorita, Rainbow, and Anchovy. If you look for an alternative jighead, make sure it has the longer shank necessary to handle the swimbait-style softbait body.