2020 walleye season nears...what's new?

[battlehammer]

Hamburg beach on Erie last night- 3 man limit - water was almost 48- nautical ride out to Hamburg kept boat numbers low- calmed down nicely after midnight


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[whaler1]

Boom!


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[battlehammer]

If I can go boom in the morning on a Tom now that would top of my 50th Bday over the weekend!


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[wishinfishin]

Bite sucked on saint Lawrence. Only a few guys i talked to caught some and it was only 1.

And a buddy caught a few fishing all day

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[rvan]

Just got home from Honeoye trolled for an hour nothing no bites stopped and throw black and silver rapala for a hour caught 2 walleye one 17 one 12 and 4 lb bass

[Chickensloop]

I will work from home as long as I have a job. I will wear a mask if I have to buy groceries. I will (and did) reject my parents wishes to come over for Easter. I will be prudent and practical. However, I alone in my boat in the middle of the water imperils no one. I will not abide heavy-handed, disingenuous, and unconstitutional government dictates. The only thing keeping me off the water will be the weather.

I like your reasoning bosco.....


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[justtracytrolling]

We did 15 kept 7 lost 4 somehow and missed another 4-5.  I was able to dial in an evening troll pattern, night casting, and a morning troll pattern in one 12 hr trip.  Next walleye casting trip will probably involve a fly rod!  My phone was dead by morning so I wasn't in charge of pics and you can tell!  I'll do a full report later.

Edited May 4, 2020 by justtracytrolling
Better more suitable picture

[bosco]

Did Chautauqua last night. I don't know the lake. Looked at the DEC contour map, picked a couple spots and got into them pretty quick. 1st was a 26" and it was all down hill from there. 2 more eaters and 3 shorts. I'll take it. It was a nice night. Little windy. Few other things I'd rather be doing.

[bosco]

17 hours ago, rvan said:

Just got home from Honeoye trolled for an hour nothing no bites stopped and throw black and silver rapala for a hour caught 2 walleye one 17 one 12 and 4 lb bass

Black and silver was the ticket for me too. I went with Smithwick though because I like the rattles.

[bosco]

So Justin, got any thoughts about the disparity between Friday and Saturday for you? Also, if you're banging them on Otisco like that already, I-Bay may be closer to turning on than I would have thought. The two have seemed to follow similar patterns in years past.

[justtracytrolling]

Several reasons why I did so much better night 2.  First, lake was 46 Friday pond 52 and with the runoff the current was strong at the causeway creating a 6 degree warmer current.  so many fish in that area the bass guys caught walleye in the middle of the day. Lake was 50 on Saturday and pond was 53 so the warm water discharge wasn't as dramatic.  Doesn't matter if the bite is good I don't crowd shore guys and I won't combat troll or setup to fish the cut with 3-4 other boats.  Plus guiding by boat and fishing a shore spot isn't gonna get you alot of repeat business.  The other reason is starting at midnight doesn't leave time for making much of a plan b and I started with last year's opening program and fish were shallower.  Casting takes a lot of fishing and moving to convince yourself which spots are best for any given weather pattern and I started literally a couple hundred yards from where I should have been fishing and worked the wrong way around the lake and by the time I realized what I needed to try the night was all but over and I went to bed before moon set on a clear flat night and missed the late bite and the early one was before midnight.  After being 180 degrees off day one I was nearly perfect with my decisions and plan day 2 and caught fish all over trolling and casting.  The only thing I tried that didn't work was fishing the causeway where it was hot the night before as there literally was nobody on the lake after 1 am.  Sometimes it's a 50/50 guess and I guessed wrong day 1.  Early season especially you need to try the Keitechs I told you about....just have to try the swing impact on a 1/8 oz tungsten jighead.  All the action we had was males still milking except for one big girl that I lost waiting for a net.  My hardcore walleye buddies don't exactly drop their rod and get the net and when I turned to see if the net was coming fish came right at me and I didn't even have my left hand on the reel... stupid and careless.  Lastly, Friday morning the lake came up a foot over night.  That sort of stuff doesn't usually add up to predictable patterns. On Otisco you can't depend on walleye doing what they have before.  Every season is vastly different

[fisherman21]

Two opening morning, and two last night. Missed and lost a couple both nights . If you haven’t tried the sight flash keitechs Justin is talking about on the tungsten jig head, you are missing bites! They work well.

 

[justtracytrolling]

I've spent years trying to find the perfect swimjigs and these are it!  Anyone looking for a special deal  on these baits or info please contact me!  This pic is the fat series 5.8 inch on a half oz jig CHOKED!  I know everyone says you gotta try this or that, but I'm telling you these baits will change walleye fishing for you!

[justtracytrolling]

I ended up landing 33 in 3 days with almost a 5 lb average.  We kept 17 total. 26 casting and 7 trolling.  I think 23 of the casting fish came on the Keitech swimjigs!  

 

[Smat64]

Great fishing all! Leave some for me:)


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[Chowdaire]

Great stuff, guys!

And those keitechs are killers. Use them every time out for bass too. Great on their own or as trailers.


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[fisherman21]

Sight flash choked

[bettieanne]

Wow, nice work justtracy! That’s a great catch for sure. I am looking for info on those swim jigs. I have always been a Great Lakes troller, which has made me a 1 trick pony. If I had some more jigging experience I am sure that would have benefited us last weekend.... time to learn a few new things


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[justtracytrolling]

If you can find feeding fish where they move up in shallow water, preferably less than 10 fow, it's pretty simple really.  Using different weight jigs depending on the desired depth you slow roll the swimbait.  The key is SLOW!!   I don't "jig" them at all...just a slow, smooth, steady retrieve. A 1/8 ounce tungsten jighead is a good all purpose start, but as weeds become an issue or if it's very shallow and rocky you will want 1/16 ounce.  Keitech has 3/16 and 1/4 as well.  You want the 3/0 hook.   The 4.5 inch swing impact is a good numbers size.  The fat 4.8  and 5.8 are great for a big fish bait.  I use thin braid to a micro barrel swivel to seaguar premier 12lb leader.  With heavier jigs or weedy conditions I go up to 15lb leader.  Make long casts parallel to shore or structure you are fishing.  If you are in search mode make 30 degree angle casts so you cover a varied depth and relative positions.  On small water where they feed around docks I primarily just make long slightly angled casts at the ends of the docks in like 4-6 fow.  The bite isn't subtle.  They usually crush it, but you need a solid hook set because every fish will be hooked in the roof of the mouth.  Medium light fast and extra fast action rods are very popular with walleye guys, and I do too on Oneida, but I prefer medium and medium heavy moderate fast to fast action rods for big walleye.  That being said I had my buddies son using my my 5'6" light action myriad walleye rod with an ultra light stradic ci4+ reel and he caught 9 at a 5 lb average without any trouble!

 

[fisherman21]

The cold front that moved through yesterday didn’t stop the fish from biting. Got 7 eyes, 2 rock bass, and a decent largemouth. Keitechs slow rolled were hot! 

[bettieanne]

Justtracy - thanks for the knowledge and covering it so throughly. When I try new things I typically am second guessing every little aspect. When I get those swim baits in the mail and tie one on I will be tying them on with confidence of the complete set up due to your advice! I know what works at one place may not at others but I fish multiple places and sure it will at one of them. Fisherman21- nice fish! Way to get er done


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[justtracytrolling]

They will work!  I was just watching The Next Bite and they were talking about the biggest changes in walleye fishing.  They were of the opinion that large action tails up to 4" have revolutionized fishing big walleye.  Ive used several brands and styles and they all worked to some degree.  What I was looking for was a bait that would work when it's bright and flat.  Anyone who has done this night casting big walleye feeding on alewives knows there are times when the fish are all around and you just can't get bit.  Snagged bait helps on those nights, but the Keitechs fix the problem.  Using paddle tails up to 4" is what's new...using paddle tails starting at 4.5" and up to 6" is what I've been doing.  Keitech makes the highest quality paddle tails to 8" and they work better than anything I've tried casting.

[bosco]

So 2 things. First, I won’t fish with anything whose pronunciation is in question. That’s why I use Smithwick instead of Ruh-Pal-Uh (or is it Rap-Uh-Luh?) See what I mean? Second, I’m not going fishing again at all until the temperature drops a little. Just too darned warm out there for night fishing Walleye right now.

[bosco]

Seriously though....I ordered some.

[justtracytrolling]

I'm trying to motivate myself enough to try it tonight!  Doesn't look to appealing out!