Senko-style stickbaits, those do-nothing-looking 4- to 6-inch sinking worms, are effective for working mid-river channels where walleyes spend much of their time when less active. I’ve found Yum Dingers, Gary Yamamoto Senkos and Bass Pro Shop’s Stik-Os all to be productive. The areas I like to target with Senko-style baits have moderate current. Often the banks are littered with rocks and wood, places that look great. But with the water warm, walleyes often move off of those great looking banks, especially when the water is low.
Simply allow the boat to drift with the current down these mid-river runs. Texas-rig the straight stickbait with a 1 to 1/0 Gamakatsu offset worm hook. Use a 1/16 to 1/8 ounce bullet weight to hasten the worm’s fall. Make short casts to the side, allowing the bait to flow at the same speed as the boat while you slowly bring it back in. If the water’s deeper, over 10 feet or so, you can fish it vertically, just like you would a jig during the winter. It’s just that the boat will be moving much faster in the mid-river flow. And the bait need not constantly bump the bottom; in clear to stained water, walleye will move a foot or two up to take the worm.
For a change up from T-rigging, I’ll use a number 4 octopus hook to nose hook the bait, which allows it to swing with more action. Productive colors include smoke/red flake and watermelon/pearl laminate. I use an All Star spinning rod (6-foot, 9-inch) with a Pflueger spinning reel, spooled with 8-pound high-vis copolymer line. A two-foot fluorocarbon leader (8-pound-test) keeps the gold line away from the bait.
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