The heat of summer can be a difficult time to catch walleyes. These fish certainly eat during summer, but most lakes are full of bait fish now so walleyes have lots of options when it comes to finding their next meal.
To combat this situation for my summer guide clients, I often use presentations that fish quickly. Quick moving baits give us the advantage of upping the odds for putting our baits in front of some biters. Also, a bait “on the move” will often trigger some neutral fish into biting.
Bottom bouncers and spinners are one quick-moving bait presentation that often works well, particularly when the fish are relating to mid- to deep-water structure like the edges of underwater points, along sunken islands, and over the tops of sunken humps.
I like to rig with a heavy bottom bouncer, 2- and 3-ounce models get the most play in my boat, and keep the bouncer fairly vertical while moving along quickly at speeds from .8 to 1.5 mph. Experimentation is the best way to find the preferred fishing speed on a given day.
Traditional spinners tipped with nightcrawlers work for this style rigging. Recently, however, we had a chance to sample the new Butterfly Blades and found they often outproduced traditional spinner blades.
These poly-carbonate blades come in a bunch of “fishy” colors and provide maximum flash and vibration to attract fish and trigger bites. In addition, these blades spin at slower speeds than most blades, giving anglers more options in trying to find the speed that triggers the most bites.
Bouncers and spinners work well to find and trigger summer walleyes relating to structure. When the fish move away from structure, say they’re spread across mid-depth flats or roaming deep water basins, trolling crankbaits is a great way to maximize your chances for a good catch. Again, crankbaits fish quickly so lots of water can be covered and their actions are good for triggering bites.
We’ve had good success trolling Lucky Shad and Bonsai Shad crankbaits recently. These baits have actions that walleyes like and they come in lots of walleye-preferred colors too. Our favorites are crystal shad, strobe shad, and yellow perch, though experimentation is the best way to find the “color of the day.”
When walleyes are on mid-depth flats, trolling using traditional monofilament line works well. Deeper basin fish often call for leadcore line which takes the baits to deeper depths.
Regardless the depth fished, we often use Off Shore planer boards with crankbaits. Planer boards attach to the fishing line, and as more line is let out, they take baits away from the boat. This allows us to cover a wide path when trolling and also minimizes the chances of fish spooking from our bait as the boat passes overhead. As water clarity continues to improve in lots of lakes, planer boards help us combat this situation and up our walleye catches!
Fishing speed is another important consideration when pulling crankbaits and again experimentation is key, though we often find success trolling around 1.8 to 2.2 mph.
If finding summer walleye fishing success is your goal, consider pulling spinners or trolling crankbaits. These baits cover lots of water, trigger aggressive bites, and can probably put summer gold in your livewell!
As always, good luck on the water and remember to include a youngster in your next outdoors adventure!
By Mike Frisch, a western Minnesota fishing guide and co-host of the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series. Visit www.fishingthemidwest.com or follow Fishing the Midwest on Facebook for more “fishy” stuff.