Body builders are fond of the phrase "no pain, no gain." The same holds true for walleye anglers looking for a trophy to grace the den wall. Big walleyes rarely come easy and few are taken when the weather is balmy and nice.

Fair-weather anglers miss out on a short-lived but savage trophy walleye bite that takes place in many of the Great Lakes most popular fishing waters. Diehard anglers willing to tolerate unpleasant fishing conditions can expect 30-inch plus walleyes as a reward for their cold hands and tingling feet.

The Silent Night Bite

It's a well-known fact that walleyes feed eagerly after dark. Anglers who understand why walleyes go on the prowl after dark often enjoy untapped twilight fishing action.

Adult walleyes are like trophy whitetail deer. Both are conditioned to be up and about when predators are least active.

Walleyes bite in the dark all season long, but the dark and cold nights of late fall produce the largest fish. "The colder and nastier the night, the better the fish bite," says fishing guide Tom Irwin.

A diehard night-shift walleye angler, Irwin helped develop a system of crankbait trolling used extensively by successful guides and anglers. A sophisticated form of flat-line trolling, Irwin uses a powerful electric motor to propel the boat, line counter reels to measure trolling leads, stiff rods to telegraph strikes better, and low-stretch monofilament to deliver solid hook sets.

When combined, the elements of this trolling system are deadly on walleyes that cruise shallow food shelves, riprap edges, weed lines, sunken islands, and other popular walleye structure and cover.

A classic angling situation that calls for crankbaits, Irwin uses a variety of long minnow-shaped lures to tempt night biters. "Large baits are by far the best producers," says Irwin. "Big baits displace more water when they move making them easier for walleyes to hone in on. Also, large baits provide a bigger profile or target for fish to slash at."

Irwin's collection of night trolling cranks includes the Fred Arbogast Snooker, Rapala No. 18 and 13 Husky, Rebel Fastracs, Storm ThunderSticks, and the Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue. "My favorite lures are doctored baits that feature a strip of flash tape along both sides and a few wraps of lead wire on the treble hooks to make the bait run a little deeper," admits Irwin.

Irwin's silent boat control and pinpoint trolling accuracy are the major reasons for his success. "Walleyes are always spooky, but never more so than when they invade the shallows and suspend to feed after dark," explains Irwin. "An electric motor is the only practical way of controlling the boat without spooking these fish. I use a 24-volt system that's capable of propelling my boat all night long."

Either a bow- or transom-mounted electric motor can be used to troll crankbaits effectively. "I strive to keep my lures close to, but not touching the cover or bottom contour to be fished," says Irwin.

Irwin has learned through years of experience how deep his favorite lures will dive on various lead lengths. Using his mental computer, Irwin calculates the perfect lead length for each of his favorite fishing spots.

Experience is a good teacher, but the average angler is well advised to purchase the book Precision Trolling. A guide to determining lure diving depths at various lead lengths, the information contained in this book is illustrated in a graph the authors (including this one) call a dive curve. The dive curve shows a life-size picture of the lure printed on a card along with easy-to-read lure diving data for over 120 common crankbaits, diving planers, snap weights, and lead-core line.

A time saver and valuable aid to trolling all diving body baits, the book can be ordered through the Precision Trolling website. Combined with a line counter reel, any angler can adapt the information in this useful book to accurately present crankbaits in daylight or total darkness.

Use a moderately stiff-action baitcasting-style rod and low-stretch monofilament line. This equipment is far more sensitive to subtle strikes and faster to react on hooksets. Detecting light bites becomes second nature.

The new superbraid fishing lines are outstanding products for the structure troller. Thin, strong, and formulated with amazingly low stretch, these lines provide the ultimate in trolling sensitivity and hooksetting power. The lack of stretch in these lines makes it easy to over fight a fish and tear the hooks free, however. Anglers who use superbraid lines are encouraged to fish a light drag and use a softer-action rod.

Some of the hottest locations are river mouths, channels leading from inland lakes to the Great Lakes, riprap sea walls, weed edges, rocky shorelines, and other cover that attracts baitfish.

The Deep-Water Bite

During the fall, walleye are often found using deep-water mud flats. Open-water basins with relatively flat bottoms and 30-50 feet of water are ideal places to hunt for trophy walleye. These deep-water mud flats harbor a wealth of protein rich bait fish that holds walleye from mid-October until freeze-up.

The same floating-diving stickbaits that produce so well when trolling at night are favorites among deep-water trollers. Several methods are used to present these relatively shallow diving lures near bottom. Downriggers, lead-core line, and weights that snap on and off the line are all used effectively to snare deep-water walleyes.

All of these angling techniques accomplish three important goals. Most important, they are readily adapted to using the stickbaits that produce a seductive action when trolled at slow speeds.

Trolling speed is a second and vital aspect of this deep-water bite. For best results, crankbaits must be pulled at speeds ranging from .5 to 1.5 mph. Slow-moving baits are the key to triggering cold-water fish. Lethargic walleyes will simply ignore faster moving lures.

Slow trolling speeds are best achieved with a small gasoline kicker motor like an 8-15 horsepower model. Larger motors may not idle down enough to troll consistently at speeds less than one mph. Trolling plates, trim tabs, and dragging a sea anchor are other methods that can be used to slow down trolling speed.

Lastly, the crankbaits selected must often be presented close to, but not on bottom. During the late fall suspended walleye tend to relate more to the bottom than the upper water column. The most successful anglers keep their crankbaits running close to bottom.

A wealth of deep-water fishing opportunities exist in the Great Lakes region. Some of the more popular areas include Little Bay de Noc in Michigan's Upper Peninsula; Sturgeon Bay near Green Bay, Wisconsin; Saginaw Bay near Bay City, Michigan; and the waters of Lake Erie from Monroe, Michigan, east to Cleveland, Ohio.

The bottom of these open-water fisheries is comprised of a soft mucky ooze that sticks to treble hooks and quickly ruins a lure's natural action. The trick is to check your lines often to make sure the lures have not become fouled with ooze, zebra mussels, or other debris.

Downriggers

Downriggers are one of the more popular methods of fishing for deep-water walleyes. Catching these fish with the help of riggers requires some specialized techniques. Most anglers who use downriggers choose 10-pound cannon balls and run their lures 10-20 feet behind the ball. This rigging method works fine on active and aggressively feeding fish, but will produce few late-season walleyes.

"Small downrigger balls and long leads are the hot ticket for cold-water walleyes," says trolling expert Dr. Steven Holt. "I prefer four- or six-pound cannon balls and usually set my lures 50-100 feet behind the ball."

The slow trolling speeds practiced with cold-water walleyes are ideally suited to lightweight cannon balls. "Small downrigger weights enable me to spot subtle strikes more easily," explains Holt. "Late-season walleyes seldom strike hard enough to trip the releases used in downrigger fishing. If the angler doesn't notice the initial strike, there's a good chance the fish will get dragged along without the angler knowing it's hooked."

Smaller downrigger weights are more easily moved and jiggled by a struggling fish than traditional 10-pound balls.

"It's far easier to spot hooked fish when using small downrigger weights," advises Holt. "I also spot strikes by watching the angle at which the rigger cable goes into the water. When the cable sways back a little more than normal, that's a sure sign that a fish has been hooked and is being dragged."

Holt uses a little-known downrigger fishing trick when fishing fall walleyes. He sets crankbaits on long trolling leads so he can position the downrigger weight well above spooky walleyes and let the lure dive naturally into the strike zone.

"I also calibrate the line counter on my downriggers so when the weight touches bottom, the depth number on my rigger matches the depth reading on my sonar unit," says Holt. "To make this simple adjustment, lower the downrigger weight to bottom while the boat is setting at rest. When the weight touches bottom, use a screwdriver and remove the screws holding the gears of the digital depth counter in place. Simply remove the gear and index the counter until the depth number on the rigger matches the depth reading of your sonar. Replace the screws and repeat the process on other riggers."

Calibrating a downrigger with a sonar unit makes it easier to determine where the downrigger weights are in relationship to bottom. This simple step will save a lot of lost lures and wasted fishing time when lures are dragged along the bottom unknowingly.

Other Methods of Getting Deep

Combining lead-core line and in-line planer boards is an equally effective and popular trolling technique for deep-water walleye. Lead-core line is used to sink shallow diving lures to much greater depths. Like downrigger trolling, this system works best at ultra-slow speeds.

A lead-core line rigging method known as segmented lead-core is ideally suited to trolling with in-line planer boards. Segmented lead-core rigs consist of a 50-foot monofilament leader (eight- to 12-pound-test leader) blood knotted to three colors (90 feet) of 18-pound-test lead-core line. Another 200 feet of monofilament backing is added to the reel and knotted to the lead-core line.

The backing material is a vital part of lead-core fishing that enables this weighted line to be easily rigged on an in-line planer board. Backing also allows the lure to be fished at various depths. The more backing material let out, the deeper the lure will run.

Depending on the lure used, lead-core line can be used effectively to dredge up fish in water from 20-40 feet deep. The same stickbait-style cranks used with downriggers are deadly on lead-core, plus a few deep-diving baits like the Rebel Spoonbill, Deep Diving Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue, Storm Deep Jr. ThunderStick, and Bagley Bang-O-Lure. Deep-diving lures are used in combination with lead-core line to reach maximum depths.

When fishing segmented lead-core line, select a lure and let out all the leader material plus all the lead-core line. When the monofilament backing reaches the rod tip, it's important to monitor how much backing is let out.

Monitoring the amount of backing is most easily accomplished by using a line counter reel. Zero the counter by pushing a button when all the lead-core has been let out. As backing peels out, the line counter reel will accurately keep track of how much line behind the lead-core is being used. After a fish is caught, it's easy to duplicate the exact about of backing that produced the bite and set the lure to run at the same depth again.

Adding an in-line planer board is a great way to improve trolling coverage when fishing segmented lead-core. Some in-line boards simply aren't large enough to handle the weight and drag of lead-core line, oversize crankbaits, and long leads. The Off Shore Tackle, Side-Planer is a superior board for side planing with lead-core, deep diving lures, diving planes, and other trolling hardware.

This board features a pinch-pad release system that makes it a snap to rig and remove lines as needed. The Side-Planer is also colored bright yellow with a contrasting orange flag that shows up well in all fishing conditions.

Staying Warm

Trolling or jigging in late fall is a game for the hearty and strong at heart. Cold and wet conditions can make fishing miserable for those who come unprepared for the elements.

Besides wearing layers of warm cloths and rain gear to shed water and turn the wind, it's a good idea to pack along several pairs of dry cotton jersey gloves. As one pair gets wet, switch to a dry pair before your hands get too cold.

Dressing right and being prepared to stay out in the elements are the keys to dealing with cold-weather walleyes. Having the fortitude to deal with unforgiving fishing weather has its advantages. Big walleyes and lots of action are sure to make the weather seem warmer than it is. After all isn't a 30-inch plus walleye worth a little pain?