Largemouth bass and walleyes have a lot in common. No these two popular game fish species aren't related, they don't spawn at the same times of year, and for the most part the methods used to catch each species are different.
So what could a bucket-mouth bass and wide-eyed walleye have in common? The answer is as plain as the cabbage, coontail, and other aquatic weeds that flourish in natural lakes throughout the Midwest.
It's common knowledge that largemouth bass seek out weed cover, but few anglers realize that aquatic weeds also represent an ideal haunt for walleyes. Stereotyped as a fish that prefers deep water, rock reefs, sunken islands, and hard-bottom structure, walleyes are equally at home in shallow weed cover.
Tagging and radio telemetry studies conducted by many state fish and game agencies indicate that walleyes prefer the security of weeds over rock structure when a choice is available.
It's not difficult to understand why walleyes invade the weeds. Aquatic plants provide ample cover, shade, and a constant supply of fresh oxygen. Weed cover also attracts aquatic insects, baitfish, small panfish, and provides waiting walleyes with the ideal ambush conditions.
It's true, walleyes aren't as physically adapted to living in weeds as bass, yet these adaptable fish thrive in fisheries where aquatic weed growth is found growing in waters from six to 15-feet deep. Clear and slightly stained water lakes with deep weed growth are the best areas to start the weed walleye search.
Walleyes tend to avoid dense patches of weed growth that restrict their mobility and/or ability to dart after and catch prey fish. Weed flats with scattered clumps of broadleaf and curly leaf cabbage provide the right mix of necessary cover and available open water.
A common bass-style spinnerbait is the most efficient way to fish this type of weed cover. A spinnerbait can be fished over the tops of weeds, allowed to swim at mid-depths, or slow rolled near bottom for fast walleye action.
For weed walleyes, I prefer the small 1/8- and 1/4-ounce single-blade spinnerbaits. These compact little spinners are ideal for tempting walleyes out of the weeds.
Use a medium-action spinning outfit loaded with eight-pound-test line to cast these small spinnerbaits. A premium fishing line like Stren's popular Magna Thin is an ideal choice. Retrieve the lure just fast enough to make the blades spin and pause periodically during the retrieve.
When you feel the spinnerbait contact weeds, stop the retrieve and pull the lure through the vegetation with a steady pull or a quick snap. When the lure frees itself, allow the bait to free-fall and helicopter towards bottom for a few seconds before resuming a slow retrieve.
It's no secret that walleyes love live bait. Over 80 percent of walleyes caught in the Midwest are taken on live bait. Spinnerbaits readily accept minnows, leeches, or a chunk of nightcrawler as an added teaser.
When adding live bait to a spinnerbait, use a pair of scissors to trim back the living rubber skirt a little so the bait is more visible and can swim naturally. Trimming a few strands here and a couple there is all it takes.
If the weeds aren't thick, I prefer to tip a minnow onto the hook lightly through both lips. This method helps keep the minnow lively and adds natural action to the lure. If the cover is thick, it may be necessary to hook the minnow through the head to prevent the bait from being constantly torn off.
Leeches are also an excellent live bait addition to spinnerbaits. Select a medium leech and hook it through the sucker end. Hooked in this manner a leech will stay on the hook for many casts and provide a natural wiggling action walleyes can't resist.
Nightcrawlers are another natural and effective spinnerbait dressing. Use half a crawler and thread the bait onto the hook the same way you would thread a plastic trailer onto the hook shaft.
A plastic trailer is an excellent alternative to live bait. A two- or three-inch Mister Twister plastic grub is the ideal spinnerbait trailer for walleye fishing. Select a grub tail that contrasts in color with the spinnerbait skirt for maximum visibility.
Spinnerbaits are so effective on weed walleyes the manufacturers of these lures may have to rethink their marketing efforts. Give these lures a try and you'll quickly discover that spinnerbaits are the perfect choice for summer weed walleye action.
Copyright (c) 1996 Mark Romanack. All rights reserved.
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