Coaxing walleye in cool, clear water

Walleye inhabiting clear waterbodies can be choosy customers. Good visibility lets them scrutinize a presentation before deciding if they’ll bite or not. Still, several strategies can help fool clear-water walleye. Here's what to keep in mind. Realism’s influence There’s a compelling argument to be made for fishing with a naturalistic bait in clear water. Natural profiles, actions, and colours play big roles in duping walleye when using artificial lures; live bait has its place, too, of course. I'll explain later. Trending soft baits with tantalizing tails A plastic minnow on a jig is the hottest bait on the fishing scene right now, due in part to several elite-level bass and walleye tournaments being won using them in conjunction with forward-facing sonar (FFS). As a result, we’re seeing more minnow baits come to market. Here are two that caught my eye: Rapala’s 3.5-inch CrushCity Mooch Minnow has a subdued tab-tail design. Berkley’s Drip Minnow produces a very realistic, subtle swimming action. The tails on these baits are very responsive, springing to life when an angler nods or shakes the rod, or slightly adjusts reeling speed. Such quick-to-react qualities help trigger strikes when using finesse jig (and drop-shot) presentations in clear water, regardless of whether or not you’re using FFS. I’m keen to put these baits to more work this season and learn how they complement my tried-and-true collection of fork-tailed minnow plastics. Size rules A general rule of thumb is reducing bait size when walleye are fussy, and upsizing to appeal to aggressive fish and attracting them from greater distances. This strategy has paid off countless times when fishing clear waterbodies. In the fall, switching from a 1⁄2-ounce bladebait to a 1⁄8- or 1⁄4-ounce version often produces bites from sluggish walleye. When ice fishing, downsizing to smaller versions of Jigging Raps, lipless crankbaits, and darter baits can elicit strikes when walleye hesitate to hit larger versions. On the flip side, defaulting to dainty, finesse baits can be counterproductive some days. It’s best to experiment with different lure profiles and let the walleye tell you what they want. Daylong cloud cover is a beautiful thing when fishing clear water in the fall and can yield a fairly steady bite. Colour considerations Fish enough clear water and you’ll encounter scenarios when it’s critical for a presentation’s colour to closely resemble walleye’s preferred forage. This is often important for heavily pressured fish, low feeding