Run and gun walleye fishing

There are two main schools of thought about walleye fishing. First, and most common, is to find a good spot, anchor on it, and soak bait. This con­cept is solid, as walleye tend to be homebod­ies. If you wait long enough they will come; the fish might not bite, but they will come. If you’re impatient and pre­fer looking for willing biters, try run-and-gun fishing. If you’re a keen bass angler, this is probably second nature. You quickly and efficiently fish a good spot: if you get fish, you stick around; if nothing hap­pens, you keep moving. The downside is you might leave fish to try other spots that might or might not have fish. It’s always a gamble to leave fish, especially walleye. I’ve been burned many times by giving up on fish I knew were there. I’ve also waited for fish that never bit. Staring at one tiny piece of underwater real estate on a lake full of possibilities can be a major bummer. The fact is, walleye turn on at odd times and in unusual places. This is when trying as many spots as possible on a lake can really pay off. This is especially true on hot, windy days in spring and early summer. The mix of heat and waves always activates walleye, especially large ones. Snap to it bumped into a different crankbait tactic for walleye while fishing a bass tournament in the summer of 2007. My son, Devin, and I had put together a pattern that involved trolling Rapala X-Raps and snapping them fish. I was hoping for a giant small­mouth – it being a tournament and all – but the deep runs were indic­ative of walleye. Sure enough, up came an enormous marble ’eye of well over 28 inches. Devin and I caught a few more wall­eye on this pattern – and did manage to boat some good bass, as well. The fish were scattered over a huge shallow weed flat and were really on the move. We’d never have caught these fish by soaking minnows on a reef all day. Early in the season, run and gun with jerkbaits. Despite their reputation as deep-water denizens, walleye often go shallow and shoreline oriented on sunny days, especially in late spring and early summer. As often as not, these fish are nosing about in weeds. There’s no more temperamental bite than in shallow weeds,