Bassin' For Walleyes

Here is something else to consider as you stand knee deep in the soothing water.  Do you feel how refreshing it is?  Being cold blooded creatures that only can adjust their internal body temperatures by swimming into warmer or cooler water, walleyes feel the same way about it.  Their preferred, or optimum temperature, is likely a few degrees cooler than the water you're wading or swimming in, but they'll definitely tolerate it for long periods if it means a hearty steak dinner with fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Better still, however, if you concentrate your fishing on the breezier side of the lake, structure or cover, you'll increase your odds of nabbing a giant walleye even further.  Think of the wind and wave action as the walleyes' air conditioner and food conveyor belt.

Plus, the breeze breaks up the surface tension of the water, acting like the dimmer switch for the light positioned above your dining room table.  So it is a candlelight affair that adds up to perfect shallow water walleye - and bass - fishing conditions.

Indeed, when I am bassin' for walleyes on the windy side of the street, I always opt for a faster, horizontal presentation involving a crankbait, jerkbait or soft plastic swimbait.

I'll pitch a floating / diving crankbait like a Rapala Scatter Rap Minnow or Shallow Shad Rap close to shore and then retrieve it so that the lure bumps bottom as I work it back to the boat.  It is uncanny how often you'll feel the bait run into a rock and ricochet off to the side, only to be gobbled up immediately by a big walleye or bass.

Ditto, when you cast out a jerkbait like an X-Rap. Give a sharp tug so that it dives down and then let it pause in the middle of the knee deep water.  The longer you can let it hang in the middle of the shallow water column, the more often you're rewarded with a sharp tug.

When the walleyes and bass are gobbling up crawfish, on the other hand, like an all-you-can-eat lobster love affair, my favourite approach is to cast out a lipless Kamooki Smartcraw - the crawfish paint pattern on these lures is exquisite - and let it fall to the bottom.  Because the lure is uniquely weighted and lacks a belly hook, it stands up on its nose and rarely snags on the bottom.  

I fish it just like a jig, lifting it up just smartly enough that I can feel it wiggle and then swim it a foot or two, before letting it fall back to the bottom.  Nearly every fish you catch will hit on the pause immediately after it descends, or when you pick it up and let it pause at the apex of the lift.

Bassin' for big walleyes is a sure fire recipe for success across all of Northern Ontario. And there is no better time to do it than right now, in the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.