Ask the Walleye Pro: Jeff Taege
Q: I live in West Virginia and fish for walleyes in the Potomac River at dam No. 4. I’ve had some success using night crawlers as bait, but I think I could be catching more. Do you have any advice or can you give me some information on how to bring more walleyes into the boat? Thank you.
-Connie Meade, West Virginia
A: Connie; the best advice I have to give is to frequently change presentations. Many times anglers find a technique that works and stick with it under any conditions. Often times, walleyes can be caught in several different ways. It is up to us as anglers to determine which presentation(s) will indeed bring more walleyes to the boat. Keep in mind that the time to experiment is when you’re catching walleyes, not during a tough bite.
By continually changing live bait styles (minnows, leeches, and crawlers), crankbait styles that vary in action, color, and profile, and crawler harness rigs that can be tweaked by using a myriad of bead and blade color combinations as well as blade shapes (Colorado, Indiana, or Willow) an angler will be clued into what the walleyes want on that particular day allowing for a more successful day on the water.
Q: A few of my friends and myself fish local walleye tournaments in southwest Pa. I am mainly a bass fisherman and fish the Wal-Mart BFL. We don’t really know a lot about walleye fishing except to use jigheads with minnows or night crawlers. It works most of the time but there are times when they won’t touch them or the fish are really deep. Having a bass boat without a kicker motor, what other techniques could we use that are fairly easy and wouldn’t take a lot of different equipment? We fish a flood control dam that has very steep banks and is very deep (100+ feet).
-Phil, southwest Pennsylvania
A: Phil; these techniques immediately come to mind to catch walleyes in the conditions that you have described. First, bottom bouncers and spinner rigs or crawler harnesses are both relatively easy to use and can be used with your standard bass tackle. I find bottom bouncers very effective for fishing reservoirs that have quick drops and deep water. They lend themselves well to fishing different depth levels by pulling them up and down the steep breaks perpendicular to the contours of the lake until you find the productive depth(s) that walleyes are feeding at.
Second, I find in deep and clear reservoirs that jigging spoons can be very productive. Again standard bass tackle is recommended. Heavy ¼ oz. to 1 1/2 oz. spoons vertically jigged over suspended schools of baitfish can be fished at whatever depth the bait and walleyes are using. The most important factor to keep in mind is to utilize your electronics and locate roaming schools of baitfish before fishing. Use a snap, drop, and pause jigging cadence.
Third, you may want to try live bait rigging along deep points. A Lindy rig or slip sinker rig tipped with live bait is a very effective way to trigger reluctant walleyes. Live bait rigs are so effective because they can be hovered over fish for extended periods using your bow mounted motor to stay on top of fish marked with your electronics. Make sure to experiment with bait types. Try different kinds and sizes of minnows, leeches, and night crawlers.
Q: A long time ago I remember the phrase “getting schooled” used amongst top professional walleye anglers. I never knew if they were referring to the walleyes at certain times of the year on given bodies of water or one angler to another on the fine techniques he or she possesses! Could you please elaborate on this phrase?
-Musky Joe
A: Musky Joe; in my circle, the phrase “getting schooled” is used in competition situations whether it’s between a couple of friends sharing a boat or two top-ranked walleye tournament anglers. For example, if you are near another boat and they are “putting on a clinic” (another phrase used to describe catching a lot of fish) and you are watching helplessly while not catching any fish, you’ve been officially “schooled.”
Jeff Taege is a veteran of both the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour and Professional Walleye Trail. The Rhinelander, Wis. native has fished competitively since 1992, chalking up top-10 finishes and qualifying for championships each year on both tours. In 2004, Taege was the runner-up for the prestigious FLW Walleye Tour Angler of the Year award. Teage is also involved with National Professional Anglers Association, a prestigious group of 100 invitees dedicated to the advancement of professional angling. His sponsors include St. Croix Rods, Storm Lures, Tempress/Fish-On and Off Shore Tackle.