Ask the Walleye Pro: Nick Johnson

Q: What are you more proud of, winning the 2004 championship or winning the 2005 FLW Walleye Angler of the Year? Which one was a more difficult task and why?

-John, Minocqua, Wis.

A: John, I am very proud of both wins. I have to give a lot of credit to Ranger Boats, my Evinrude E-Tec and Minn Kota for the AOY title. Without the toughness and durability of my equipment, I would not be able to be as consistent as I have been.

Winning the championship was probably the more difficult of the two due to the number of professional anglers that fished the event and other obstacles such as dropping water levels, excessive floating debris, and the time issue of traveling through locks and dams.

Q: What kind of fishing do you expect for the championship this year on the Mississippi River? I fished it a few years ago and it was amazing. Have you heard what the conditions are like?

-Josh, Big Lake, Minn.

A: Josh, I would expect that the conditions will be similar to last year. My home water is pool No. 4 on the Mississippi near Red Wing, and one thing that I have learned is to never depend on the river to consistently be the same. The conditions can and do change quickly. I have not heard what the bite is like near Moline, but I will pay very close attention to it as we get closer to the championship.

Q: I just recently finished a trip to Canada and the weather was hot and sunny for five days in a row. It is usually a great walleye lake. I’d say on average we get about 30 fish a day. This year we were lucky if we caught five walleyes in a day. When the fishing is tough, is there are certain bait you throw, or a certain tactic that you use? I hate not catching fish in places that I know fish live.

-Tim Rogers, Woodbury, Minn.

A: Tim, many times when the bite is tough I like to use some type of live bait and use a slower presentation, although this is not always the cure for catching fish during a slow bite. One thing that has helped me to figure out a pattern in this scenario is to closely evaluate every fish I catch. By this I mean paying very close attention to what made that particular fish bite.

There are many variables to a pattern and the more pieces of the puzzle that you can put together the easier it is to catch more fish. Some things are obvious such as the type of lure but other things can also be very important such as the type of line you are using, action of the lure when the strike occurred, water temperature etc.

If you can get one fish to bite, stop and analyze where you were and everything that was happening at that exact moment. This will usually help you modify your presentation to catch more fish.

Q: What do you consider to be the proper way to set the hook? When I feel a bite, I simply give a quick tug straight up and down. I have friends who pull the rod to the side and set the hook horizontally. I think they are ripping the hook out of the fish’s mouth when they do that and subsequently missing a lot of fish. What are your thoughts?

-Confused in Mobridge, S.D.

A: Confused, this really is a good question and has been debated many times. The way I set the hook depends upon the type of presentation that I am using and the location of the rod when the bite is felt. Obviously if I am using a vertical presentation such as vertical jig, I will set the hook straight up. If I am using a more horizontal presentation such as pulling a live bait rig, I usually set the hook with a somewhat horizontal, sweep.

There are many things to be considered in a hook set including the action of the rod used, type and pound test of line, hook design, how many feet of line out, species of fish and speed of the boat or retrieve. I am sure I could write an entire article on how to correctly set the hook and still not cover all the possibilities. The most important thing to remember is to make a smooth solid set and always keep the line tight while fighting the fish.

Nick Johnson is the reigning walleye king after claiming the 2004 RCL Championship on the Mississippi River. Johnson earned $300,000 for his victory, which was the largest first-place award in walleye tournament fishing. For his career, Johnson has finished in the top-10 four times. In addition to fishing professionally on the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, the Elmwood, Wis., native attends classes at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Menomonie. Johnson’s sponsors include Ranger Boats, Evinrude and Minn Kota.