Walleye fishing at night?

[DerekA]

I'm going to try to go fishing tonight for walleye. I have minnows and jigs. I was wondering what a good set up for minnows to use and what type of jigs should I try?

P.S. I'm fishing from shore

[JeremyCampbell]

Good idea..

I might just have to get away from work and family for an hr or so and fish tonight.

Gonna use 1/8 oz jigs. Might try a few different colors in glow.Bring along a couple of shad raps and a half a scoop of the Bait shops finest.

Be nice to get some peace and quite for a change.

Good luck Derek, and have a good time.

[leechlake]

you may be out already but from shore I'd rig up some slip bobbers for sure. Heck this time of year even just a bobber.

[DerekA]

Hopefully you did better than I did. I didn't get a bite all night!

[JeremyCampbell]

Thats a bummer bro

Lol, by the time I got off the phone with my clients,it was so late.I made it to the bait shop, bought bait and that's it. I didn't even get my line wet.Just hiked a little bit along the river enjoying the little bit of the slow life I can get .Things should get slower with work after I knock a few more jobs out.

BTW Derek, you sent something to me via email recently but I don't use that account.Check your email, I replied with the right email address for you to use

[DerekA]

BTW Derek, you sent something to me via email recently but I don't use that account.Check your email, I replied with the right email address for you to use

I never actually got any email.

[Nhamm]

What are your goals with your presentation?

1. Get it to bottom where the fish are, so get a jig weight that will get you there in the current.

2. Present lure slowly, so pick the lightest jig possible while still maintain bottom. Can also be accomplished with a bigger plastic to give bouyancy to the bait.

I've never personally had luck with glow jigs, quite the opposite, but whatever works. Minnows have been worthless this year for me, that includes fatheads, shiners, and suckers. Read my report in the north Miss.

[DerekA]

Well I did better today. not much size but I did get around 12 walleye all around 14-16 inches. Figured since we had a nice night might as well try

[DerekA]

Also on a side note, I hooked into something big last night as well but never saw it. I was dragging jigs along the bottom to get the walleye. But with that you also get a lot of snags... Well when I started to pull I figured I was just snagged (so I never set the hook). When all of the sudden whatever it was darts towards the center of the river upstream, while screaming my drag out. As soon as I got the fish to turn around the hook came out. I don't think it was a northern, but I have no idea. All I know is that in amongst the walleye I was catching, there was a big fish!

[Nhamm]

Glad to hear you did better. Put in the time and the fish will eventually come.

That biggun you had on might have been a snagged carp/sucker. Typically happens when you don't feel a bite, the lure just pops out after a bit, happens to me about once a night when I'm out, a lot of the time it'll come back with a scale on the tip. Not to give up hope though, could always be that 10#!!

[DerekA]

I thought it could have been that. Just haven't seen any carp yet.

[Tom Sawyer]

That biggun you had on might have been a snagged carp/sucker.

"The One That Got Away" Fun to think what it was..................

My money would be on a big eye that filtered in with the many more smaller ones, since this colder winter like weather set in. Maybe she bit, maybe not, but hooked up non the less.

Were you tipping your jig?

[DerekA]

Were you tipping your jig?

Yeah, I was putting a minnow on the end and was getting more bites that way. plus I was kinda trying to use them up.

[Nhamm]

Since I switched over to long shank jigs, my retention rate has gone up. Big fan of fireballs in years past, can't go wrong with the firetiger pattern, but there would be too many that pop off, so switched over.

[DerekA]

That biggun you had on might have been a snagged carp/sucker. Typically happens when you don't feel a bite, the lure just pops out after a bit, happens to me about once a night when I'm out, a lot of the time it'll come back with a scale on the tip. Not to give up hope though, could always be that 10#!!

Well I managed to get the big fish I was talking about. You were right but it was fun getting him in. The picture is bad but its kinda hard to take a picture with your phone when your the only one out there. (I actually broke my phone right after this picture was taken, which is why it took so long to get the picture to upload. I had to wait till I got a new phone.)

none the less this 11 lbs carp inhaled my minnow just 2 days after I hooked the big thing I talked about in my other comment. Pretty sure it was the same fish but he wasn't a snag. The minnow and hook were way down his throat.

[Nhamm]

That's hilarious, I got out for a couple hours after work yesterday, one of my goto before river freezeup eye spots and hammered the carp. Couple 10#'s and a nice smallmouth buffalo. Had a tank on but got sick of fighting them with my rig so cranked the drag right and she popped off. Moved immediately, it was fun but not what I was after. Crazy the surfacing that was going on after dark, never seen it before this late in year.

Never caught carp this late in year, nor ever one in this particular spot, its not rare I hear but hasn't happened to me. Really shattered my dream for the first 5min of a 12# walleye.

[MSRiverdog]

I watched a fellow at the CRD years ago in 15 minute tug fest with about a 10/12 pounder, when he saw it was a carp he started biching, told him I saw him having a heck of a good time for the last 15 minutes and then he got it and said "good point".

Anoka section has some good Eye's, my 27.5 inches a long time ago.

[Nhamm]

Anoka section has some good Eye's, my 27.5 inches a long time ago.

I moved up to the area last winter. Didn't get enough time this summer for fishing, but got out enough to know its a gem. Huge channel cats up in the section if you know what to look for, big smallies, but didnt manage anything consistent with the eyes. Lots of shorts but nothing over 20".

Have heard the same thing in regards to big eyes. My theory is they hold most of summer in the crow and other tribs then fall back come winter. Now would be the time to get after em on some bends, but hard to launch a boat without 4wd.

[expl]

Used to smallie fish Anoka/Champlin alot,never caught one walleye,wasnt targeting them but I would think for the tons of times i used to go there I'd have gotten one at least.Done way better for eyes in Elk River or Brooklyn Park while bass fishin.Maybe theres a few more eyes around now,it was 10-15 yrs ago when I used to fish Anoka/Champlin.The bass were numerous and big back then,but after a while seemed like the bigger bass kinda vanished and the pleasure boat/jetski traffic quadrupled so I gave up on fishin it.Might check it out if we have a warm up,I crossed the anoka bridge the other day and it looks like they are keeping the water levels high in the Rec.Pool for the C.R Dam Construction i would guess.I think they have kept water levels up the that the past few winters actually,maybe thats why more walleyes are around now?

[MSRiverdog]

In my 10 years living on the river in Champlin I never once caught a walleye in front of my house, nice smallies, hammer handles, big carp, nice cats and suckers, lost a big muskie in front of my house(I think) and talked to folks that caught small muskies in front of neighbors houses. I know there are sunfish and crappies in the area but I never fished for them. Walleyes are near the Rum all the time but spooky and I have a few spots that hold both smallies and walleyes up from the 169 bridge. The spots are there below the bridge but the recreational boaters and jet skis really mess up what could be nice fishing spots. My best luck on eyes has been targeting them with Shad Raps trolling short edges and Lindy rigs anchored.

[Nhamm]

Come low flow in summer, mark out the channel with x amount of waypoints and troll raps up/down, they usually show a preference one day to the next. Typically the front and back of holes will hold most fish, also caught several with worm rigs going for cats on main channel structure. Don't get me wrong its not fast and furious by any means, but can usually get a limit of shorts if a guy wanted. Also consider I'm usually off the water by the time those rec people show up.....

[expl]

I suppose i have never really done much trolling there.Mostly just pitchin cranks towards the shoreline,still weird not to catch any doin that since on p#2 theres times we pound them pitchin cranks if not get a few at least,even below the c.r dam we do good pitchin cranks sometimes we get none there but every other trip we get a few it seems.Well good deal I will have to give it a few tries next yr now i guess.oh how i wish it wasnt winter allready..thanks