Weekend Report

[codeblue]

Sounds like you had a great day on the Lake. I still have a lot to learn about Walley fishin but getting a little better each trip out. I went out with my son Saturday and we only caught 3 fish although for him catching a 22" fish was all he needed. The smile on his face hauling that fish in was memorable.

I got a couple 24" + fish trolling with a Deep Diver and man that was fun pulling them up to the boat. We did not get out on the lake until about 10am and fished til 7pm. I didn't have much success rigging with a crawler and spinner. Can you provide any tips/details on a good setup? I'm sure getting on the water earlier is a good thing but any info at all on rigging and bait would be appreciated.

[Guest]

Nice report Dino. What was the best speed for pulling the cranks?

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-FNC

"If I had a job... I'd quit it."

[rmh2o]

was up thur thru sat east side thur fished from 7-10 in 17 feet on rock reef caught 7 one slot and the rest 20-26 on bobbers and red and green hooks Friday started out on the july bar and picked up a couple but pretty slow then headed to the mud fished 2 flats and caught 9 fish 19-25 all in deep water off of the flat with lindy rig & leeches friday night back to the reef from 6-10 caught 10 fish 1 slot sat started out on rock reef marking fish in 24 feet but nothing biting headed back to the mud and caught 6 on lindys and after wind died switched to bobbers and picked up 4 more from 19 to 27 quit fishing around 2 the weather was great and only a few may flies headed back up in the morning

If your hungry fish in the rocks
If your not fish in the mud

[Guest]

I enjoyed a nice trip to the big water also. Friday evening we tried my favorite bobber spot and it was not good. Only 1 23" fish. Saturday morning it was time to hit the mud. After pulling up on one of my favorite spots , with no other boats in sight , I was into fish immediately. I had one a bit over 18" with a tag but the rest all went from 21" to 24". Even after a couple of other boats showed up the fish were still there...for me. The others only caught a couple between them. Details in rigging had to be the difference. I was in heaven.
After the lake calmed to nothing , I decided to head out for an open water troll. I started with a deep diving Smithwick and experimented with length of line. After about 15 minutes I had a walleye slam the bait. A beautiful 27 1/2" came to the boat. A few passes in the same area produced no more and I called it quits at noon.
Sunday morning started the same. We had fish right away but as more boats came in they shut off. I wish I had gone out at 4 am instead of 6. Once traffic got bad we hit the open water again. Trolling around the flats is an interesting event , seeing all the boats crowded into small spots and being on the outside. I had a bit better luck with a #9 Shad Rap and pulling it with long line again. Nice fish in the 22" to 25" range fell for this setup.
I can't wait to try some other lures next weekend.
Dino

[Guest]

Live bait rigging is one of my favorite presentations and the Mille Lacs mud flats are magical pieces of structure. I think the best tip for rigging is to use a long snell. It is common for me to run from 7' to 10' of fluorocarbon , like Vanish. I use long rods , like 7'6" and 7' 10" , to help control the longer snell. A favorite among a lot of fisherman has been the colored hooks and beads. Red hook/orange beads has been a steady producer. I think that a floater rig has been even better so far this year for me. A colored hook , foam float and maybe a bead or 2 has the benefit of helping to keep the leech off of the bottom. I use as light a sinker as possible and try to not drag it but do a rod tip drop to be sure I am close. Colored sinkers do make a difference for me. I use powder paint for this task.
The bait motion makes a difference also. If a leech is hooked wrong it will spin as it is pulled through the water. Crawlers will spin easy also if not hooked carefully. Boat speed will affect your presentation and the movement of the bait.
For trolling last weekend we were staying between 1.2 and 2.0 mph on the GPS. I talked to a friend who was running from 2 to 4 and they picked up fish also. Trolling like this you are targeting the ultra active feeders who will chase down a fast moving bait. This would explain their success.
Good Luck! I can't wait for the weekend.
Dino

[codeblue]

I really appreciate the feedback. I definately need to refine the ole lindy rig setup and Dino I look forward to trying your suggestions. I bet it would help if my leaches and crawlers weren't half dead from baking in the sun.

We did catch 2 fish when trolling at about 1.4mph on the flats (30-35ft) and only one at the very slow speed with the crawler.

I do like moving faster to cover ground and does seem that the more agressive fish bite then. I had a really nice one on in the deeper water with the crankbait and bumped if off with the net when we got it to the boat.

Thanks again for the help!