In this article were going to explore my tricks for dialing in a bite so you can take your next bite or two and turn it into 20 in a hurry! So sit back and read up ill jump right into it!
Paying close attention to a few key details can turn your next fishing trip into a memorable fish whacking experience! When we take off from the shores of Green Bay its a new day new trip every time. I do Not let my self get caught up in yesterdays or last weeks patterns. I my Go to a similar area or even a familiar spot but I look at each day as a new pattern that I need to figure out and dial in.
Even if I go from a morning charter to an afternoon I change it up on the first few passes. As I pull rods from the morning I take all my baits off from that trip and out them away. When I pull up to my Spot for the afternoon I pull out a new set and start fresh again.
Top 5 things to pay attention to while trolling walleye
Forget The Past When I say forget the past I'm not just thinking about years back I mean even just since yesterday or even this morning. You don't want to completely Ignore things you have previously learned but you need to look at each outing as a new pallet a new drawing board, a fresh start. I rarely use waypoints when I'm fishing, and a don't bother to mark every single fish catch on my trips. If I did I would be driving through a sea of waypoints and I would never see my structure I'm trying to fish! I pay close attention to my map and where I was when I got a bite or landed a fish. Well touch more on maps and that later. When I head out for the day I take in the morning air, the breeze, the temp, water clarity, currents, and sky conditions. On my ride out to my spot I'm forming a game plan for my first pass. Its all about that first pass for me when I'm trolling. I want that first bite to start telling me a story. So by the time I get to my spot I know what type of baits, how I'm going to run them and my color selections. I start out with something different than I did last trip out every time.
Starting Line Up. So you have your spot in mind and your almost there. Now its time to get your bait selection together. I rarely have my baits picked out and on my rods before I launch. That's a decision I make once I pull up to my first spot. Hard to make that call until you see the conditions your fishing in. I almost always start out with 2 separate programs on my first pass, maybe 2 different bait styles like minnow or shad profile, maybe both are minnow style but they are different brands. I'll start out with all 3 on one side being the same then 3 on the other side being something else. Until I have a good pattern established ill keep the 3 and 3 program if I feel the need to change baits ill swap all 3 out and keep them all the same type again. Its important to give that bait choice a fair chance. only changing out one for a different brand limits its odds of success and you might miss a key piece of the puzzle! Once you get your first bite pay close attention and get that bait back out as quick as possible.
Color.... So many Choices! So when Setting up your one side with the 3 different brands/type of baits I Choose very different colors at first. Things I look at in a bait color to set it apart are: Overall pattern color ( is it mostly white , green ,purple ,silver) I do not key in on the small color differences yet just a general scope. The type of color scheme, is it clear , chrome base, reflective internal tape, or opaque. After I determine what is the base color scheme I'll try and mix the 6 or more lines I'm running with a very different color pallet. Then When that first bite comes I will change one or two of the baits out for a similar base color. Maybe one of that sides baits then one on the other side as well. Start refining the colors from there if its a hot pattern ill for sure throw out more of the exact same pattern!
Depths So we all know walleye love hugging the bottom but putting all of your eggs in one basket and banging bottom with all of your baits or all one depth for that matter is not a good way to start off. Watch your sonar and see where you are marking fish, try and set your baits to be slightly above the fish and higher. Walleye will come up several feet to attack their prey and the prefer to do so! element of surprise! Its good to Start with a 2 foot increment between baits in my opinion. So if I'm pulling a rock reef that tops out at 12 feet deep I might start out at 11, 9 , 7 for depths on one side then 12 , 10 , 8 on the other side. See what gets bit first then possible match that depth on one or two baits and continue on.
One's a clue, Two's a sign, Three is a pattern. So now that you have gotten a few bites and hopefully more than one on one of the processes you followed above your getting the puzzle put together! If 2 hits came on the same bait type and none of the other its time to switch out one of two baits on the other side to match the color, bait type and depth and see if you can reproduce that bite on the other side of the boat now. If you pick up a third or more on that pattern you have set out then its time to match every thing and rock on! Don't worry about matching colors exactly just get that overall color scheme as close as you can. If one side of the boat is working and not the other but you have done everything correct and it just wont fire its most likely due to current, troll direction, wind blowing you at a cross track or structure related. Try adjusting your troll angle in relation to your targeted structure or adjust your speed a little bit see if you can get both sides firing consistently. Some times its just a one sided ordeal and those other lonely baits out there are just along for the ride. Making sure your line counters are zeroed at the same place can be a factor as well.
Conclusion
I hope this was informative and helps you on your next trip out. I use this method almost every single time I head out on Green Bay. It is often the small things that determine a good day from a great day and having the mind set to watch for those small clues can set you apart from the next guy. So good luck Tight Lines and go make some memories!!!
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