Roughin' it for Walleye

Spring rains bring increased run off and rising water levels. When rivers pour over their banks, most anglers continue to fish walleye in the first deep hole below the dam. Smart river rats scurry towards shore.

While some walleye continue to hold in the main river channel, the majority of fish move to higher ground. These fish utilize flooded areas that are well beyond the river's normal banks, such as riprap, gravel walkways and concrete retaining walls. Shoreline trees and bushes become prime current breaks. This flooded cover concentrates bait and provides cover for wary walleye.

Presentations: Floats, Rigs and Worms

Slip Floats

One of the most obvious ways to fish flooded cover is to use a slip float and livebait. Unlike jigs that have a tendency to hang up on brush and tree limbs when fished slowly, live bait can be suspended indefinitely at any desired depth below a slip float. To catch more fish on slip floats, pay special attention to the following items: (I) properly balance the float with enough split shot to require only the slightest bite to submerge the float, (ii) use extremely sharp hooks for increased hooking percentages, and (iii) do not set the hook too soon; instead allow the fish to take and move off with the bait before setting the hook.

Select a float, like Thill's Center Slide float which allows the line to slide through it freely and sits perfectly upright when properly loaded. These characteristics are important when fishing floats in an active manner. Unlike the panfishing stereotype of chucking out a cork and patiently waiting for a bite, walleye fishing with slip floats is not a sedentary technique. By setting the bobber stop at the proper depth and ever so slowly sweeping the rod forward and retrieving the slack line, one can crawl a live bait over every inch of walleye holding cover. When a key piece of structure is located, the bait can be made to quiver in place by slightly twitching the rod tip. The bait can also be jigged aggressively in place by raising the rod tip to pick up an extra 6-12 inches of line beyond the bobber stop and then lowering the rod tip again to allow the bobber stop to come to rest on the float.

Since fishing slip floats around flooded cover means fishing through rocks and wood, the use of premium bait hooks pays off. Hooks, such as Owner's live bait hooks, have the benefit of true needle point sharpness with unmatched strength and durability. These premium hooks retain their sharpness after extended periods of use and the points will not roll-over even after being pulled out of repeated snags. In addition, when fishing minnows on slip floats around brush, make certain to place enough weight close to the hook to keep the minnow from swimming around branches.

No-Snagg Rigs

When fishing riprap and areas with limited brush, use bait rigs to cover more ground and locate variations in flooded cover. The problem encountered when fishing most live bait rigs around flooded cover is the sinker getting hung up. With refined bait rigs like Lindy's No-Snagg sinkers, one can fish long stretches of flooded shoreline to locate pockets of active walleye. To minimize snags, fish the rig at a 45 degree angle or less. The narrow angle allows the sinker to walk along the bottom in an upright manner instead of being dragged on the bottom.

In flood conditions, walleye often utilize small 'spot on the spot' piece of structure. The key becomes locating these holding areas and establishing a pattern to catch these fish. With the use of a bow mount electric trolling motor and an Aqua-Vu underwater video camera, one can get a better view of the shallow flooded cover, and all the time dragging No-Snagg bait rigs around productive looking cover.

An underwater video camera is more productive than a fish finder in shallow flooded water since most walleye relate extremely close to the cover and will not be detected by sonar. An Aqua-Vu also aids in determining how closely walleye are relating to structure. At times, walleye will literally sit with their nose against the structure. To catch these fish, one must present a bait directly in front of them, and fish slowly. When walleye are observed out on the perimeter of cover, they can be caught on a more aggressive approach.

Texas Rigged Ringworm

A third option for shallow, flooded water walleye is plastic worm fishing. More precisely, a Texas rigged 3.75" Thumpin' Ringworm. Texas rigging is one of the most common tactics of largemouth bass anglers but may not be so familiar to walleye anglers. The rig is simple. Start with a Thumpin' Ringworm, a light bullet weight (1/16oz.) and a Mustad size 1 Ultra Point Ultra Lock hook. Slide the weight on the line. Tie on the hook. Thread just the tip of the Ringworm onto the hook, and then, with the worm aligned against the hook to run perfectly straight, insert the hook back into the worm, without exposing the hook. This rig can be fished over, around and through relatively thick cover.

Do not attempt to fish too much territory with any one cast. Long casts mean shorter angles, more snags and fewer bites being detected. With precise mid-range casts, keep the rod tip high to minimize hang-ups and quickly detect bites. Ringworm fishing is much like plastic worming for bass. Line watching is critical. The worm should be slowly dragged over bottom structure. Walleye will typically only move a short distance to take the bait and are less likely than bass to swim off with the worm.

Conclusion

Fishing above the normal water line makes for interesting surroundings. Shoreline amenities like boat ramps, parking lots and play sets become walleye holding structure. Walleye spread out over this newly flooded structure but continue to concentrate in areas that provide food, cover and optimum water quality. So when high water strikes, move to higher ground for more walleye.