Walleyes have come to be some of the most in-demand freshwater fish because of their amazing flavor and offering up a good challenge for fishermen to wrangle. Lets learn how to catch walleye now, because their intelligence and behavior means most amateur fishermen will never catch a walleye unless out of pure luck or willpower and with long hours of persistence. Learning to catch walleye consistently may take a bit of homework and dedication before getting them to bite on the line in large numbers.
This big, beautiful fish is the aptly named member of the perch family, the largest of its kind. The best walleye fishing in Ontario and Canada can produce fish that grow as big as 25 pounds, sporting big, glossy eyes that show up as big green globes when light is reflected off of them at night. This, of course, makes it fairly easy to separate from other schools of fish, as it does closely resemble its relative the sauger fish. The sauger has spotted fins, while walleyes sport streaks and blotches with the lower part of the tail end having a white tip.
How to Catch Walleye
Because walleye have fantastic visual keenness under low levels of light, they tend to prefer day break and sunset, on shady or cloudy days, and under uneven conditions when light entrance into the water is disturbed. Despite the fact that most fishermen still prefer going in the middle of the day, it is simply a declaration of the walleye’s upper hand over its prey under those conditions. Essentially, in dimly colored or turbid waters, walleye tend to idle for the duration of the day.
You might hear the term “Walleye chop” utilized by walleye fishermen for unpleasant water regularly with winds of 5 to 15 mph, and is one of the pointers for good walleye angling because of the walleye’s expanded movement amid such conditions. In sunny conditions walleye move in schools to further shady territories, so when one walleye is spotted there are generally other walleye sustaining in the same location. These schools ordinarily contain walleye of comparative age and size.
How to Catch Cold Water Walleye
Find the Walleye Habitat
Although walleye are a hot species of fish, they are plentiful in North America. They are found in high concentrations wherever you can spot perfect little hiding places in fresh bodies of water. For example: steep cliff banks, coves, thick lily pads, wooded areas around lakes, places with lots of sunken debris, nearby dams and waterfalls, sand bars, piers, and virtually any rocky area that they can lurk around.
Best Times to Catch Walleye
As you might have guessed, though, walleye like to only come out during dusk and dawn. They will move to shallower waters to catch their prey when sunlight is low. If you fish during the day, you could catch walleye, but they’re notoriously lazy and require pinpoint locations for it to be worth it. Different techniques work during different seasons. Spring and Fall being great times to catch walleye, with summer being a bit more tricky with various pro tips on summer techniques.
How to Catch Walleye Trolling
Trolling using crank baits are good attention draws for walleye, but remember to troll slow, as walleyes, especially in the daytime, are not ones to chase down prey. Using a bouncer with a worm on a worm harness is a good strategy if you’re thinking about jigging the deep waters for walleye. Just remember to troll at the lowest speed if you decide to visit a lake or fish for them offshore.
As far as equipment is concerned, you need a lightweight rod; walleyes will fight and bite down hard, go for a braided fishing line and a rod light enough to know when your lure is getting any action. Get yourself a top type of spinning reel from a trusted brand, one that will last and wont let you down if you happen to hook into a trophy sized walleye.
How to Catch Walleye Drift Fishing
Best Lures for Catching Walleye
Throwing or trolling with spinners or minnow fittings is a decent start. As mentioned earlier, a bouncer with a worm on a worm harness are regularly trolled. Jigging, with conventional buck tails, or tipped with plastics, a bit of worm or minnow are walleye top picks. Spoons are another great choice.
Live lures are regularly utilized, floated or trolled on slip-sinker or bouncer rigs. Popular live lure picks: are night crawlers, minnows, or worms, all of which can be jigged.
In springtime walleye will take any lure, yet might be all the more difficult to get through mid-year. Fall regularly brings another wave of walleye action.
Best Bait for Catching Walleye Ice Fishing
Walleye are promptly gotten through the ice in winter, as a rule on jigging spoons or minnows. At the point when ice angling, walleye are found jigging or on tip-ups. These are for the most part set up with a special backing and a clear lead. For lures, the most widely recognized minnows are fatheads and shiners. Sizes for them is somewhere in the range of 1 to 7 inches.
Walleye will fight you if they are over 24 inches or so, but most of the smaller fry won’t give the average fisherman much of an issue, just stick to the equipment recommendations given and you’ll eventually tame this popular catch.
How to Fillet Your Walleye
Enjoying some Quality Walleye Dinner
Now that you have yourself a fresh walleye, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to prepare it. Don’t just deep fry it and serve it with some chips, not that there’s anything wrong with that, give it a nice pairing of ingredients and let the fish flavor be the star of the show. Here’s a super easy recipe to get you started:
Start up your grill with medium heat. Take fresh walleye fillets and coat them in butter with the juice of a lemon. Once on the grill, you will season them with a little red pepper, black pepper, crushed garlic, sea salt, and a little oregano. Close the lid and let your fillets cook for five minutes. When it’s time reapply your butter to keep them moist and cook for an additional five minutes. You should notice the walleye turning into a nice white, flaky texture. Be careful take them off as it’s easy to lose precious flakes of fish.
Walleye is a fish that is great with simple jasmine rice and a fresh vegetable. Wine pairings of Chardonnay and White Wine work well with this superstar fish, just don’t lean towards wines that are too fruity as they will compete with the flavors of the fish. This recipe is also great for yellow perch.
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