Walleye Blog by Mike Richard

Big walleye Lure - Berkley Hollow Belly

2010-01-10T15:44:00.004-05:00

When looking at catching large size / trophy walleye, think big!

The Berkley PowerBaitHollow Belly swim bait has been a very successfull lure to catch trophy walleye. As if the PowerBait® scent and attractant weren't competitive advantage enough all by itself, this Hollow Belly bait is loaded with other features as well that has made it the "choice of champions" when conditions call for a super swim bait. First of all, unlike most other swim baits on the market, the body is truly hollow from nose to tail, and easily collapses around the hook when bit to insure a solid hookset. Its oversized paddle tail creates an unbelievable, natural swim bait action. With its realistic eyes, lifelike colors, and soft texture, the Hollow Belly truly mimics a live baitfish swimming in its natural environment. The Powerbait® Hollow Belly swim baits come packed with three baits, a wide gap hook, a treble hook, a bullet weight, a swivel, plastic tubing, and a split ring. 3/PACK

2009 :: My Trophy walleye 10.4 lbs

2009-08-31T15:18:00.007-04:00

Here is my biggest walleye caught this summer. This is a 10.4 Lbs caught on an home-made worm harness at the Cabonga Reservoir, Quebec.

Cabonga Reservoir

This was not my first time fishing on the Cabonga reservoir. Over the years, I've mainly visited two of the main Lodges on this wonderful Quebec's reservoir: Cabonga Lake Lodge and the Dear Horn Lodge. The first one is located on the south part of the Cabonga reservoir and the next one is located at the north. I can confirm that they both provide good walleye and lake trout results. To give you an idea, the distance in between Montreal and the Cabonga Lake Lodge is about 222 miles.

WALLEYE LURE MAKING

What is so unique about this trophy walleye is the fact that is was caught on an home made worm harness. I've previously ordered from LureMaking.com all products needed to prepare custom worm harness:

Real Pro's Master Walleye Harness Kit and Systems, great beginner's kit (39.99$)
Plastic Bag Clear to store my worm harness (100 for 1.99$)
High Quality easy spin for the spoon (50 for 1.59$)
Deluxe Crane Swivels (100 for 10.99$)
Tapered Rig Floats mixed Colour Pak (50 for 13.99$)

The Walleye harness kit they provide has everything your need to customize your first walleye harness. You will even find on their website a guide about lure making. Great service and fast delivery!

Look for structures while fishing for walleye

I always been successfull at catching walleye (trophy walleye!) when I concantrated my fishing on lake and reservoir structure. This big 10.4 lbs walleye was not an exception. Look at the below snap shut of the sonar to see that we were fishing right were the current was struggling in between two bays. You have to be patient, before getting this nice walleye on the line, we must have caught over 50 small pearch while jigging! Pearch are considered as bait fish for the walleye, as far as I'm concern, we were fishing right into the best feeding area of the two bays.

I can,t wait to go back to the Cabonga Reservoir for another great wallleye fishing trip!

Spring River Walleye fishing

2009-04-18T11:52:00.002-04:00

Spring River Walleye fishing

Here is a great walleye fishing video done by Fishing Headquarters. This walleye video is about Spring River Walleye fishing on the Maumee River, Ohio.

These guys were using one of my best walleye lure 1/2 once jigs with yellow/orange grub! Great walleye video, keep up the good work guys!

Mike

John Dyers and Nate Tessier:: limit of walleyes, Maumee River, Ohio.

Spinner Rigging for walleye

2009-04-11T11:08:00.005-04:00

Walleye fishing season is now at the door! One of the best kept secret for catching trophy walleye is the walleye rig. After the Orange Storm Thin Fin, this is my best walleye lure!

Bottom bouncer live bait rigging is one of my best tactic to use when walleyes are relating tight to deep structure and are neutral.

The weight of bouncer you choose will depend on the depth you're marking walleyes at, but my favorite ranges would be 1.5 to 2.5 ounces. A six-foot snell tipped with a crawler or leech (the best) will trigger bites. This is a slow, did I say"slow", and methodical technique for targeting trophy walleyes that are tight to specific structural elements (deep breaks, cups and points).

As you slowly work the fishing area, make sure you're keeping the bouncer as vertical as possible. This will give you much better control and help allow you to feel even light bites. Often, when using large minnows you'll be able to feel the bait get very active when a predator walleye is close. The bite may feel like nothing more than the rig getting heavy, or you may feel a "tug". At that point, drop the rod tip slowly toward the walleye, giving it time to take the bait and turn its head. When you feel the walleye has the bait and the line is tight, set the hook with an upward sweeping motion and fight the walleye in.

This is a finesse technique, demanding precise boat control and a sensitive touch.

It's a deadly technique for those situations where walleyes are tough to catch by most any other method. During the lon winter months, take some time to create your owns walleye rigs!

Walleye Stocking - answers

2009-04-03T22:10:00.003-04:00

Q: What's the difference between stocking walleye fry and stocking walleye fingerlings?

A: It's more cost effective to stock fry (mosquito-sized walleyes) than fingerlings (4 to 6-inch walleyes), so they stock fry most often. Sometimes a fisheries manager will stock fry in the spring and then check back in the fall to see what proportion survived to reach fingerling size. If not enough did, then supplemental fingerlings may be stocked that fall.

Q: How long does it take a stocked walleye to reach catchable size?

A: It takes several years for the tiny walleyes stocked each spring or fall to reach 1 pound, or about 14 inches. Warmer, southern lakes have longer growing seasons, so walleyes grow more quickly there than in the north.

Q: How many walleyes get stocked in a lake?

A: Most lakes that are stocked receive an average of 1,000 fry or 1 pound of fingerlings per littoral acre (a surface area less than 15 feet deep). To come up with specific stocking levels and rates, local fisheries managers consider a wide range of factors. These include walleye growth rate, survival, and mortality; lake type, forage base, and amount of natural reproduction; and public requests for stocking.

Q: Why are some lakes stocked with more walleyes than other lakes?

A: Bigger stocked lakes generally get more fish than smaller lakes. Stocking levels can vary however, depending on factors such as the amount of prey available and lake productivity. For example, lakes that have lots of yellow perch generally can support more walleye stockings than lakes that don't.

Success Story

Walleye Stocking

During the 1980's, they evaluated their stocking policy to see where it might be improved. In the 1990's as a result of that analysis, they decreased the amount of walleyes they stocked in Minnesota lakes while increasing the overall effectiveness of stocking. The result has been a continual increase in walleye abundance in stocked lakes while we have saved time and money by not stocking lakes that hadn't been benefiting from the practice.

A new Accelerated Walleye Program aims to further increase walleye abundance on stocked lakes by boosting stocking rates on lakes where it appears to do the most good.

Stocking Walleye video

Walleye Spawning

2009-04-01T19:26:00.002-04:00

If you are just like me and you can wait for the first day of the next walleye fishing season, have a look at this great walleye video. This is a 10:20 minutes great walleye spawning videos recorded in South Dakota.

Great walleye video, enjoy!

Mike

Best Walleye Pictures

2009-03-21T12:22:00.004-04:00

Since the walleye fishing season is now at the door, I thought that I should bring some of the best walleye pictures that can be found on the web into one post. When looking for the best walleye pictures on the web, I realized that a lot of very good quality walleye pictures can found within the foloowing walleye content: walleye blog, walleye forum, professional photographers and outfitter's websites.

Flickr :: walleye pictures
Flickr is a website where you can shared photos / pictures. Using their serach tool, you will be able to find great quality walleye pictures from anywhere in North America. Have a look at some of the best walleye pictures I 've found:
This is a great walleye picture with Ashley while fishing for walleye with Eric Quest Charters.

Anna shows a nice 28 inches walleye caught on Lake Erie.

Best Walleye Lure - Cotton Cordell Wally Diver

2009-03-16T20:01:00.002-04:00

Best Walleye Lure : Cotton Cordell Wally Diver

The Cotton Cordell Wally Diver fishing lure is a great lipped crankbait. Everything about these fishing lures - their action, their profiles, their colors – is expertly designed for walleye fishing in North America.

Initially designed as a walleye lure for trolling, the Wally Diver's true-running, moderately tight wobble soon became sought after by fishermen casting for walleye, bass and pike as well. The slender, slightly curved profile of the lure is perfect for slow trolling after finicky fish. Internal rattles call out to predators and hold their attention.

The Wally Diver has proven that its slender profile and tight wiggle produce big walleye. It's very effective on the Great Lakes. Its tight compact action increases hooksets and is equally effective whether cast or trolled.

Best Walleye lure: New 7" Big Ripstick 900 Series

2009-03-06T10:10:00.011-05:00

Best Walleye Lures
Reef Runner Fishing Lures have launched a new series for their fabulous Big Ripstick walleye lure. Originally the 900 series has been designed for the musky market but this new series is also used by experienced walleye fisherman who are looking to catch monster walleyes. The new 900 series is also categorized as one of the hottest walleye crankbait in the USA!

Characteristics of the 7" Ripstick
The new 900 series is 7" long and they are equipped with size 2/0 saltwater hooks. This turn this walleye lure into the major league to catch trophy walleyes.

This walleye lure could dive to 8' to 10' when cast and even down to 18' with 150' of line when trolled. Fireline should get them 25% deeper ;) They are available in the following colors:

Bare Naked
Perch
Firetiger
Mooneye Minnow
Ericdescent
Pink lemonade (My preferred walleye color!)

My preferred walleye color : Pink Lemonade

Better walleye hook available
If you are just like me and you like to have the best walleye hook on your crankbait, you can upgrade this walleye lure with Gamakatsu replacement hook.
Recent comment of a walleye fisherman about the new 900 series

"This is the first year that I have used reef runner baits and all I can say is that this is a great product for producing good sized walleye time after time. The bait produces a great action whether it is being trolled or retrieved in."

Walleye video : Walleye fishing - Huron Ohio - ReefRunner Crankbait
Have a look at this walleye fishing video about fall walleye fishing with reefrunner crankbait with Rob Cardinal from Lake Erie Sport Fishing.

New Walleye Jig - Lindy's Change Jig System

2009-03-01T19:35:00.004-05:00

As many of you already know, jigging is my favorite walleye fishing technique! I just like looking for walleye structures and then let the boat drift and slowly jig for walleye. Always remember that speed is the key for walleye, slow speed!

New for 2009, Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle has released a new jig system that will apparently change the way we jig for walleye. The new X-Change Jig System will allows walleye anglers to quickly and easily change the weight or color of their walleye jig without retying!

Depending on the wind conditions, color swapping or facing finicky walleye that dictate a faster or slower fall rate, the X-Change Jig System provides walleye anglers with a multitude of size, color and hook options that can be changed for the conditions with one simple snap.

The new X-Change Jig System is available in 20 colors with 4 jighead sizes per pack : 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8.

Can wait for the walleye fishing season to start and have a chance to test these new jigs!

Mike

Slow Death Hook

2009-01-07T20:03:00.005-05:00

Ultimate walleye lure - Slow Death Hook
This is one of my favorite finesse presentation. It can be fished fast or slow (I prefer slow), has the attractiveness of live bait and adds an irresistible / incredible action. The unique death hook design creates an enticing corkscrew presentation. This is a slow bottom-bouncing presentation technique that lets you easily present your the bait

How to rig a slow death hook:
Attach a bottom-bouncer weight to your main line. Add a 4-5 foot, 10 lb mono filament leader and attach your death hook. Thread a full night crawler up the hook shank over the hook eye.

How to fish with a slow death hook:
Troll at speed from 1 mph to almost nothing. The key is to keep just enough speed so the crawler spins. Best way to have the right speed.... let the boat drift!

The slow death hook are available in three different size : 1, 2, 4

Available colors : Bronze, Gold and Red

Slow Death Hook - video

Walley Picture: Walleye from lake Eric

2009-01-01T14:58:00.002-05:00

href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36175633@N02/3347114891/"Nice Walleye picture from Lake Erie, originally uploaded by walleyecharters.

Lake Erie is well known as being the walleye capital of the world and our home port, Ashtabula, Ohio USA is known for legendary walleye catches! Join us for an exciting day of charter fishing for trophy walleye, steelhead trout, smallmouth bass, or yellow perch. Ashtabula, Ohio USA – trophy Lake Erie fishing charters!

Canadian walleye picture

2009-01-01T14:53:00.002-05:00

walleye picture, walleye photo, canadian walleye, originally uploaded by nrthwoodsguy.

Walleye Picture
Great winter canadian walleye caught on March 19th, 2009

Walleye Pictures : Great Walleye From Lake Erie

2009-01-01T14:49:00.002-05:00

walleye picture, walleye photo, walleye from lake Erie

Walleye Pictures

Lake Erie walleye caught with Erie Quest Charters on July 28, 2006. Her dad was so proud of her, so was the captain. Yes indeed. Lake Erie walleye charters are fun for everyone!

Great walleye pictures / photo from Lake Erie.

Walleye World Video

2008-12-27T20:13:00.007-05:00

Now that the ice is set-up on most of our lake, it's time to plan the fishing trips for next summer. At this time of the year, I'm getting ready for the different outdoor shows that will take place in the Montreal area within the next 45 days. I also take the time to look at the recent walleye videos I can find on the web. I really like underwater videos wher we can see walleye in their real environment.

Have a look at this walleye world video recorded by Jim Kinner from Tonawanda, New-York.

Let's get ready for 2009 fishing season!

Mike

Lucky Craft Staysee

2008-05-07T12:49:00.006-04:00

Lucky Craft :: Staysee

The STAYSEE is jerk-bait initially build for bass but very good for walleye fishing. Unlike many jerk-baits that are ripped across the surface of the water, this bait is fished 8-10 feet below the surface with a perfect nose-down and suspend retrieve. The STAYSEE is equipped with a unique combination of rattles, which create the gravity suspending action and permits long casts. This walleye lure is available in eight colors making this suspending jerk-bait a very effective and exciting lure. My preferred color are Nishiki and Black & Gold.

The STAYSEE is equipped with a unique combination of rattles, which create the gravity suspending action and permits long casts. With a rated running depth of eight to ten feet, this is a great walleye lure!

Night Walleye

2008-04-22T21:17:00.004-04:00

Walleye anglers will always recommend that if one wishes to have a good bite it is best to begin walleye fishing 2 hours before sunrise or after sunset.

Sometime, "the night time is the right time" for walleye.

I would recommend you to troll and cover some water to find walleye feeding at night. Prime night walleye locations include weedlines, large feeding flats, main lake points, narrows, wind-bashed shorelines, sunken islands and reefs and river inlet areas. In the spring, I prefer weedlines and wind bashed shorelines, while in mid to late summer I choose sunken islands and reefs. In the fall, current areas and shallow to steep shorelines, which have had daily wind and wave activity, can be hot spots for night walleye.

Night Walleye presentation
There are a variety of presentations that excel for night walleye including trolling and casting crankbaits, and using lighted bobbers with lively bait. In the spring, flat-line shallow diving, floating crankbaits that imitate minnow presentations. I like crankbaits such as the Rapala floating minnow, Husky Jerk, Storm Thunderstick, Storm Thin Fin, Smithwick Rogue and Berkley Frenzy. Troll these crankbaits along the weedline edges. Common spring depths are from 8 to 15 feet deep. Colors such as black and silver, blue and white, black and chrome, smoke, blue and orange, firetiger and watermelon can all produce good catches. A couple of small split shot several feet up the line can help get the lure down. Trolling speeds from 2 to 3.5 mph work well for walleye. By the mid to late summer period. Many night-feeding walleye are setting up on sunken islands and humps during the moonlit periods. Prime humps are between 10 and 20-feet in depth, and I’ll mark such positions into my GPS or use a marker buoy so I can find them again in the dark. Most night trolling is done between 12.00 p.m. and 4:30 a.m.

Locating night walleye
One of my favorite spots to look for nighttime walleye is near the entrances of a bay or harbor, especially if the entrance is narrow and there is at least seven to ten feet of water nearby. Night fishing is a special tool to catch bigger walleyes than during the day. Don’t underestimate the power of darkness to get these monsters on the move. But, most importantly if you are tired stay in bed that leaves more of these trophies for me.

Spring Walleye spawn

2008-04-18T21:31:00.002-04:00

Walleye video : Spring Spawn

Have a look at this walleye video, it's one of the few where we can see spring walleye during the spawn season. They are hanging there in less then 3 feet of water.

Follow the walleye

2008-04-15T20:53:00.002-04:00

NEWS :: Walleye equipped with tiny transmitor
Sandusky River - Ohio

Unbelievable, this radio tagging project was started in 2006 in witch over 50 walleyes received internal radio transmitter implants. In 2007, the field crew was able to locate 18 of the 50 tagged walleyes.

The biologist objective is major: they would like to determine whether the declines in the walleye stock have been caused by the Fremont floodwall project, in witch a huge gravel-bottom oxbow was eliminated.

Here is a short portion of a complete article you can find on the Toladoblade:

"Water has been the lowest it's been all year and is at average level," said Bury. The temp was 51 this afternoon. Fish are spawning, but not all of them. Females close to state record size are being taken.

"I saw a 30 and a 31-inch fish Tuesday. Floating jigs in chartreuse are working, as well as 1/4 or 1/8-ounce lead. Anywhere between the bridges is producing fish. Not everyone caught a keeper, but some got limits. Still a lot of catch and release, as the water is still very muddy. The bite will pick up in a week or so."

Another great walleye article done by Steve Pollick.

Best Walleye Lure

2008-04-15T19:02:00.008-04:00

Best walleye lures :: Rattlin' Rogue from Smithwick

The Rattlin' Rogue and its attractive rattles and wounded action will produce year-round result when trolling for walleye. The Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue stands alone among jerkbaits and is now available in 12 carefully selected colors.

The Walleye spawn is over and fish will be on the feed before they go to their summer location. This is the best time of the year to get a trophy walleye. Walleye seem to prefer long skinny baits sometimes reffered to as stickbaits :: Rattlin' Rogue. Fishing during low light periods should also improve your chances.

Rattlin' Rogue : Walleye spring fishing
Learn the spawning habits of the walleyes, and locate those areas, principally reefs, on maps. Males will be stacked on the reefs waiting for females to arrive. The places you’ll want to focus on are the deeper-water areas nearby where females stage before moving to the reefs and where they return afterward. Identify several likely spots. Walleyes are nomads. Plan to stay mobile when fishing for walleye. Once on the water, always look for bait fish on your sonar. No bait fish, no line out!

Another best walleye lure :: Storm Thin Fin

I've been using the Storm Thin for several years. As far as I could remember, I've been using this walleye lure for over 15 years. Over all those years, I 've found that the orange one has been providing the best fishing results. It's a great walleye lure to troll early in the spring while the walleyes are in shallow waters. Later in the summer, I would add some weight on the line to bring the Storm Thin fin even deeper, below the 15 feet. One of my best fishing friend is also using the orange Thin Fin with downrigger. At one time last summer, I've used the same Thin Fin for an entire week-end on a walleye fishing trip. The Storm Thin Fin is not that easy to find in store. I travel a lot in North America and there are very limited fishing shops where you could find this excellent walleye lure. I have no problem to find this lure in Canada, if you can't find it, drop me a comment on this post and I will see if I could help!

Universal best walleye lure :: Reef Runner Pink Lemonade

I like to call the Reef Runner my universal walleye fishing lure. This is a great lure to cast in shallow water but my best usage is for trolling for walleye. It's my favorite walleye lure that I will troll right behind the boat, within the next 20 feet behind the boat. Beleive me, you will be amaze to see how many trophy walleyes you will catch right behind the boat. Don't be surprise if you catch good size pike, musky and even lakers with this incredible walleye lure.

Have a look at the below picture, during a spring walleye fishing trip, I caught this 8 pounds lakers on a Pink lemonade reef Runner while trolling for walleye!

Spawning conditions

2008-04-14T10:36:00.005-04:00

Walleye spawning water temperature
I’ve experienced that all walleyes do not spawn at the same time, some start early with the majority spawning during the ideal conditions and some will spawn extremely late in the spring, especially the younger females. The males arrive on the spawning beds first with the females following when the water conditions are ideal. Remember, males are always first in and last out!

Walleyes spawn in water from one foot to over 20 feet deep. . An abundance of broken rocks and gravel in water three to 10 feet deep will normally attract the largest concentrations of fish. Winning conditions for spawning activity are water temperature, rock or rubble shore lines. A spawning temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit will start the spawning action and 52 degrees is the top end of spawning temperature. Rock and rubble are a must structures for a successful hatch. To provide ideal spawning conditions the water temperature should warm slowly and constantly with no severe temperature swings or wave action during the gestation and hatching period.

The north and east shorelines are usually the areas where a majority of the walleyes spawn. While the fish do not know east from west or north from south, what makes these shore lines most desirable is the fact that the sun penetrates the north and east shore lines with the hottest sun of the day. Walleyes that spawn in natural lakes are often the last fish of the season to deposit their eggs. It usually takes a week or two longer for the sun to warm these large inland lakes to the magical 40 to 45 degree spawning temperature that walleyes prefer.

Michigan Walleye tournament

2008-04-13T22:23:00.005-04:00

Walleye Tournament
Sinbads at the River Walleye Palooza 2008
May 3rd and 4th, 2008

Location :

Sindbads at the River

100 St. Clair Ave.

Detroit, MI

This Walleye tournament / derby will be held May 3rd and 4th. The entry is $100.00 per boat 2 anglers per boat. One American limit per day per team . Total combined weight for the two days will be added to determine the winning team. All fish weighed will be donated to the Banquet prepared by the Sindbads Chefs to follow the derby. Any left over fish will be donated to the Cappician Soup Kitchen.

Prizes to be anounced at the Captains meeting on Apr 30th at Sindbads. They are expecting to pay cash for first place and they hope to have enough participation to pay cash through 3rd place. They also have a Lake St. Clair Muskie trip to give away.

They are expecting to have 20 to 25 boats this year.
For more information or a registration form, please drop a line to Roger: swamphunter@msn.com

Quebec fishing tournament

2008-04-12T11:25:00.006-04:00

NEWS :: Quebec Fishing Tournament from April 27th 2008 to November 1st, 2008
The Quebec Outfitters Federation (QOF) first ever fishing tournament

For their 60th anniversary, the QOF will have the largest fishing tournament that we ever had in Quebec. The fishing tournament will take place at the different outfitters that are members of the QOF, this represent over 350 outfitters!

Fishing tournament : more then 18 categories
The main 8 categories are subsidized into three sub-categories: Overall, the following fish categories will be included in the tournament: pike, walleye, bass, brook trout and the largest fish all species included. For this last category, I can easily predict that it will be a Sturgeon from the St-Lawrence river. Men, woman and kids under 18 will be able to compete in their own categories.

My preferred three categories
They have included three interesting fishing categories : my first fish, my best fishing story and my best fishing picture. I will definitively participate in the last two categories.

Over 40,000$ in prizes
Here is a quick overview of the different prizes:

Category winner: a fishing trip in one of the member outfitter;
Category winner : 500$ gift certificate at Sail / Lebaron sports store;
Category winner : complete fly fishing kit from Latullipe sport store in Quebec City;
Grand Prize : Yamaha G3 fishing boat V143T, trailer and a 15 HP outboard from Yamaha Canada

Over the last 10 years, the fishing license sales in Quebec went down by 36%. Hopefully this fishing tournament will bring new anglers. You will be able to get more details on this fishing tournament on their official fishing tournament website. Please note that their website is currently only in French and not up to date yet even if the tournament will be starting in 15 days! I will send a personal email to the QOF ;)

Catching Walleye

2008-04-11T20:33:00.008-04:00

How to catch walleye?
Where is the best location to catch walleye : in the open, on structure, walleye deep, walleye shallow?

Visit any of the most popular walleye forums and you will find that every angler has his own answer about where to locate walleye. Here are some lake area where you should look for walleye:

Walleyes in the weedline;
Walleyes holding on rocky point;
Walleyes suspended in open water;
Walleyes lined up on a current break.

You must know more then of walleye fishing technique. Vertical walleye jigging is extremely good when the walleyes are holding tight on structure or they are in a passive mood right after a cold front. A good fish finder will help to locate walleyes holding tight to structures.

If you don't find walleye around structure, you will need to explore shallow water. The best way to fish shallow water is to use crankbait or spinner rig. Remember, the trolling technique is the best way to explore a large area of the lake quickly. Once the walleye are located, you can switch to vertical jigging! Remember that the best way to bring a lure over walleye in shallow water is to use a planer board.

As a walleye angler, you must be able catch walleye with any of the following techniques:

Vertical jigging;
Horizontal fishing : crankbait & spinner rig;
Horizontal fishing : using bottom bouncer and planer board;
Horizontal fishing : troll with crankbait, rig and even slip-bobbers

Next time you will be fishing for walleye, think like a walleye!

Walleye Reel

2008-04-09T18:55:00.013-04:00

Best Walleye Reels
Here are some key features that you should evaluate when you are looking for a walleye reel. With this first post on walleye reel, we will cover all the feature that you must look for a spinning reel that you could use for walleye jigging.

Line capacity
Line capacity is the key consideration in selecting the best walleye reel. If you are planning to use a spinning reel mainly for jigging, you won't probably need more then 125-yards. 125-yards, that's exactly the length of my preferred walleye fishing line spool : Berkley Fireline Crystal-Line 8 Lb test.

Gear ratio
The gear ratio will tell you how quickly the reel will retrieve line per revolution of your reel's crank. A lower ratio will provide more power when bringing fish from deeper depths. Higher gear ratio will be better when pulling fish from a short distance. Most of time I will jig for walleye in less then 25 feet, so I prefer a high gear ratio of 5.1:1.

The drag
The drag is also an important feature of a walleye fishing reel. You will need a drag that you can make tiny adjustments, regardless of the line you use, the drag has to be smooth and easy to adjust.

Spools
Two spools per reel is probably the ideal situation. You can get the two spools filled-up before your fishing trip and when you get to the lake, you won't have to fill them up at the last minute while everybody is reading to get on the lake.

Ball bearings
Ball bearings are used to help reels work more smoothly by supporting the different moving parts. I would say that in general, the more ball bearings, the smoother the reel works. Unfortunately, more ball bearing that are added, the reel cost goes up.

Left or right retriever
This feature should not be a problem since most of all spinning reel can be adapt for either hand. Make you know if you are a left or a right retriever before you get to the fishing shop!

If you are looking for a walleye reel that meets all those specifications, here is my favorite walleye spinning reel:

My Best Walleye Reel - Abu Garcia Cardinal C801

9 stainless steel ball Bearings
Right of left retriever
Gear ratio: 5.1:1
Line Capacity : 6 lb / 110-yards
Extreme durability
Market price: Less than 130$