August Tackle Advice Request

Hello fishing friends —
Heading to Rainey Lake in mid August. This will be my first walleye fishing trip. Would appreciate any advice on tackle to take. We’ll be on a houseboat and have a guide booked for 1/2 day. I want to make sure we bring the proper tackle. Any advice about 1. Size of hooks for worms/leaches 2. Size of weights for jigging and lindy rigs 3. Any other tips.

I will be bringing a portable sonor so we should be able to pick guides brain for tips of type of water to fish.

Appreciate any tips.

Thanks.

Bill:

It would seem to me that you should pick the guides brain hard… After all you may using his techniques following your successful outing. I have been there in late July and it is pretty much the same fishing for walleyes every where you go… if you are fishing deep, you want weight for jigs and lindy rigging up to 1/2 oz. for sure, then maybe a bit of stuff a bit heavier, bottom bouncers we carry up to 2-3 oz. and then I have 1 oz. rubber core sinkers for other applications that I can slide on to add weight if needed.

For the most part you ‘ll be looking at reefs and tips of points that are in water deeper than 40′ of water topping out in the 20′-30’ range in most cases, but again your guide hoipefully has more timely info for this year.

Mark

We camp on the east end (Three Sisters area this year) every year during the first week of August.
We mainly use size 6 for rigging leeches, and usually 4 for crawlers. For crawlers we usually use only 1/2 crawler. Rigging is with 3/4 oz lindy sinkers.
Pulling spinners is usually with size 4 hooks, and run about a 4′ snell length. I have bouncer weights up to 4oz for using on the reefs. In August I usually start in 23′ of water and work deeper til I connect with fish.

Like Mark said you will be mainly fishing reefs, deeper points, and rock shelves off of islands. Your sonar is your friend here. I won’t spend time on a piece of structure that I’m not marking some fish on. I’ll come back later in the day tho. You should get lots of helpful info from your guide that will apply all over the lake. Ask what makes the areas that you fish with them productive, and look for similar where you travel to. And enjoy the lake, its a great place to be in August!

Thanks so much for the great advice!!

Looking forward to a great trip!

You should contact your guide in advance of your trip. He should be able to give you info on tackle/tactics aead of your trip.