Catchin’ a walleye (Siskiwit Lake, WI)

I’ve caught a few open water walleye by accident while fishing for bass and I’ve caught a few through the ice, but I have never really targeted them on purpose (mainly because I fish mostly around the metro area.)

Over the fourth this year I’ll be up in Bayfield, WI for a week and I have been eyeing Siskiwit Lake to take out my kayaks, and according to various websites/fishing reports the walleye are “abundant” in this lake so I’m looking to take home a few for a family dinner.

How can I translate my bass fishing skills to catch a few? I prefer lures but would go with some bait/slip bobbers if needed. Normally I fish weightless senkos, Ned rigs, Texas rigs swim jigs, shaky heads, etc.

It is less than 300 acres, less than 13 feet deep, emergent vegetation, with lots of drops off the shore and giant, flats in the middle. Where will they be and what will they eat first week of July?

https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating/search@13&key=qor%7CGbxfkP

Find the outside weed edge and your favorite presentation. Morning/evening slip bobber with a leech for half crawler would be easiest from a kayak, but jigging wouldn’t be much trouble either. I’d probably start along the North shoreline.

We usually catch quite a few walleyes while bass fishing at Sikiwit using swim jigs, swimbaits and crankbaits. There are reed lines but not much for weedlines. The walleyes are very shallow. Might want to check out DNR concerns for eating Walleye out of this lake. High mercury content. You will also connect with numerous small northerns. Have fun

Thanks for the tip on mercury…I didn’t even think to check because I assumed getting out of the metro and up by the Big Lake would mean clean water