Early season trolling walleye tactics

What will be peoples main focus for trolling cranks early this season for walleye? Going shallow/Tight to the shoreline? Finding current? Speeding up the presentation? What works best for you?

I’d say avoiding other boats

Good discussion for the GTG on the Thursday before opener at the Bungalow, as far as trolling on opener goes, I’ll be fishing live bait until June when the live bait bite slows then it’s time to bust out the cranks and troll the summer away

I’ve had early season trolling success all over the board. Shallow, mid-depth, deep. Every year is different weather wise so it depends on where the fish are.

But trolling cranks early in the season is definitely in my playbook. Most often though it is a shallow bite for me and if shallow, then I’m long lining, no need for lead or bottom bouncer.

Colors, I try all kinds but if I don’t have firetiger on one line at all times, I feel like I’m not trying.

ET

Hopefully we have a better opener this year than last year as far as river quality. Not as high and dirty would be nice. I agree with you cougareye catching fish at all depths is possible early on, but the shallow stuff and heading north seems to be game plan. I really worked the firetiger alot last year for the first season ever becuase everyone says its their go to and it was dynamite down south by Afton. Up north by Stillwater/Bayport it didn’t make much of a difference.

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What will be peoples main focus for trolling cranks early this season for walleye? Going shallow/Tight to the shoreline? Finding current? Speeding up the presentation? What works best for you?

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In normal water years trolling can be much better than live bait but with a very high opener I prefer bait.
Here is why….
Most of the narrows will have so much water pushing through hard down the middle that the fish will avoid the “right down the middle” trolling that the Croix is know for around the opener.

By the time the water falls most of eyes will leave the narrows.

However sometimes the river is high like right now, but the flow is not equivalent to the flow rate you would expect with such high water. In other words sometimes even if the river is high the flow is not raging and its good water.
If my guess is right that the flow will be high then I will go with my first statement of “cranks will not be as good” because the eyes won’t be scattered across the flats down the middle of the narrows.

Keep Catchin’
Turk

If that’s the case Turk does that mean looking for the current seems will be the ticket? I’m still trying to figure out the current seem game and trying to get a better understanding of what I am seeing looking at the water.

Correct, Yes you do want to find the seams, as always there are two sides to the coin or other considerations. This is what i mean…

The St. Croix is not the Sippi (obvious statement I know), but even in high water from Stillwater south they are not always seams to find, the St.Croix is much slower water than the sippi. My point is seams should be there but don’t bank on it.

Rethinking this I would guess in the high water the seams should be present around opener, but again it all depends on the flow of the day you are there.

Even in high water I have seen times in the channel that “right down the middle” has “good water” Go with your instincts and if your boat is really flying downstream I would skip that water.

So to go back about the original trolling presentation question I say if the flow is what I call “good water” then trolling is effective.

If you are reading this thinking this answer is circular and back to the start, you are right. River fishing is always changing and you do need to be at least willing (in my opinion) to read water and execute a plan based on how you understand the fish to behave. At the end of the day, its just fishing… have fun.

Turk

Excellent – thank you Turk!

Good info Turk. Trolling is mostly all I know for the river, but I would like to try jigging/livebait more this year. Especially if you say live bait will be more affective. Would Lindy rigs or slow death rigs be a good option for early season?

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Would Lindy rigs or slow death rigs be a good option for early season?

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Yes. Definitely. With Crawlers and Leeches.

shhhhhhh those never work…….

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Would Lindy rigs or slow death rigs be a good option for early season?

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Lindy rigs yes.

Slow death I never use these in May.

I am not a leech fan for several weeks, everybody is different.

Seems like whenever I’ve tried Lindy rigs on the river I always get more “junk” fish than walleyes. Yes your catching fish, but is there anyway around this with using the live bait rigs?

Embrace the junk, they are a native species.

Haha will do