Good time to be fishing walleyes!

Been a couple weeks since I posted I see…sorry! It is a great time to be fishing walleyes on Rainy Lake right now! The walleyes have certainly started to stage up nicely on mid lake humps and other mid lake structural elements. You can jig ’em, rig ’em, bounce ’em, bobber ’em, and just about any other presentation you can think of. I prefer the jig in snaggy areas, but it’s just personal preference. Some days bottom bouncers will rule the day. I often start at the top of the humps by fishing it rather than pounding it with sonar first. I am familiar with them too, so keep that in mind. It always pays to look with your electronics before you even wet a line, but there are spots I just know will produce fish on the tops and I don’t want to cruise over them. Today we caught walleyes in 5 feet and others in water as deep as 32. Duluth Fish had a great report last week…this guy can fish bit I would say! Casting Castaic Baby Jerky J’s is my favorite way to get ’em shallow. They do eat plastic baits! Keep in mind that there are almost always shallow walleyes to be had on this lake and I always say play the conditions. That said there are times when you will whack walleyes in shallow water under clear skies and even calm skies. I would say that is not the norm however.

If you want to brush up on your walleye fishing skills now would be a great time to visit Rainy Lake. Pick your poison as far as presentations go and you will get fish! There are loads of 19 to 25 inch fish out there.

DoRight

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Deron, are you using the jerky j swims or regular? Good looking bait, what colors do you like? My favorite paddle tail is the Z man minnow Z 3″ in pearl/blue glimmer, Houdini, and chartreuse. Almost always have one tied on.

Duluth Fish wrote:

Deron, are you using the jerky j swims or regular? Good looking bait, what colors do you like? My favorite paddle tail is the Z man minnow Z 3″ in pearl/blue glimmer, Houdini, and chartreuse. Almost always have one tied on.

Fish,

I have BY FAR the best luck on the “Baby Jerky J Swims” it’s the 3.5 paddle tail. I like the 5’s too, but I don’t turn as many bites on them…maybe bigger fish though! I like the Z Man pearl blue as well. I have no solid explanation for it, but the baby jerky J swim in Golden Shiner is the clear winner over any other swim bait I have tried out here…and I have tried tons of them. I pay for ’em too…just like everyone else! There are days when nothing else even comes close to the numbers that bait/color puts in the boat. I typically rig with an 1/8oz head but I will go to 3/16oz at times. Just regular lead heads by the way, or Crystaleyes heads in black or white. I originally started using these baits on smallies, but turns out the walleyes like them even better.

Thanks! Yeah I started using the minnow z for smallies too on gopher tackle mushroom heads. On the right weight head I can get it to almost suspend when killed and cold water smallies smash it sometimes. I use VMC mooneye jigs on them for walleyes. Thanks for the info and I will pick up a few packs. Nate

Nate,

Try rigging one with a shaky head or turned eye jig head. You should notice that the Castaic has a significant roll (like a flat rap) as well as the thump the tail provides. I feel like I get more roll from the turned eye heads. Wish Crystaleyes made one! Might be one of the reason the Baby Jerky J is so effective at times.

I will give that a try!