got a question

When trying some new places to fish, say some eddy or slack water area, how long will you stay there before no action? How many different baits would you try? Thanks in advance John R

good question John… I will be interested in reading responses to this…. as for me.. well funny, fisherman are supposed to be patient! but Im not… (very)… so I will grab a technique that I have been using with some success and just apply it to whatever new spot Im working…. but if Im on a “search” I will be checking different kinds of locations… not just deep water vertical jiggin… I may check sand flats, and channel edges, wing dams, incoming creeks, flooded timber…..

and depending on those things I will do different things….

for flats and current breaks I like to troll with 3 ways

for channels and edges I will vertical jig (various things, plastics, hair, bait tipped, blades and spoons)……

for wing dams, feeder creeks and flooded timber I do some form of casting (usually plastics)

actually this is a complex question… and the better and more experieced angler you are the better you will become at finding fresh fish and ways to score on them……

this is where the best anglers really shine…. and its an area that you cant get better at without practice…….

John R,

This is a good question, indeed! There a lot of factors to consider when fishing a new area.First off; The best advice I can give you would be to use a proven techniqe for the particular season you are fishing when jumping spots. If it looks like it should be a good spot, throw a couple of different baits, sometihing you have confidence in. Second; If the fish are there and active, you should be able to hook up with a few or more. This is actually when it gets tougher! If you catch one and can not get another one to go, then start changing up to get a feel for what is going to put better size and numbers in the boat.

One thing I have learned about a walleye, when the current is raceing, and the water is high, you can bet there is always going to be more than one in that particular current break or eddie area. I guess I can not put a time limit on something like this. I will usually fish a spot until I am thourouly done fishing it or loose confidence. You will usually get that gut feeling that tells you, something just isn’t right!

10 minutes without a bite, then change. Change technique, change retrieve, change color, change something.

1 hour in any one spot without a fish – move.

There are so many good locations on the river, and such a large population of fish you should not spend much time in one spot if you are not getting bit. I have learned over the years though that if you find fish there usually will be many more using the spot. They will turn on and off though so that where patience sets in. Too many times I have left a spot that was kicking out small fish to later hear that they really turned on after I had left.