The little things….

James made a comment on another thread that went something like “I have confidence that 99 out of 100 guys that pull into a spot after I leave won’t catch fish”. Well that got me thinking (dangerous, I know). What are some of the “little things” that you more experniced river walleye anglers (guides, tourney participants, everyday river rats) do that allow you to catch more fish than the every other weekend joe schmo (aka. ME)? Or what are some of the more common mistakes you see others doing?

Obviously paying attention to details is a big one, but what kind of details? presentation wise, techinque wise, equipment wise, any other thing wise…..

Just lookin for some tips here

Boat control, speed control, depth control. Nail those 3 so you can keep the ‘right’ bait in the ‘right’ place ALL the time and you’ll see drastic improvements. In my opinion the biggest thing that seprates an average walleye angler from a good one is their ability to fish the same in wind, rain, high current, etc. Magic baits don’t exist and presentations change but the need to be accurate and under complete control in your boat is a constant regardless of season or body of water being fished.

99 of of 100.

That wasn’t the point being made in the post Jake is referencing. If it be 5 out of 100 or 100 out of 100 the original post was addressing the idea that a person could follow someone else and gain fishing success just by showing up in those same spots. Doesn’t work that way.

I think the biggest difference is knowing the water. Some people will fish a spot that is hundreds of yards long but only holds fish in a small area on the spot yet they will continue to fish the entire area not realizing that they are wasting a lot of their time. Sure they will happen on the breakline, rockpile, clambed, current break, etc. from time to time but they are also fishing a lot of unproductive water.
Good fisherpersons can also hook up on a fish in one spot and know that numerous other similar spots on the river will also hold fish in the same conditions.
Lastly, and I think most importantly, a lot of people only fish a couple of techniques all year. don’t be afraid to experiment with different techniques.
My two cents.

Gator Hunter

I would have to agree with you guys. James hit the nail on the head. You must be versatile on the water and adjust to the conditions dealt to you on that day. Boat control and versatility are important. I think we all fish too many memories. Be willing to change and adapt. OUT…

All very good points here guys . The biggest set back for most anglers whom only fish a few times a month or less is boat control. 90% of the time the angler with the best boat control, using the same presentation as everyone else the given area will get bit the most. Boat control has a lot of factors involved, as James mentioned above. With out being able to present the bait in a manner he has listed you will severly cut back your catch rates

Gator has a great tip as well. Most guys will try to fish to much of an area instead of doubling back over the most productive areas in a given location. Once you find an active school of fish don’t waste time fishing 60 yards above or below them, fish on um until they quit then go back in to seach mode

So do you guys go back over EVERY spot you catch a fish at least once?

Jake,

Many good points made here. From my own experience the #1 thing that puts more fish in the boat is boat control. There are so many variables such as wind, current, water clarity that one has to learn to deal with when positioning your boat to catch fish. Every “spot” that you fish in any given day may have varying conditions and you need to know how to compensate for them. When the fish are on a heavy feed it doesn’t matter so much what you use to try and catch them as much being able to get your offering in their face long enough for them to eat it. I have spent countless hours out on the river over the past 20 years. I learned that being able to control my boat is essential to putting fish in the live well. I primarily fish wingdams in the warmer weather months along with rock piles and other rocky structure that hold fish. I do not anchor but instead work above the wingdams using my electric trolling motor. By constantly moving my boat, I am increasing the odds that I will put my offering in front of a walleye. Alot of time on the water is the only way to learn boat control. I spend an average of around 20 hours a week out on the water. More or less depending on life’s other demands. Technique is important but if you can’t put it in front of the fish you won’t catch them. Another thing is to keep your offering in the water. I have fished with many people that spend more time tying on “something different” than they do with a line in the water. I can be catching fish one after another but yet they seem to think there is something secret in their tackle box that will make the fish jump in the boat. You have to keep your offering down where the fish are. If you have a system that works, stay with it. Don’t get caught up in the latest “trends”. Most lures catch more fishermen than they do fish. Keep it simple and spend as much time on the water as you can. You will find your own hot spots that you know how to fish better than anyone else does.

Eyehunter

Drive safe and watch for deer.

Quote:

---

So do you guys go back over EVERY spot you catch a fish at least once?

---

That would be a big 10-4 for me . I will always double back once I get the fish back in the water. I will continue to do so until I don’t get bit, then I’ll just keep going and check on that spot at a later time.

Keep in mind I am refering to dragging jigs.

It is discussions like this that make this site GREAT. I have spent alot of time lately working on “the little things” and it is like learning higher math. It doesn’t make alot of sense but if you keep plugging away and THINKING slowly the pieces fall into place. Am I there yet, heck no. I am to the point I can ask questions. When you are drifting with light jigs are you truly drifting or are you using boat control to make the bait move along the bottom as if it were being moved by the current with no drag. For example, if the wind were out of the south and current equal force out of the north would you use the electric so the bait flowed smoothly with the current? I am a much better reader than writer but hopefully someone with the knowledge gets the gist of my question.

Redneck,

Dragging jigs is a perfect example of boat control. I see guys trying to drag jigs all the time side ways with the current when we have a south/upriver wind slowing them down to almost no drift at all.Don’t get me wrong, there has been days were a really slow drift like that can put a bunch of fish in the boat but I have a lot more confidence floating the same speed as the current. In a situation like this I will use my bowmount to pull the boat down river to keep my jigs moving along at the same speed as the current.

If we have a slight North wind/down river wind, I will keep the boat sideways until it gets to blowing so hard that it will push you down river faster than you want to go and still be able to maintain control of your jig presentation. A strong down river wind will really put the hurt on a good jig dragging bite. In cases like that I will have to go to lighter 3-ways and bait and crawl up river and hope I can get those fish to bite. Another option with a down river wind is to turn the bow of your rig up river and slip the currrent as they say, but really your slipping the wind slowing your boat down to were the jigs will still be effective. I do not try to slip the wind very often unless it is just me and another guy. If I try to do this with 3 guys in the boat someone is always in the trolling motor

Hey Jake,
When I first started fishing club tournaments a few years ago I always wondered why I was getting my butt kicked every time. I was fishing the same area using the same presentation and the good sticks were bringing in the bigger fish. After throughly analizing the situation, reading this web site and asking my buddy Dave G., I realized that boat control was the single biggest difference between first and somewhere in the middle of the pack. So tne next time you go trolling by everyone with your big motor and the rest of the guys and gals have their nets out and you don’t, slow down and analize the situation and you will come to the same conclusion “boat control”.

Many responding to his thread say “boat control” is the key to catching more fish. Learning boat control is MUCH harder than it would appear to be. I know it would take me several life times to get really good at it.

Take vertical jigging up at the dam with 100+ other boats, plus wind and a nasty current. Just try to keep your line vertical with the lightest possible jig 3-6” off the bottom and in the depth where the fish are holding. I know one time last year I was able to do it for part of an interesting day — the current was swirling extremely hard and kept my boat spinning so much that my partner’s jig was constantly getting blown out while my jig (next to the electric trolling motor) was in the zone much of the time. Needless to say I caught many more fish than my partner did that day (usually my partners catch more fish than me).

Or just try to troll the lake at a constant 12’ depth. Many times you have to know in advance when to turn so you don’t run too shallow or too deep.

When you are running a boat, pay very close attention to the depth, location, and speed. Watch for current breaks, drop offs, or any irregularities in the bottom. It is very easy to get so focused with your boat control that everything else becomes irrelevant.

Dave Gulczinski

Alright……so it sounds like boat control is an overwhelming favorite……..maybe I’ll try that the next time out .

Any other tid-bits anyone wants to throw out for disscusion?

Ex.

not experimenting with color enough…..
or
using too small/large of leeches……
or
not letting your crawlers soak in the pickle juice long enough

anything

not letting your crawlers soak in the pickle juice long enough
Jake, you don’t want to soak them to long either.

About color. Neither Dustin or I give too much time to playing with color when fishing jigs n’ bait. We basically try to see if the fish are showing a preference for “lights or darks” and go from there. In ‘lights’ we like orange or red. On a very rare occassion we might use chartreuse or white. Darks = black, blues or plain lead. That’s a total of 6 colors when fishing bait… not counting unpainted. And it seems to work well for us. When the water clears and cools and we start fishing plastics we often go for a very natural head color like black, brown, purple or plain lead and let the plastic do the advertising. With 2 or 3 guys in the boat all fishing 2 rods fishing one of each color it takes a grand total of no thought at all to get a preference figured out.

Leech size for me is small to medium. You can have all the large or jumbo leeches you ever find in my bait box. The big ones are never very active or hardy for me and sheepshead like them a little too much.

Crawlers. I almost never fish a whole one. 3″ – 4″ is just plenty the way I fish, both dragging jigs and behind floating jigheads. On wingdams I may use a whole crawler or when rigging late in the summer with a plain hook I might give ’em the whole yard snake but typically I do not.

Quote:

---

not experimenting with color enough…..
or
using too small/large of leeches……
or
not letting your crawlers soak in the pickle juice long enough

anything

---

One other thing I think is important is to always ask yourself questions when you catch a fish. Where was the fish when he hit? What was I doing when he hit? Why was he there? What was my boat speed?
In general it is important to fish for the fish not just fish the spot.

Gator Hunter

I don`t get out fishing very often but Dustin gave me some help fishing light jigs. Like DUHHHHH after he explained it to me. Light jigs 1/16 1/32 ounce you won`t feel them. You have to beleive your jig is on bottom, even though you don`t feel the jig, if your line is slack where else can your jig be DUHHHH. Thats where boat control comes in again. If I can`t control my boat I can`t keep that light offering in the right place, and right depth. Now just engrain common sense into my brain until next time I get out.

Thanks Dustin

Dave G brought to light a dilemma we all come across now and then about the swirling currents and wind.

A couple options to overcome these are (1)Add another electric to the transom so your partner can help control his end of the boat, and (2)Get your partner up front with you and don’t worry about what’s going on with the rear of the boat. I use the second option.

I guess a third would be to just not worry about it and let your partner fend for himself.

One thing I would like to add is boat control is just another way to present bait. If you are dragging, trolling, drifting or whatever, pay attention to what and where your bait is. It sounds simple but I have seen it numerous times where- as an example fish are on an inside contour bend. If you follow the bend with the boat your bait does not reach the target zone. Always envision what your bait is doing and where it is doing it.

Jake,

One thing I have noticed over the years, meeting and fishing with some of the best walleye guys around is they all have a certain attitude. It’s like these guys just “know” they are going to catch fish. Even on road trips to new water they have never fished. They just “know” they are going to get bit. It’s going out every day with a positive, open minded, willing to adapt way of thinking that put fish in the boat. And I have seen this attitude thing work for “Hacks” too.

Just an observation from my seat in the boat.

-Jon J.

Jon probably nailed it best.

It is confidence, knowing that there is a walleye in reach of your bait at all times keeps you focused. This is especially true with jigging. If you are “in tune” you will get bit. But, if you are like me…….smoking away, eating, and cracking open beverages………you are not in tune. You are too busy doing other things.

The one thing that I’m starting to beleive is that my smoking does make a deterent at times with my fishing. Primarily, because the smoke smell on my hands gets on my baits and will deter neutral or negative fish.

I really learned what it takes to be “in tune” and have confidence the first time I went fishing with James. At first, I didn’t have a clue what my bait was suppose to be doing. James was catching fish, but I wasn’t. He was telling me what to do, but it took time to put it together. Now, I have the confidence to present the bait the way he taught me for that specific presentation. Patience is also another factor. This is where I get put to the test while muskie fishing. After the first 20 or 30 cast to an area without a fish, my confidence starts to slip………that just leads to trouble, because at times, it takes some “coaxing” to get that fish to get hot. It is that time, I get hit and I’m not totally prepared for the bit. OR, I’m too busy switching baits………..

I am going to start to keep a little notebook with notes and pointers and areas that I have produced some bites. I then can look back over your notes and find out what times, or what seasons, or even what times of the day you where producing bites. I will keep that book as my own secret little weapon.

thanks

shane

Here a boat control question for all you guys.

Everybody seems to agree that one of the most important little things is boat control. I’m quessing most would agree that the three key boat control tools are the trolling motor, kicker motor, and anchor. It seems like most would agree that the best kicker on the market is the Yamaha T8. As for bow mount trolling motors, there’s the power drive/auto pilot style and the cable drive style. What style do you perfer and why? It seems like the bass guys all have the cable drive motors but most walleye guys have the PD/AP style. I have a Minnkota PD/AP style but I find the remote foot pedal cumbersome to use. I find the speed control sliding knob difficult to use. It seems like I’m at speed 0 or 10 and it’s difficult to tweak the speed precisely, especially in the cold weather when I have boots on. Are those tiller control bow mounts very nice? Also, how would you rate a bow mount trolling motor vs. a transom mount?

Thanks for the input.

Boone

You get much easier boat control with a bow mount trolling motor than with a transom mount. If I could buy a Minnkota AP and know it would work every time that’s the way I would go but I hear about too many problems with them. I have a Motor Guide cable drive and do not like it. My next trolling motor I will probably go with a Minn Kota PowerDrive

I keep a chartbook of river maps from pool 9 thru 13 (the waters I can reach in a 2-hour drive and fish at least a couple times/year), and local lakes.

When I find fish, plural fish that is, I mark the map and write a note with season, species, and why they are there. I think one of the keys to this being useful is that I don’t do this with every onesie-twosie fish I catch, and I do not mark the map unless I can figure out why the fish are there.

Examples:

Spring Walleyes on rocky point with South wind.
Winter gills on deep side of this slough.
Summer smallies and eyes on these wingdams.

If you size the maps right and center them on the page, there is plenty of room to write in the margins and draw lines into the map.

Steve:

I have a Motorguide DS82 (digital control + 82# thrust) and I like it very much, instead of the mechanical cable, it has servos that respond to the pedal pressure and is microprocessor controlled. I am planning to make a longer cable that will reach my console, that way, I can drive the bowmount from starboard center and get a little better troll out the backside. Its an unconventional idea, but I think it might have some merit as just sitting fore on the pedestal and controlling it “bass-style”.

Regards,

Joe Jiacinto

Boone, I have used PD’s, autopilots, and cable steer. (all for walleye fishing) For me cable steer is the only way to go for a bow mount. The foot pedal (Maxxum)and speed wheel are easy to run even with winter boots on. If the wind is not gusty I usally can set the speed I want and leave it. One thing I do is use the momentary setting, I very seldom use the continious mode. If I had to choose between transom or bow, i would choose a bow mount motor. I do also use a transom mount for certain situations, it’s nice to have both. The transom mount works well for trolling shallow in calm waters. Also a transom mount works great when you have a wind and current combination. You can put the transom to the wind and keep the boat on a steady course.

I believe the bow mount is superior in most situations as it is easier to pull a boat forward than it is to either push it forward or pull it backward as with a transom mount. By adjusting your speed and steering with the bow mount foot control you can easily use both hands for fishing. Having a “working” autopilot on your bow makes it even nicer, especially for pulling 3-ways with live bait.

Saying all that, I still prefer a transom mount trolling motor.

A good day of fishing for me is more than just catching fish. I like to keep things as simple as possible and have a comfortable, hassle-free day of fishing. With a bow mount I would have to change seating positions each time I changed spots, my back would be hurting from bouncing around in the bow area with large waves/wakes, and running the trolling motor with my feet is not natural– for me, that makes for a less enjoyable day.

We each must decide for ourselves the meaning of a “good day” of fishing, and our definition will change as we go through life. I may not catch as many fish with a simple transom mount, but I find using one makes for a more pleasant and comfortable day on the water.

Dave Gulczinski