Wing dams / hows it done?

Hello,

I’m new to this forum, looks like some pretty good fisherman hang out here. I’ve lived on the river all my life, yet never really spent much time fishing walleyes. My dad picked up a new boat (retirement) and I would like to get back into some fishing with him. I’m excited about giving the walleyes a run, but have a lot of learning to do. Wondering if you guys would mind giving me some tips on how you approach fishing wingdams.

Welcome aboard Recurve!

Read this article. Should answer any of your questions Jarrad Fluekiger -IDA Pro on Wingdams

There are many different ways to fish them. A lot depends on time of year and also what type of presentation you are going to use.

Have any more specifics?

Jarred article is a great start.

Welcome Recurve!
You approach wingdams very carefully! Man those things eat props if you get careless at all. Humor aside, Jarad’s article on wingdams is a classic. Somewhere on here there is a DVD for sale that has James and Dustin pitching plastics to wingdams that has a lot of good information too. Good luck and welcome aboard

That article was great, thanks. And thanks for the welcome guys.

Yep, a P4 wingdam ate my very 1st prop last fall…..

Oh well, live and learn…..

What’s the best way to keep positioned for fishing wing dams? Anchoring? Tips?

I would recommend anchoring upstream to begin with. While on the water, you can get a pretty good idea of what wings hold fish by watching where other boats are working regularly. Some wings that don’t get worked very much do hold from time to time also though.
Current, river level, temp, and several other factors all contribute to what dams and areas of the dam hold fish. It is great fun learning though, and you will be able to get lots of help here to shorten the learning curve!
I like to anchor above a wingdam, cast cranks to the top, pitch jigs to the top and face, and cast live bait rigs as well. There are many good ways to catch fish on wingdams.
One of my favorites is to “slip” across the face of the dam with my trolling motor, using a 3-way rig with a big jig for the drop weight, and a 3-6′ leader to a crawler on a hook, with or without a floating jig head. This technique takes a lot of practice and patience, but is very effective once you get the hang of it. Just be careful to tilt your outboard out of the water on shallow dams!
Good luck, let us know how things are going!

Here’s a thread with some useful info for you.

>>> Fishing Wingdams

Excellent information, thank you.

Thanks James on that nice piece of information. I usually anchor on wingies too but use live bait rigs instead of cranks. Something new to try now!