Slaying Walleye with Professional Angler Pat Slater
By Matt Schauer

Posted: October 31, 2012

Hello,

After several days of wintery weather I got back on the water this past weekend. The weather wasn’t perfect, starting with some gusty winds and chilly temperature, but I was desperate! The success of the last outing was still fresh in my mind. A hot jig bite is the ultimate fishing experience.

We decided to hunt for some walleyes further up the lake, setting a time limit, so we could still go after sauger. A couple of nice smallmouth bass and a couple of missed fish and we were off to our “plan B”. We were anxious to feel the “thunk” in the rod handle, as the fish inhales the jig, the weight of the fish when lifting the rod tip and sometimes an absolute slam!

We hit a couple good looking spots on the way, but we didn’t waste much time. Once we arrived, we began pitching in earnest, but the bite wasn’t going.

So we started varying our presentations, trying more subtle movements as well as more aggressive lifts or snaps. This day seemed to favor a slow drag in deep water, but then a fish would chase the jig all the way to the boat or hit near shore.

Two things of importance I’d like to share from this trip. The first is obvious, and that is to vary your retrieve continually, you never know if another method might trigger more strikes unless you try. The second is to bulk up your jig which provides more substance when the fish flares it’s gills to inhale the bait. The fish we were catching had the jigs well into their mouths. I’ve had great success with Mack’s Lures Rock Dancer Jigs. Their bucktail jigs provide great fluttering action in the water.

As it turns out, my partner found that elusive walleye on his last cast of the day! Caught, photographed (top image) and released!

Til next time….Be Smart and Be Safe!

This post was written by Pat Slater, Pro Staff: Mack’s Lure & Ranger Boats

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