Walleyes Inc. Action packed adventures in walleye fishing on the internet.

Mid-summer walleye fishing can be slow on many bodies of water.
Despite a fish's need to eat more as water temperatures warm and activity 
increases as they search and follow forage, walleyes can become increasingly 
difficult to put in the boat or on the dinner table.
One reason is that nomadic existence. Despite the tendency to school in 
larger groups during the hot-weather months, those walleyes will travel far 
and wide to keep their bellies full. Another reason is the smorgasboard of 
available food. By now, a walleye's diet can include everything from worms 
and grubs to baitfish, panfish, crawdads, salamanders, frogs and who knows 
what else.
That makes it tougher to tempt and fool those fish in locations with 
tremendous diversity and numbers within the forage base. 
One solution is to fish massive bodies of water like the Great Lakes where 
walleyes have a harder time pinning down baitfish and remain eager to eat 
what anglers have to offer. A handful of other lakes, most notably Mille Lacs 
in Minnesota, have so many mature walleyes that the competition for food 
keeps the fish snapping at nearly anything that comes their way.

Those are exceptions. In most of our waters, the fishing simply slows down.  That's when I pick up the pace to put the hammer down on those waffling  walleyes. It's effective for two main reasons -- because it produces reaction  strikes from fish that are not actively searching for food and because it  allows the angler to cover far more water and, in turn, contact as many  cooperative walleyes as possible.

Often, it's not as difficult to find these fish as it is to catch them. The 
key is locating the schools of baitfish. On many river systems, the edges of 
the main channels are good starting points. In lakes and reservoirs, large 
concentrations of baitfish gang up on specific structure like reefs, humps 
and flats.

Lowrance’s new X-15

Quality electronics like the Lowrance X-15 unit will show you where the  baitfish are hanging out. When you find them along a river channel, lead-core line and shad-bodied  crankbaits like Storm's Lightnin' Shad and Rapala's Shad Raps can be a  dynamite approach.

Mercury 9.9 h.p

However, instead of pulling them along at 3-4 mph, I crank up my Mercury  four-stroke kicker and run them at 4-5 mph in search of reaction bites. If  they're bumping the bottom now and then, I know the lures are running where I want them.Perhaps the most important element of this presentation is keeping those  crankbaits tuned to run straight at higher speeds. Lures that ran fine at 2  mph will sometimes spin or kick out to the side at 4 mph. Not only will the fish refuse to touch them, but some major tangles can also occur.

The weight of lead-core line is a definite advantage when speed-trolling cranks. It will keep a properly tuned bait on a straight line far better than  mono or Fireline. I've found 27-pound test a good weight for most of my  needs, and I add a 10-foot Fireline leader for sensitivity, maximum lure action and a little stealth that straight lead line can't provide.

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