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When opportunity knocks you’d better be ready to take advantage
of the situation as the good times only last so long. A big
wind on a good walleye lake is an opportunity that many anglers
shy away from, but it’s there for the taking. The key is knowing
what to do, where to do it, and being capable of getting it
done. If you come up short on any of the aforementioned you
could go home empty handed, or get yourself into real trouble
if you’re not prepared. What you do will depend on where you’re
doing it and can vary from trolling cranks, to live bait rigging,
to even anchoring up and using a slip bobber. A big wind on
a western reservoir will likely be approached differently
than on one of the Great Lakes for example, although there
may be some similarities. For one, fish tend to come up shallower,
as shallow as a few feet of water. It’s not always the case
though, and will depend on the primary forage base. Deeper
running forage like smelt will probably keep fish holding
in deeper water, even if conditions are ideal for a shallow
movement. Walleyes don’t make shallow migrations just for
the fun of it, it’s all about being well fed and absolutely
nothing else. If perch are the main forage on the other hand,
there’s a good chance that fish will move up into shallow
water when conditions are right.
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The right conditions include a heavy wind blowing consistently
from the same direction, although you can get too much
of a good thing. Shallow running open water bait like
alewives can also trigger a shallow move right up to the
surface, and is a condition that could be easily overlooked.
Depending on the body of water you’re on, too much wind
and the accompanying wave action can rile things up so
badly that visibility is reduced to the point that walleyes
shut completely down. Prime conditions include something
in between clear and pure mud and is a situation that
can be difficult to recognize, but there is a rule of
thumb that I’ve found to work on a variety of bodies of
water and is extremely simple. The “rule” is based on
being able to see the prop on my main motor in the down
position. If I can see the stainless on the big 250hp
Evinrude E-TEC it’s not too muddy to catch fish, at least
not yet. If I can’t see the prop I’ll start looking for
clearer water and won’t stop until I do. Even if you know
you’re on fish there’s no way you can make them bite if
they’re not in the mood and there’s no sense beating your
head against the wall if there’s better conditions somewhere
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That could mean a move of a hundred yards or more, or even
picking up and trying another lake if you have the option.
When you do get the green light on visibility it’s time to
get down to business and try to put together a productive
pattern. One of the best search methods available to today’s
walleye anglers includes trolling crank baits and will depend
on the situation. Long slow tapering break lines or extensive
flats that are both covered with fish cry out for a crank
bait to be trolled right through the middle of them.
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Shad Raps and Jointed Shad Raps are a top pick, especially
during the early summer period of June. The key is trolling
a bait at the level of the fish you’re marking, which
means just over the bottom if they’re holding tight. Another
key is matching lure color to the available forage base
like Firetiger if it’s perch, or Shad if it’s white bass,
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If in doubt you really can’t go wrong running silver and
black at least to start with, which has actually become one
of my most productive color patterns. Smaller structures like
underwater points or off shore reefs and humps may be better
worked with a bottom bouncer and a spinner if there’s enough
ground to cover. With a bouncer and spinner tipped with a
crawler you can work tight to cover without hanging up all
the time, and is a great technique for working fish that are
a little spread out. The key is achieving a productive speed
(somewhere in the 11/4 to 2 mph range), and what you do will
depend on just how hard the wind is blowing. Heavy winds by
themselves can produce enough speed to produce fish and may
even be too much at times. If you need to slow down a bit
a drift sock can usually get the job done and can make all
the difference, especially if the fish aren’t all that charged
up. If more speed is required an electric trolling motor like
the MinnKota Autopilot might be all you need. A small kicker
motor like a 9.9 hp four stroke Johnson can cover all of the
required speed ranges, and can do it quietly and efficiently.
If you run into tight concentrations or are working the smallest
areas you may be better off using an anchoring and slip bobber
approach, but you better be prepared. Being prepared to anchor
in a stiff wind with big waves requires a big safe boat and
a heavy anchor with a lot of rope. A twenty-eight pound navy
style anchor has enough bite to keep my Crestliner 202 in
place, as long as I let out enough rope. That means letting
out a hundred feet or more if it’s really rough, and really
rough is when some of the hottest action takes place. If you’re
prepared and can do it safely, anchoring up can produce incredible
results and is when some of the largest fish are caught. Taking
advantage of natural peak conditions like heavy wind and big
waves can be your ticket to the heaviest catches. If you can
be there when you should be and can do it safely, you’re fish
per hour ratio can go off the charts. Once you find out what
can be accomplished you’ll probably seek out the roughest
stuff, and do so when just about everyone else has already
run for cover.
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