| | The month of June can be a frustrating time to target Walleye's on Lake Erie's western basin. Massive Mayfly hatches coat the water surface with spent casings, and the shores are filled with dead carcasses. While the fishing can be tough it's not hopeless, as some would have you believe. Changing tactics during this time of plenty can make the difference between catching fish, or going home empty handed.
 Now is the time for walleye anglers to take a lesson from their Trout fishing brethren. That's right, were going to do what any dyed in the wool dry fly trout fisherman would do and "match the hatch". Downsizing your offerings at this time is crucial to success. The fish are keying in on the emerging larvae that are approximately an inch long, and are predominately gold, or copper color. Many knowledgeable Erie anglers will switch to spoons this time of year that have some, or are mostly made up of this color combination. Stinger Scorpions have been the most popular for a few years now, and they come in wonderful fish catching colors that have equally colorful names. Shrimp and Confusion are two of my favorites.
Trolled behind planer board with snap weights to reach the desired depth is how I usually rig them for this application. Some fishermen will use a three way with a deep diving crank such as a Reef Runner on the bottom with the spoon attached to the middle eye for a double up approach when trolling spoons.
Another top tactic is to cast, drift, or troll with small spinner rigs called "weapons", or "Mayfly rigs". Constituting of a short 12'-24' leader made with gold beads, and a single hook they are normal outfitted with a small #0, or #00 gold Colorado blade so that it resembles a Mayfly. Anglers usually drag one of these outfits along the bottom while casting and retrieving a second one for an effective pattern when the wind is strong enough to allow you to drift. The hook I like to use with this rig is the standard bait holder in size #6 or #4 so that it helps to keep the overall size small. It is important to only use a small piece of night crawler on this hook as well, or the spinner will not be as effective.
Trollers can still get in on the action, especially on days when there isn't much wind by trolling smaller baits with metallic finishes. Reef Runners little Rippers, and Deep little Ripper's have proven to be some of the most favored on the Great Lakes. Gold Clown, Watermelon, and Orange Juice are my favorites.
Another tactic I have found especially effective during this time is trolling with "Smile" blade spinners from Mack's Lures of Leavenworth, WA. These blades are made of Mylar wings, and come in three different sizes plus a multitude of colors. I like to take a 36" long leader and add 3 or 4 gold beads, a single hook then top it off with a small gold, or amber smile blade. If the water is a bit stained I will change the makeup slightly. I'll use a single gold stack bead with one fluorescent chartreuse bead at the end right before the hook. This will add a little color to the presentation without increasing size, which still remains the important factor here.
This spinner rig is extremely light in weight, and will spin at the slowest of speeds creating a deadly presentation. I will run a lead of about 50' out then attach an Off Shore snap weight, then another 50' of line to an in-line planer board. Slow trolled at speeds under 1 mph give fish additional time to locate, and take the bait. I will often take my Yamaha 4-stroke kicker out of gear and let the spinners start to slowly fall to the bottom with a fluttering action then put it in gear and start moving forward again to create the illusion of rising mayflies. This extra motion added to the spinners has on more than one occasion meant the difference between a good day, and a great day on the water.
A casting version of the same spinner rig tied with a smile blade can really help on the days when there isn't much wind to drift with. Attaching a ¼ to ¾ oz. sinker ahead of a snap swivel allows you to create your own casting rig with the ability to switch leaders, or spinners as you wish. Lighter than any metal blade these spinners can be retrieved much slower allowing your bait to stay in the strike zone longer, and give you more hookups.
So the next time you see evidence of the hatches taking place, and the fish seem to have developed lockjaw try some of these presentations to help put a few in the box. Remember the hatches won't be around long; just don't let them "bug" you! |
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