View Full Version : English River Walleye baits
Steve CO
01-14-2003, 10:22 AM
I am booked for three days on the English River system in Northwest Ontario for this spring. I have done a lot of fishing for smallmouth, pike and lake trout in NW Ontario but little for walleyes. THis is fly-in so we have to limit our equipment to some degree. What would be your recommendations on what to take to target the walleyes in this area. I'm sure jigs and plastic (sizes/colors?) but what other standard baits will be worthwhile? Got to put those orders in early to get hooks sharpened or replaced, etc. Thanks.
DRAG A SPINNER WITH LEECH OR CRAWLER. HAMMERED BRASS MY FAVORITE.
CAN'T MISS.
I am looking at a couple fly in trips to the English River.
Can I ask where you are going to stay?
Steve CO
01-15-2003, 03:17 PM
We are booked through Halley's Camps/The Outpost Company (Halleyscamps.com). We have booked with them annually for 7-8 years with great satisfaction. They are a quality operation. They have both lodges or outpost camps which are fly-in. We go the outpost route. If you go to their website, click on The Outpost Company, then on The Outposts, the old geezer holding the smallmouth is me. Unfortunately, I get nothing for their using my photo except for fleeting "fame." I like to show my kids that I am a world famous fisherman. Just so you know I am not connected in any way to the operation other than a satisfied client.
Actually, I was a bit misleading on location. The lake we will be on is on the Sturgeon River which connects to the English River system. Close enough I guess. Good luck.
Steve, I agree with UTTS, I even go a little less, I just drag a Lindy no-snagg with a 36" leader baited with a crawler, leech, or minnow. Work it SLOW. Good Luck !!!
Michigander
02-08-2003, 07:43 PM
I have not fished on the English River, but have done lots of walleye fishing at fly-in outposts in NW Ontario in general. I'd bring plenty of jigs (mostly 1/8 oz, some 1/4 oz), and lots of plastic.....best we've found are Berkley power grubs (chartreuse/brown), power lizards, BassPro tripple ripple grubs (brown is best). Also, some crankbaits such as Storm Thundersticks. Also, gold spoons will work for both walleye and pike....Doctor Spoon is a good one. Have fun, let us know how you do. Rob
I like to use L&S Mirrolure jointed cranks and River Runts over shallow structure (6' to 12'). For deeper fish a Lazy Ike tiped with a crawler or a Sparkle Tail can be used. The cranks I've mentioned are easy to tune and catch eyes.
Steve CO
02-10-2003, 01:23 PM
BD, you sound about as old as I am: River Runts, Mirrolures and lazy Ikes are not what would be considered currently "hot" walleye lures. I've got a few of those dating back mostly to the 50's and 60's. The first walleye I ever saw (circa 1953) followed a river runt in to the dock I was casting from. Scared the devil out of me before I got so excited I spent the next three nights casting from that spot. Didn't catch my first walleye until many years later. I love catching fish on my old lures, it just seems to be more fun. One of the two best smallmouth lures I know of is the old ABU Reflex spinner which was out of production for a long time and was just reintroduced. You can't keep the good ones down. I know Mirrolures and Ikes are still available but how about River Runts? Thanks for the tips.
Dad and Grandpa started me out on Winnebago in 1953 at age 3. Last fall Mirrolures took walleyes, northerns, smallies, and lakers on my trip to Atitkokan. The River Runts took walleyes, smallies, and northerns. I never got around to fishing with anything else that week, didn't need to try anything else.
I think about the only places you can get Runts these days is eBay, estate auctions, or swap meets. On eBay the prices vary with the color, and if a box or papers are included. They have been running in the $5.00 to $25.00 range with most around $7.00 not including shipping.