Ideas for bigger fish? (Long post)

[JimVT]

For the last four years, I have been fishing a medium sized river. The walleyes seem to feed on a variety of forage - juvenile perch and bass, small eels, mayfly nymphs, and minnows. There doesn't appear to be one predominate forage source. The river is very productive, with a large numbers of smallmouth, large perch (yellow and white), large bluegill. Northern pike are at the top of the food chain. I think the walleye numbers are pretty good, but they don't dominate the system. The average channel depth is 18 to 20 feet. There are deeper holes in the 30 to 40 foot range, primarily outside bends with ledge bottoms. The channel is a mixture of soft bottom muck with some gravel. Water is stained. The current is present, but not too fast. I would estimate the average is 1.0 mph.

I can ususally catch a limit of four walleyes in a without a problem. My best days run 15+ fish. Eight to 12 fish is an average day. By far the most productive pattern is a spinner/crawler on a bottom bouncer, pulled very slowly though the deep holes. I have caught a few fish on jigs tipped with crawlers, but have not put a lot of effort into using them.

My only problem is the size of the walleyes I'm catching. The vast majority of fish run 13 to 14 inches. There is a 16 to 18 inch slotlimit and it is very rare (one out of 20 fish) that I catch one larger than 16 inches. I only know one other fisherman who targets walleyes on this river, and he has the same small fish frustration that I do.

I want to catch bigger fish, and I'm about to start experimenting with new techniques. Anyone have any suggestions, based on this info, on techniques to try for catching bigger walleyes on this river?

Thanks in advance.

JimVT

[retire55]

Jim:

Do you use electronics that have assured you that bigger fish (walleyes) are at least in the system?

[WAeyes]

Try fishing at night in shallow water with a large shallow running crankbait like a Husky Jerk.

[JimVT]

This is a good point. I don't know for certain that there are many bigger fish in the system. I have heard second hand reports of 22-24" fish and of a six pound fish being caught. As for seeing them on electronics, what I interpret to be walleyes (generally, marks within a foot of bottom) seem to be uniform in size.

[JimVT]

Thanks for the tip. Would you flat line, or pull a three-way rig?

[bigfish1965]

A few things I can think of.
First, upsize your bait. Big walleye Will generally eat larger food. This is due to a basic instinct...the fish will not waste more energy catching a prey than it will get from eating it.
Now, re-invent the way you fish for bigger walleye. Think of them as a different species altogether.
These big brutes are NOT usually schooling. Schools consist of like-sized fish since fish of a similar size will swim at the same speed and need to eat at about the same pace.
Concentrate on where you may find bigger types of food for the big 'eyes.Night time will always be your best bet. Under the cover of darkeness the walleye has a huge advantage over all other fish. It uses this advantage to eat where it wouldn't during the daylight hours.
I used this Philosophy to come up with a shore fishing technique that netted me this walleye. http://www.takemefishing.ca/images/walk2.jpg It weighed in over 15 pounds and adorns my wall. ( I could not release it since it had suffered severe gill damage.)
I caught and released one later that same month even bigger.
This eventually became my favourite way to fish and I catch many different types using the same method.
http://www.takemefishing.ca/walk.htm
Maximize your chances by fishing Autumn and Spring. The big boys are still feeding all summer and winter, but their habits make them more available during the transitional seasons.

[WAeyes]

If you wish to fish at night out of a boat, my preference is to shut off the motor and anchor. Find an area of backwater current caused from some sort of obstruction in the water. Start throwing those big cranks in a pause and go retrieve, the ones that are neutrally bouyant seem to work the best for pausing. If you can find one of these areas without needing to be in the boat, all the better. Sometimes jigs and plastics will work better.

Big Fish 1965 has given some very good advice...almost too good for the general public ;-)

[WAeyes]

Nice fish...looks like my twin :)

http://www.walleyecentral.com/fish-pmcgrath.htm

[GD]

If the option is conveinant, fish will target forage about a third of their body lenght. In rivers, fish school according to current, not size. They should be accesible during the day if they are there. Trying to compare the seasonal great lakes pier night bite with a medium sized river is misleading and shortsighted. If a presentation with a larger bait turns up no big fish, its probable that there are'nt many in the river.

[NO WAY]

Your 30 inch fish is to short to weigh 15 lbs. Might go 10. This obvious exaggeration makes me skeptical of your claims of "gill damage". Just mount the sucker. There is nothing wrong with putting the largest catch in one's life on the wall. Only those who would criticise others for killing a trophy fish would feel compelled to cover their tracks by claiming "gill damage".

[bigfish1965]

My 30 inch fish had a girth of 23" and was weighed at a government inspected scale and witnessed by the Bait store owner and a Conservation Officer. It weighed 15 pounds 2 oz. It's not even the biggest fish to come off that peir..not even close. A few 17 pounders have been caught there. That strain of walleye rarely exceeds 32 inches but are very round and have an incredible growth rate.

[Kolby]

call your local fisheries biologist and inquire about recent fish shockings. You can fish and hope, or you can know for sure.


Kolby

[lancerr]

There was a 30" 14.1 lb caught last week on my favorite lake.