Walleye vs. Bass

[Pherris]

I am participating in an Annual Bass fishing tournament this summer with my new in-laws. They are all hard core "Bass Fisherman" while walleye is my fish of choice. So as you can imagine I am taking a lot of heat and ribbing. You know the old "Well the bass might see you are in your walleye boat" and that type of nonsense. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to defend the great walleye in this type of ongoing exchange? All ideas appreciated.

[RANGER]

You have nothing to defend!! Go fishing with them, for Bass, and just do your thing and have a good time! You'll catch as many and maybe more then they will 'cause everyone knows that ANYBODY can catch BASS! Then take THEM Walleye fishing - 'nuff said!!! }>

[Boatnut]

the test is in the taste! :)

[skipjackoh]

whats a bass

[eyewitness]

Always refer to those green things as "Stumpsuckers". Ranger is right on in this one. Go show them how easy it is to get all those 10-13" bass they get so excited about, and then take them walleye fishing on a hot bite. Make them fish from their own boat, but let them fish next to you. Then watch their frustration when they jusy can't seem to catch anything while you're smokin' em"

[jack]

Have your inlaws lip a walleye for you.

[WalWil]

Bass guy's outnumber us, what fifty to one? Why, because it's so easy. That' why the man upstairs made common people common.

[RANGER]

How about "Lilly Pads"? "Green Carp"? "Catch and THROW back"? "Bashasser's"?....................... LOL ;-)

[hgmeyer]

Not wishing to offend anyone...but the twist is just too good to not repeat...has nothing to do with "preferences" and everything to do with the cultural mentality of the "bassboat boys"....


THE USUAL PATH OF LOGIC MOST OF THE WORLD TAKES:

Two bassboat guys, Bubba and Cooter, decided they weren't going anywhere in life
and thought they should go to college to get ahead.

Bubba goes in first, and the professor advises him to take math, history,
and logic.

"What's logic?" asked Bubba.

The professor answered, "Let me give you an example. Do you own a
weed-eater?"

"I sure do," answered the bassboat guy.

"Then I can assume, using logic, that you have a yard," replied the
professor. "That's real good." The bassboat guy responded in awe.

The professor continued: "Logic will also tell me that since you have a
yard, you also have a house." Impressed, the bassboat guy shouted,"GAWL-EEE!"

"And since you own a house and a house is tough to take care of by yourself,
logic dictates that you have a wife."

"Sally Mae!! This is incredible!" Bubba exclaimed.

Finally, since you have a wife, logically I can assume that you are
heterosexual rather than homosexual," said the professor.

"You're absolutely right! Why that's the most fascinatin' thing
I ever heard of. I caint wait to take this here logic class."

Bubba, proud of the new world opening up to him, walked back into
the hallway where Cooter is still waiting.

"So what classes are ya takin?" he asks.

"Math, History, and Logic." replies Bubba.

"What in tarnation is logic?"

"Let me give you an example. Do ya own a weed-eater?"

"No"

"You're a homosexual, ain't ya?"

[sib]

The best bass lure is a homemade one. Start out with a Matchbox car, metalic green Camaro was hot for me last year. Then hook up a nice size treble hook it by running the line through the chassis and then tying on.

Hurl that sucker out in lilly pads and start retrieving it back, so it drives across the water. Dump the clutch when they hit it.

If they ain't biting Matchbox cars, spark plugs and the toys from Happy Meals work great, too.

:+

[RANGER]

:P

[SUPERTROLLER]

When you're pitching a heavy jig to a bass 8 ft. away it don't care if you're in your walleye boat. He's still dumb enough to eat. He also don't care if it's tied on 30 lb. test line. Try that with walleyes.

[Chad]

"Friends don't let friends catch Bass"

[Allen]

Just what one would figure. Tell a bunch of walleye guys you are going bass fishing, and they immediately ASSume largemouth. If you are truely going bass fishing, you must be chasing bronzebacks. Anyone can catch largemouth, walleyes and perch. Ask Al Linder his favorite and I'll bet you he says smallies. I've heard him say it at least three times at PWT events. Of course he was at Lake Erie, so how hard of a choice would that be? Fellas, I really like walleyes, but I draw the line at brozebacks. I've chased a lot of different species traveling all over this great country. 4-5 lb. Smallies on top water(especially on a fly rod) is as much fun as a human being can have with his clothes on, period.

[Pherris]

Well I get what you are saying however in this case they are all correct it is the old "bucketmouths".

[walleyechieftain]

depends if they're bigmouth or smallmouth. the smallies are in a league by themselves. cant defend a walleye against a good smallie........cant eat em either. plus it takes something to catch walleyes that it dont take smallies...the little gray cells. kind of a toss really...if you can get both you are in fishing nirvana. just my opine

p.s. you can keep the largemouth. theyre about as hard to catch as sunfish

[targa2]

I get even with these guys when the Bay of Quinte whips up its usual 4 foot chop with waves 10 feet apart. A 20 ft bass boat is no match for a walleye boat in these conditions.I make sure to pass as many of these guys as I can about 30 ft away so they get the point back at the dock. Half of the bass tourny guys are frustrated speed boat racers anyway. They spend more time talking about how fast their rig goes than they do talking about fishing.Bass tourneys are fun but I just can't take them or their competitors too seriously.We have so many bass tourneys around here it's a ##### circus. You catch a 2 lb bass and he has 4 holes in his mouth. I'm starting to feel sorry for these critters. A few of my bass fishing buds said they think that Pro-walleye guys are the best fisherman on the water. Suprised, I was!!

[Cangl]

Fish to win ;) and win.

[s-bone]

there is an old saying "if you can grab them by the lips, it's not a game fish"

[rich]

Ask them which is better to eat bass or the sweeter fillet walleye

[BobB(MI)]

Wish I could take credit for the following 2 responses to the "Bass & Walleye" thing, but heard them from a friend and they made me laugh...

1. If a bass is so smart, how come he swims behind something this big <holding up finger> and thinks he's hidden?

2. When the bass guys are out there pitchin' and flippin', they need to be really careful when they set the hook. You know with that cable they use for line, they may just beach the boat.

Bass are fun and we shouldn't hold anything against them or those who fish for them...after all, it's nothing that a few hundred more years of evolution won't take care of eventually.

Keep smiling and fishing.
Bob

[RANGER]

This is for "Allen": you are absolutely correct!! Smallies are WONDERFUL fish and I will defend them to the ends of the earth!! I fish for them and so do A LOT of us here. Pound for pound there is NOTHING that is more of a fighter and I think we all respect that! The thing I was eluding to here was that the Walleye is a REALLY TOUGH FISH TO FISH FOR and it takes a whole lot more than a flip of the wrist and pork rind. Largemouth are just plain DUMB but the "industry" places them at the top of the fishes' and I disagree: Marketing has a lot to do with it but I think "we" are gaining ground. In my humble opinion - a Smallie is the BEST fighter out there, pound for pound or ounce for ounce!!

[BigJohn]

I have to disagree. Pound for pound I think that Stripers are the fightenest fish I have ever encountered. I like smallmouths alot. I fish for them consistently. But stripers being a freshwater transplant have not lost their saltwater fighting ability. I am fond of eating walleyes, catching smallmouth and fighting 2-10 pound stripers. I love it all. I wish spring would hurry up and get here. I can't stand it. If there is anything better than looking forward to being on the water after a long winter I don't know what it is. Time to get rid of hard water.

[WAeyes]

If it aint dark or getting dark I'm fishing for smallies. That is unless I am hungry for a fish dinner. Nothing fights harder for its size than a smally..not even those slimy trout things..which I also love to catch...not touch...or eat! But when the sun goes down and the moon comes out...OW-OW-OOOWWWUUU here I come Miss Piggy!

[RANGER]

Heard ya', guy! Either one will satisfy a SLOW day fishing for the "eyes"!!! ANYTHING is better then the "Green Carp"!! Cats' (especially Channel Cats') come to mind as well!

[Ric]

Ok, I'll add my two cents. I would say that most of you are correct in your description of bass being dumb, at least around here. The florida strain of bass are completely different though, and more easily conditioned to lures, trolling motors, ect. Take a look at the last Citgo tour event and half of the field blanked, and very few came in w/ a limit. So, for those that find bass fishing easy, I recommend fishing the BASS and becoming millionaires, and then moonlight w/ walleyes.

Although I must admit, I think our experiences as walleye fisherman make us better bass fisherman. Walleye are certainly more susceptible to temperature, barometer, ect. We strive as walleye anglers to learn how these conditions are going to affect our prey, and must readily adapt. This diversity and perpensity to adapt make fishing of any species easier to understand.

[SUPERTROLLER]

You must realize that Southern bass are conditioned far differently than Northern bass. When a cold front runs through the South, those fish are much less accustomed to it and take longer to settle down and go back on the feed. They can do this because they don't have a winter dormant period. Northern bass are used to daily fluctuations of temperatures and severe pressure changes and take less time for the conditions to stabilize enough for their liking. If northern bass waited as long as Southern bass for optimum feeding conditions their growth season would be 6 months long at the most. Studies I have read indicated approximate 9 to 9 1/2 month growing months where they fed enough to continue growth and then just enough to maintain during the winter.

[Ric]

Certainly I realize this. My point is that no one here makes a disparity between the two. Studies I have read indicate that the Florida strain is genetically superior. They learn quicker to avoid types and colors of lures before they are even caught in some cases.

Walleyes can be stupid just as easy as bass. One day last August, I caught over thirty walleyes in three hours chunking a 3/4 oz. spinnerbait on their head in two feet of water. I also caught more walleyes than I can count that had been previously hooked. I guess more than anything this discussion appears to be no different than my boat vs. your boat, my motor vs. your motor (I think you get the pt.).

[Very Simple]

Catch more and bigger bass than them. That shuts em up every time. I tool second in a Bass tourney out of my old tin walleye boat. All the smart talk stopped when I dusted off all but one boat.

[Doubting Thomas]

One day last
>August, I caught over thirty walleyes in three hours
>chunking a 3/4 oz. spinnerbait on their head in two feet of
>water. I also caught more walleyes than I can count that
>had been previously hooked.

OHHH PUUUULLLLLEEEEEEZZZZZZZ!!!!! You just lost your credibility with that statement! And I shot 7 grizzly bears in downtown chicago with a Daisy BB gun during my lunch hour!!!

[Marble Eyes]

I enjoy them all. BUT to get a kid into fishing there is NOTHING like letting them work a surface plug around the pads when the Largemouth or Rock Bass are feeding.

[Silver/MI]

I would rather catch and eat 'eyes any day, BUT Bass tournaments, even the small local ones, don't allow live bait and walleye tourneys do. They will always outclass walleye anglers in that respect. I know many of you guys rarely use live bait but fact is, it's usually still allowed in tourneys. I use live bait often because I want to catch fish, but you have to admit, its a dirty trick.

[Ric]

Why is this so implausible to you? Conventional wisdom does dictate that walleyes don't eat spinnerbaits, and quite frankly I wouldn't have believed it had it not happened. But to question my credibility because you haven't caught them this way is childish.

Still don't believe? Call up Larry Bollig on Bear, Facts, and Fish Tales (or anyone who fishes smallies on Rainy) and ask him how many walleyes he has caught on Rainy fishing for smallmouth. I can guarantee he will say plenty using spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and even topwaters. The walleyes bite so readily on topwaters there, that I know of a top walleye pro who is considering doing a show there on topwater walleyes.

[DarrenB]

I agree. It doesn't take much to catch a dumb old largemouth they'll eat anything. walleyes are a finicky fish depending on the place you are caching them you have to outsmart and finesse them into biting. Tell 'em the walleye is a thinkin' mans fish! LOL!

[Eyewitness]

I'll second that! Amen!

[CrestHawk]

Thanks to my bass fishin buddies for teaching me the crankbait for suspended fish in flooded timber trick. Thanks to my bass fishin buddies for teaching me the big-really big plastics trick for fall fishing. Thanks to my bass fishin buddies for making me learn to cast my bait casting gear with my left hand. Thanks to my bass fishing buddies for the expansion of tournament fishing. Bass fishermen are alright, they just fish for bass! Now if we could just get the bass fishermen to release walleyes like they do bass...:-)

[jon]

Ric,
Obviously Doubting Thomas has never been to a drive up or fly in resort near Kenora. Just throw the bare hook and get a 100 day catch.

[Hawgeye]

One day I took my kids - 8 and 4, out to a little lake that had bass. My youngest was not real proficient at casting so I rigged a jig with a twister tail on it and had him dangle it over the side. It was no more than 2 feet below the surface of the water and he proceded to catch 15 bass in about 2 hours while my oldest and I boated and released about 70 largemouth between the two of us.

You show me a place where I can do that with walleye and I will spend some good hard earned money. I am a walleye fisherman but when I can't find walleyes to bite after a hard day of fishing, Largemouth are an easy target to help my "Catching" wrist. May it be a northern strain that are dumb but if they tasted good, it wouldn't take long for genetics and natural selection to weed out the stupid in them!

[Al]

Passing as close as 30 feet away, and you call bass boat drivers nuts? The bass boats have the egos? Sounds like Tracker hot air.

[jim]

I always tell those bass guys: I can't belive you guys spend all that money on those sparkly bass boats to catch the dumbest fish in the lake!! If that don't work say: at least I can eat my catch.

[TK_551]

Wow, a lot of interesting stuff here. I am a die hard angler, period! My choice (of course) first and foremost is Walleye. I mainly fish Walleye Tourney's, however, last year, a friend of mine who is a bass fisherman asked me to partner up with him for Bass Tourneys. It is different. No prefishing, no live bait, no trolling, 1 rod per angler. It was tough. As is walleye fishing. I did meet some pretty cool people who I learned stuff from and hopefully they learned from me. I didn't get any egos from the "Bass" guys or anything. I was easy to point out as well. You don't see too many Lunds in a Bass Tourney. I guess my point is just fish and have fun!

Tom
#551

[Got a mirror?]

Talk about losing credibility, look in the mirror. Your post points out, in a shining fashion, what a 24 carat ignoramus can do with a computer and half a brain wave.

[Al]

Rick is right. I've caught many many nice walleyes on 1/2 amd 3/4 ounce willow leaf spinner baits. Esepecially on the Trent Severn waterway lakes like Rice. Another is pidgeon, buckhorn areas. Have also caught them flipping in offshore weed beds while chasing bucket mouths. Many a shore lunch has been had with us catching walleyes on big heavy bass tackle.

[gr8wthunter]

Number 1 rule HAVE FUN

But try to go when it is miserably hot and the fish are deep. Take your light rod with 6lb line and small jigs and rip the smallies off the deep rocks. Then as mentioned before, take the inlaws walleye fishig.

[SUPERTROLLER]

Weight forward spinners prove that walleye like spinnerbaits. As does the fact that snelled spinner harnesses are one of the deadliest tactics going on any body of water. (this according to s.f. and I agree. lol.) We have also caught them on Mepps spinners.

I agree with your assessment for that days fishing. They were easy. It was also unusual for walleye to be that shallow at that time of the year. You hit on a great spot at the perfect time when they were feeding and absolutely slammed them in shallow warm water. It doesn't happen like that very often. For bass, I think you can do something like that far more often. It is just their nature to be it a more shallow area chasing/ambushing baitfish. Their preffered prey are small panfish. A walleyes preffered prey are usually the deeper cooler water species. Shad, smelt, alewives, etc. These are suspended schooling pods of baitfish that the walleye can locate in open water and and take better advantage of. You found a good school of fish feeding on something shallow. All it proved was that walleye follow the prey fish to where ever they need to go to get a meal. Most of us here know that the axiom has always been "Find the Food, find the Fish". Congratulations you found the food and caught the fish. This is hardly proof that walleye are stupid and can be caught in shallow warm water consistently. I am DEFINITELY not slamming you here. I'm just stating that one trip is not a pattern. It could be that there is a deep area with cool water nearby and the walleye made a feeding foray up there to get a quick and easy meal. They are opportunistic feeders. Hope you have many many more great trips that are as enjoyable as that one.

[Skeeter-MI]

I have to laugh reading these post. One of the thing that keeps popping up is the eating of the walleye and not the bass. If I would post a message that states how I keep the walleye I get so I could eat them, everyone would jump all over me about catch and release. All of a sudden, it is OK to eat them and that is why we should fish for them. I am confused. Maybe the reason it is "so easy" to catch bass is because they are plentifull because most people practice catch and release with bass.

[tmn]

Bass are easier to catch! I fish Lake Erie and on the days the walleyes are not active I can always swing by my secret rock pile and catch/release a dozen or so smallies and largemouths. They have kept me entertained on many days when the walleyes had lock jaw!

[Al]

Bass are easier to catch? That example is the end to all huh? Conditions, time of year and other variables effect each species differently. I'll bet that when I'm slaying the females trolling in the spring,and catching males on the reefs easily, your rock pile is not nearly as populated. The smallies will be moving up to flats at that time, and begin to scatter. My point is, it all depends on the time of year. Each can be really tough to catch at certain times...unless you count the 80's and the walleye fishing at Erie...now those were some dumb fish. Erie dearies...gold / silver nuggets? Real finesse baits huh?