River walleyes for a newbie

[bakerb]

I'm a newbie to this walleye fishing stuff. Don't understand the lingo, etc.

I fish a shallow river. We are downstream from a dam, so the water flow varies daily depending upon the dam generation. It takes about 6 hours for us to feel the effects from the generation.

I've caught walleye on this river before, and they are there, but not in huge numbers. Every walleye I've caught on this river have been in medium to heavy current, mostly trolling crankbaits, but several have been caught while casting crankbaits.

I have several traditional holes that I fish (passed down to me by a buddy who has 30+ years of fishing on this river), which are rock banks on one side, and clay banks on the other. The holes get shallower the farther up I go. The first hole is 12 to 15 feet deep along the rock bank. SEcond is 9-10 feet deep along the rock bank, third is around 8 feet, and the fourth is 7 feet.

I've tried trolling and casting crankbaits, and caught some fish. Tried drifting and jigging minnows and road runners, with no luck.

Any tips to try? What kind of jigging/drifting rigs should I try? Should I use live minnows? Any general tips????

Thanks a lot

Bake

[Ziert]

I think these rigs are still around. Might be called something else now. These are like Bottom Bouncers in some ways. Heavy / stiff wire Bottom Bouncers may even work. Use them with minnows. If you want to use small spinner rigs with the river rig - go for it. . . about a 3 foot leader. There should be some way you can get info when the water is released. There are several sites on the net that will give that info and the "Flow". Fish just before and after the flows peak. Park outside your spots. Cast the Gapen Rigs gingerly. Hop the rig into place. Let it sit there for a time. Lift and walk lift and walk slowly after that. Once you've cover the spot, reel in and do it again.