Suspended Walleye

[Pokz]

I fish a northern alberta lake that has a fairly deep basin, the primary drop off drops into about 30' then dropping into 50-60'. It then slowly tapers into 85' across the lake with the deepest spots getting to around 115'.

Throughout the lake the baitfish I pick up on my depthfinder are down around 30-35 feet and I mark arcs underneath the clouds and a lot of the time indepently at 40'.

I've had success trolling the open water basin with plugs when I'm marking the arcs at 30' and baitfish just above. The plugs I pull run at 24-28' and seems to work very well in this situation but I'm wondering if anyone has had any success catching these walleye when the thermocline dips just a bit of out range.

When fish are suspended this deep, are they going to be actively feeding on the baitfish above making it worthwhile to attempt to get a plug down 40'? Are there any pugs that will reach down this far without help of leadcre or downriggers? I have a copy of precision trolling but the only hooks in there that will dip that far are short and bulky and I have much more success with a longer, slimmer profile like a husky jerk so I'm more inclined to find something more elongated. I also noticed this last fall (October, way after turnover), big arcs suspended very deep but I haven't been able to reach them. Possibly 3/8 jig and minnow?? makes boat control tough in 70' though...

[Hombre Robusto]

Luhr Jensen Power Dive minnows will get down to about 36' if I rememner correctly. I think Manns also sells a +40 bait.

You might want to try a snap weight 20-30' in front of the baits you regularly use and see if that produces.

[RJmjZ]

They will be moving slower down there. So, you should move your bait slower and even stop "YOUR SUSPENDING BAIT" every now and then. Use longer, fatter baits with more color contrast and anatomically correct for the indicated depth. You want to do this because their reaction time will be slower due to diminished light. Try Purple backs, Chartreuse sides, Buttermilk bellies on 10 inch baits. Cooler water means slower metabolism, and measured movement. They won't eat often, but when you hook one it ought to be of some size and as good as it gets for the reletive size of the fish in the aggregate.

They will go under the thermocline if they have to. Big clear water lakes with a lot of wind along their length can push dissolved oxygen beneath the cline. . . more so to the windward. "If they have to" usually involves no other choice; chasing food there when there is no easy food above the thermocline. It's not going to happen very often if your lakes prey numbers and diversity are healthy, they probably won't go there. If they do however, they won't stay there, but it can be an in & out situation for very brief periods.

[Phil T]

Back when Lake Sakakwea had a good rainbow smelt population, I'd use downriggers to catch suspended walleye at 45-50 feet.
The lure was a Lazy Ike which wobbles when trolled slowly. The release was a small rubber band.
Five fish in 30 minutes or so was common. 1/2 hour after sunset, the feed was on.

[RJmjZ]

Main line 20 pound test - 4-6 oz. keel sinker - 4-6 foot leader (leader can be lighter line than main line 8 - 14 pound) - bait. Remember, If your drag is set correctly - 1/2 to 3/4 line break strength - common mono can hold a fish twice it’s listed strength. The playing of the fish is up to you.

Troll at 1 mph or less; just fast enough to get the bait a wiggling.

I know that may seem like a lot of weight, but if you are running artificial baits, you will not be guessing whether or not a fish is on.