Muskie cranks for walleyes

[Matt]

Has anyone tried some of the smaller sized muskie crankbaits like the Li'l Ernie for trolling walleyes? I'm a believer in big baits for big fish and the Li'l Ernie has some definite bulk to it.

[Neal/CO]

I've always wondered if the Super Shad Raps would work also. Eric and I have been trying to figure out Cherry Creek res. for several years now to no avail. It is loaded with big Gizzard shad from 5-10 inches long. I bet there are alot of Musky and Pike anglers on this site who have caught big eye's in the fall while fishing for toothy critters. Let us know if the little Ernies work.

[Lund_Dude]

While this is hardly scientific, I did try the deep Lil' Ernie last fall at LBDN. They walleye had been whacking the 18 Rapalas, but not any of the smaller baits, so we tried a couple muskie plugs. No hits. We ran the Ernie about an hour. Like I said, not a scientific test, but will try again.

[SkeeterBoy]

We used to troll #18 Mag Raps for eyes on the English river and took many, many nice walleyes that way. It's obsene the stringers of fish we used to take.Luckily it was only one trip a year and a long (15 yrs)time ago.Many big walleyes and I mean big, are caught every year on big musky baits of all kinds. The secret is where they catch 'em. Weeds is the word. My biggest walleye this way is a six pounder on a musky crank larger than the Lil' Ernie. Some musky guys claim multiple catches of 8-10 pounders yearly. I still don't spend enough time deep into those weed beds for eyes, and I've seen them in pockets of the cabbage while Musky fishing. There are some pigs swimming around there with the hogs!! Good luck...SkeeterBoy

[JCarp]

Alum Creek Lake, OH F-18's and 6" Grandma's @ nite for 17-20" saugeyes. Bagley monster shads are supposed to work on big saugeyes, but I've only caught 14-17"s. Pull SS raps fairly often and haven't caught an eye yet. Muskie on eye baits more common than eyes on muskie baits.

Cleaned a 2.9 lb (21") Buckeye L. fish the other nite that had a 7" white bass/hybrid in it. Preferred forage 1/3 body length of fish...

[ETT]

'93 Pwt @ Erie (S. Basss) Al Lindner's "bite of the century tournament", second day, I was in 14th place sorting through 6-3/4 # walleyes looking for one over 7-1/4. My am was a guy from Mich., who had fished the day before with Rick LaCourse, and knew the program. A very capable fisherman. About 10:30 after we had some nice fish,he asked if I minded if he ran some oversized lures, I said of course not, and we tried Monster Shads, 26 Bombers, and a couple huge things that I really can't identify. The result was that all of a sudden, his side only produced 5-1/2 # fish. He stuck with em for about an hour, and there was definately a down grade on the size fish he produced. We talked about it later, and were both very surprized at the results. I was running 25 Bombers and lg. Deep Thundersticks ( that was before the Reef Runners). Also not very scientific, just one experience. We catch alot more big walleyes on Mich. Stinger Scorpions (2-1/4" long) than on the oversized lures. Match the hatch, I guess. That's not to say they can't or won't work, just my experirence. Good luck

[Muskeye]

I have fished a class A muskeye lake in Vilas County, WI for years. Since the WI DNR doesn't see fit to allow motor trolling people are forced to row troll. There is one guy in peticular who row trolls Grandma cranks for Musky and for many years recorded 9 pounds released on Grandmas. I think it may have something to do with the type of forage in this deep/clear lake, but it may also have something to do with the slow wobble of a Grandma.

[Homer]

Up until the last two years -where netting appears to have decimated the local walleye population- my top bait off the Lake Erie port of Erieau for hawg walleyes was the Manns Stretch 25+. I'm not sure if the large size of the bait was an advantage, or if it was just that it was better at getting down deep to where the fish were in mid-summer.