Walleye on the fly?

[Jordan]

I am greatly in to flyfishing and have heard that you can catch walleye on the fly. I was wondering if anyone has done this or knows of any good methods to go about doing this.

EJ's Fishing: http://outdoors.at/ejfishing

tight lines to ya!
Jordan

[stewart]

Hello Jordan,

This is the first time I've ever seen this topic here, and hopefully there will be someone more qualified than me to answer.However, I'll tell you the little I know.

Walleyes on the fly are probably easiest to catch in small rivers. Just fish big streamers like a lead eye wolly bugger down deep in the pools.Essentially a weighted fly can be used much like a jig.

In a lake target the 'eyes when they are shallow and easier to get at with fly gear, like in certain spring situations. Trolling the flats with a sinking line and streamer will work. If casting is more your style do it after you have found a concentration of fish. Casting flies is not a good search method.

Yes, you can catch walleyes on a fly, but often fly tackle is not what is best suited for the fishing situations encountered with this species. I have done it a bit for the novelty, and it can be fun. Just be prepared to catch less fish overall, and give it a try!

[King Carrot]

>I am greatly in to flyfishing
>and have heard that you
>can catch walleye on the
>fly. I was wondering if
>anyone has done this or
>knows of any good methods
>to go about doing this.
>
>
>EJ's Fishing: http://outdoors.at/ejfishing
>
>tight lines to ya!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jordan


Hi Jordan,

I have been fly fishing for about 10 years now and learned in colorado. I moved to ND and found that we have some very great trout lakes with huge trout and also all of the other fish like walleye, northern, perch, bluegills, crappie, small and largemouth bass, salmon, and so forth. Anyway I am one of the board members for Dakota Fly Fishers and we go after any type of fish here in ND with the Fly Rod. We have members all over the state of ND and other states as well. Go to our web site at www.minot.com/~dffclub and in there you will learn various patterns and techniques that we use in lake patterns. We have developed some unique patterns that you wont find anywhere else for the species here including walleye. Also send a reply back and I can email you lots of info on midwestern lakes for catching with a fly various species.

Take Care,

King Carrot.
Dakota Fly Fishers

[Phil T.]

Years ago, I lived in Devils Lake, ND. When the white bass would trap baitfish shallow, and go on one of their famous feeding frenzies, i'd use a fly rod. Sometimes I'd catch a walleye or two if the fly sank below the whites. I used weighted streamers like Clouser minnows.
Now, would the guy from Dakota Flyfishers e-mail me some information?

[Fin Addict]

I watched for years as walleyes boil to the surface of Mille Lacs during a hatch and pondered whether to bring my fly rod. I did, and yes they will hit a fly. Emmerger patterns seem to work best when the fish are rising, larger mayfly patterns. Lead head wooly bugger also a good choice. I have never used a fly rod other than when I see rising fish but I would guess a streamer pattern in the evening, when the fish are shallow, would be effective too.

[Gilligan]

I fish an inland lake that holds many walleye shallow on weed edges consistently thru the day and decided to give the flyrod a shot last summer. I will agree with other post that there are more effective ways of targeting walleye. It's something you just got to want to experience. I have a good friend that will use large salmon pattern flies on trolling rigs and is very sucessful. Like trolling cranks, you normally will find your best pattern by imitating the forage there. This lake has alot of shiners and I use patterns such as the Gray Ghost, Black Nose Dace, or several bead head patterns like the Wooly Bugger or Zonkers when I need a little more depth.

[King Carrot]

>>I am greatly in to flyfishing
>>and have heard that you
>>can catch walleye on the
>>fly. I was wondering if
>>anyone has done this or
>>knows of any good methods
>>to go about doing this.
>>
>>
>>EJ's Fishing: http://outdoors.at/ejfishing
>>
>>tight lines to ya!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Jordan
>
>
>Hi Jordan,
>
>I have been fly fishing for
>about 10 years now and
>learned in colorado. I
>moved to ND and found
>that we have some very
>great trout lakes with huge
>trout and also all of
>the other fish like walleye,
>northern, perch, bluegills, crappie, small
>and largemouth bass, salmon, and
>so forth. Anyway I
>am one of the board
>members for Dakota Fly Fishers
>and we go after any
>type of fish here in
>ND with the Fly Rod.
> We have members all
>over the state of ND
>and other states as well.
> Go to our web
>site at www.minot.com/~dffclub and in
>there you will learn various
>patterns and techniques that we
>use in lake patterns.
>We have developed some unique
>patterns that you wont find
>anywhere else for the species
>here including walleye. Also
>send a reply back and
>I can email you lots
>of info on midwestern lakes
>for catching with a fly
>various species.
>
>Take Care,
>
>King Carrot.
>Dakota Fly Fishers


Some of the various patterns we use here in ND include the prince nymphs in the crystal yellow olive colors or glo brite colors, we have used these successfully also on the bead nymphs. If they are deep I go to a number 5 uniform sink line from SA that will get the line down to where the fish maybe are like the walleyes successfully to 30' or 35' after letting the line sink. Otherwise I will use the #3 or #1 sink lines most of the time especially in the spring and fall or when I see them boil on the water around cattails and weeds in the late summer early fall. I have seen them at various times eating mayflies and emergers. In the summer I go deep with them. I also use a mohair leech pattern and also types of crystal minnow patterns as well. You want to fish these lines really slow and strip in about 1" at a time or maybe 3" depending on how they are responding. In the spring patterns they typically like the yellows or olive colors, even a crytal olive wolly bugger works well. I use typically a size 8 or 10 on them and a 3x size 6 or 8 for the streamers or buggers.

Take alook at this page from our web site. This will list the flies and pictures of some of the patterns.
http://www.minot.com/~dffclub/patterns.htm
Another good book for midwestern lakes is the book produced from Mike Andreson called effective lake flies and is he is retired but has a shop in utah called Mikes Fly Desk or I think he changed the name of it. We have used these patterns many times in his pattern book both here in ND and also in Canada fishing with him. He has some good patterns.

King Carrot