Basic Tackle for Walleye?

[Dave C]

Over the years I've read too much and seen too many In-Fisherman shows and as a result, tried to equip my tackle box for just about every situation possible. I would like to downscale and equip my box with just stuff to handle 80 percent of the situations. The trouble is, I don't have enough experience to know what to "throw out" and what what to keep. If you were equiping such a tacklbox, what jigs, cranks, spoons, etc would you put in it to handle most situations? If you can also identify the weights of the jigs, type and color of cranks, etc that would be even better! Most of my fishing is in small lakes, reserviors and the Mississippi River (Pools 13, 14, and 15). Thanks! My hope is to be able to actually pick up my tackle box without using a crane.

[bountyhunters]

LET"S SEE ,I got two tons of lures ,and I use a jig 99.9 ths of the time .on lake erie I troll spoons or dipsy divers with a worm harness or a stick bait .I"M not much help but hope this is a start .

[Walleye Express]

[b] Back in the late 50's early 60's when I first started fishing for walleyes with my dad, that's all there was was basic tackle. All that amounted to was a June Bug Spinner with crawler harnesses attached to that. And your big desion came down to which color blades and beads you were going to drift or slow troll with. Don't have to tell you how far the sport has came since those early years. I'm still thinking though, a man could catch a few with those first simple early tools.

Dont throw anything out. Just get a bunch of plano boxes to sort everyting in. When you go fishing just take what you need. I have two jig boxes, one light and one heavy. I have my cranks all sorted by depth and one for spinners, one for bouncers, etc...

[bountyhunters]

I just re read your post get a hold of hutch hutchison [I think the spelling mite be wrong ] but he IS THE MISS PRO .he's on this site maybe he'll chime in .

You know what your real problem is? Your trying to fit everything in just one tackle box! 2 or 3 more tackle boxes and you'll have your problem solved.

Might need to get a bigger boat though so you have room for all that stuff. LOL You've heard the saying Been there Done that? The reason your not hearing it now is because everyone on this site is Been There, DOING that! It's a disease from which there is no cure!

[rabbit]

When I go fishing with a friend I limit myself to a thermos,bait, 2rods and maybe a lunch.(I had to be taught that) The tackle box I take is a plastic box that you can get in the sewing section of any dept. store. Deep enough to toss in a couple bouncers,blades,beads,couple of my favorite sticks,and the hardware stuff sinkers,swivels etc... Just toss it all in the bucket and no particular arrangement and go fishing...If there is a major tackle change needed for that trip we'll switch tomorrow but just enjoy the day with what you have brought........
I also have a ton of tackle and if you want to cut back just pretend you are going with one of your buds and you don't want to clutter their boat...It is a disease as said in one of the replies and if you try to make one tidy small box you will probably drive yourself nuts...
Only other thing I could think of is a 202,fiberglass rod,plain hooks,plastic bobber,split shots and a coffee can full of crawlers and worms..............Good luck!!!

[REW]

As each year goes by, I agree with your thoughts more and more.
Sure we all have lots of tackle, boxes etc. But - year in and out, it seems that all of the fish are caught on a pretty small selection of things.

For the lakes that I tend to frequent, which tend to be a bit stained, I would bring a half dozen each of 1/8th, 1/4 and 3/8th oz chartruse and firetiger jigs. I would also bring along a few hooks and a few lindy rig weights, so that I can run a rig.
For cranks I would bring 3 or 4 shad raps and call it good.

When I run the river, I would bring the same thing, but add some heavier jigs and weight to get to the bottom. Also I would add some ringtails and hair jigs.

Essentially all of this would fit in a single 8X11 plastic plano box.
Total weight would be about 1 lb.

Do I fish with this little amount of tackle? Of course not, but it is fun to drean.

--
Several of us make an annual spring trip to a lake in MN at the same time each year.
It seems that in this particular case - 99% of our fish are caught on a 1/8th or 1/4oz chartruse or firetiger jig. The other 1 % is caught on a plain hook and 1/4 oz lindy rig with a 3 foot snell.

In this case, on this lake for this particular trip, we really do down size our tackle box and catch many fish each year.

As with any thing, we all learn, but at times we do need to be able to adapt and change. Often we change things, just for the sake of changing.

Take care
REW

[stevefellegy]

I don't own a tackle box. I don't remember seeing old Probst carry a tackle box either. I think a big tackle box is your worst enemy. If fishing is bad, going to your tackle box is probably like taking the first team out and going from bad to worse. Keep it simple! Pay attention...and you will be able to fish effectively with what can fit into your jacket pocket. Sandwich (tupperware type containers) suffice for my fishin'. A few swivels, hooks, sinkers fitting the planned attack, jigs for the type of water planned for that day, silver hammered blades/worm harnesses pre-tied of either # 3 for inland lakes and #8's for Great Lakes and a spool of leader line covers it. If your fishing cranks, unless it's extremely snaggy (wood), 2-3 of the "local" kind per line is enough for most days. Pay attention...it won't take long to eliminate most of the tackle box. Heck...a "baggie" works good for the whole works! lol It's true....

Worry more about find'em them there fish than throwin' a tackle box at them. lol

I agree with the statement that trying to put all tackle into one tackle box may be distracting to successful days on the water.

I now have a Plano box with the removable plastic box drawers. I bring one box on the trip and select for 10-plus (exact number not to be published!?) bait boxes available in the boat storage area.

Based on the time of the year, what water I'm fishing, what species I'm fishing for, and what 1 or 2 methods are projected to be most proficient, I select the proper tackle and the appropriate bait/lures.

I have found that by limiting myself to only a few methods per trip, I have become much more successful in catching fish. With a boat full of tackle boxes, I was spending too much time switching methods (looking for the magic lure/bait) and too often ended up with nothing in the box. This way I am much more focused and my proficiency per trip has definitely increased.

Jack.