Other Methods

One favorite night-bite tactic for late-spring/early-summer walleyes is to simply anchor upwind of a key spot on a reef and drift slip bobbers over it in a slight breeze. It’s a natural for families and kids, but the wind is critical. Big, crashing waves are no fun. The bait flies up and down, it’s not relaxing at all, and only worthwhile if the big girls don’t care if the bait is flying up and down. I’ll take a slight breeze every time.

It’s the simplest of games. Show up early, toss a couple markers on key spots, and anchor upwind of the markers. Slide a bobber stop up the line, slip on a lighted (Fuji, Thill or Blue Fox) slipbobber, tie a small jig to the end of the line, and put all the weight on the line just under the float to allow for a slow fall and natural drift. Better yet, use a Thill (Lindy-Little Joe) ring weight that slips right onto the bottom stem of the float. Cast upwind of the reef, or just drop it in by the boat, and let it drift across spines, over boulder piles, and into inside corners. I like Jack’s Jigs 1/32-ounce glow, chartreuse, or black jigs with a #4 hook for jumbo leeches, or a Jack’s 1/16- to 1/8-ounce jig for minnows. Sit back, feed line, and wait for the little light to disappear. Ahh.

My favorite night-bite tactic is night casting from a boat. Because if I’m casting, walleyes are concentrated and biting big baits like Rapala Husky Jerks and Smithwick Suspending Rogues, or something simple like a ballhead jig and a twistertail.

Small, specific spots that attract walleyes in the evening and at night are prime casting spots. Current areas, little inside turns on windswept shorelines, points, specific boulders, weedlines, rock shorelines, and bars are good places to start looking. I prefer a 7- or 71⁄2-foot spinning rod and a wider-than-average reel for making long casts when necessary. For snapping jerkbaits, especially around weeds, I like 10- to 15-pound braided superlines with a 6-foot 10-pound mono leader. Braids cast farther, set hooks better, and telegraph the action of the bait much better for making slow, subtle presentations. Sometimes twitching and pausing suspending lures in place for long periods works best. Sometimes it’s a long, aggressive pull and a short pause. Experiment.

Finally, don’t overlook shorecasting. When walleyes post up in shallow spots and concentrate near culverts and other small inflows, patrolling on foot can be the most productive method. In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange, has long been writing about “doctored” lures for this pursuit in early spring and late fall, and with good reason. He drills indentations into balsa minnows, shoves in a split shot and then epoxies it over to create a bait that’s just a little less than neutrally buoyant. That way, it still rides up over weeds, but casts a little farther and runs a little deeper at slower speeds than a floating bait, but it hangs far less often than a suspending jerkbait.

A 1/8- to 1/4-ounce standup head with a 4- to 5-inch plastic shad body, such as the Mister Twister Sassy Shad, can be deadly at night, too. Take a chunk out of the plastic near the base of the tail to get more “thump” and swim the bait slowly above bottom. Present it on 10-pound mono with a long 7- to 8-foot medium-fast spinning rod.