Flippin’ and Dippin’

If you’re accustomed to trolling crankbaits for miles on the Great Lakes or working up and down a long primary point, moving from tree to tree or from one open pocket in the weeds to another may seem like a monotonous way to fish. Even for expert flippers and dippers, the most difficult part is the dry spell between flips and dips. You may not get a bite the first 100 trees you fish, but 101 may be the tree. The key is to stay calm and move quietly from one tree to the next, believing you’ll catch a walleye from alongside the next tree.

Flipping and dipping work for extracting walleyes from dense cover. These tactics work in spots where precise placement is needed. In rivers, natural lakes, and reservoirs, flooded wood (temporary or permanent) offers shelter and current breaks. It’s a prime candidate for skinny-water tactics like flipping and dipping. Weededges and open pockets in weedbeds are potential spots, too.

The challenge is getting close enough to make precise flips or dips without commotion from your boat. Smaller boats (14- to 17-footers) are easier to weave in and around trees than say a 20-footer, although I’ve seen anglers weave 20-foot boats through a maze of flooded timber. In some situations, you may be able to use your bowmount electric trolling motor to maneuver through trees. In dense flooded timber, one of the best ways to maneuver a boat is grabbing tree branches to pull the boat along as you move slowly and quietly through the trees.

Flipping is basically a short underhand cast, which allows you to place your bait in key spots—weededges, flooded wood, or riprap shorelines. For most flipping situations, a 6- to 61⁄2-foot medium-light spinning rod spooled with 6-pound mono is sufficient unless the cover is thick enough to require heavier line to land hooked fish.

In current, a jig weight that sinks to the bottom yet is light enough to be pushed slowly by the current past key spots is ideal. Weedless jigs like the Northland Weed Weasel or Lindy No-Snagg Timb’r Rock Jig work well for swimming livebait or plastic over weeds, wood, and rocks. These jigs have a slower fall rate, however, which makes them a bit more difficult to feel, especially in deeper water or stronger current.

Dipping allows you to drop your lure in the exact spot you think may hold a walleye or two. A 71⁄2- to 8-foot casting rod is ideal for dipping a lure for walleyes holding tight to cover. Again, get as close as quietly as you can and put the rod tip right next to the cover. Dip your jig two or three times in each spot, saturating the area. Walleyes holding in key spots, like current breaks behind trees or boulders or along weededges typically are ready to ambush any food that passes close by. Vertically jig your lure a few times and move on to the next potential spot.

Bobbin’

Float fishing is one of the best ways to make a slow presentation in the shallows. It allows for suspending livebait in key spots, presenting a tempting target for any walleyes that passes through. At night, walleyes that are scattered near shorelines or over shallow midlake humps and reefs are prime candidates for float tactics. Riprap, rock shorelines, points with gravel or rocks, and leeward shorelines attract walleyes and can be fished with floats. Consecutive windy days may blow colder surface water to the windward side of the lake, which in spring may attract walleyes to the leeward side where the water is warmer.