A Lively Option For Fussy Walleyes

Regardless of design, you’ll notice a new wave of premium hooks on the market from all major hook companies, all claiming extreme sharpness. You pay more for them, but they’re ready to stick and hold, right out of the box, no sharpening required. Also, Lindy-Little Joe’s splayed wire weedguard No-Snagg Hook bears special mention due to its weedless-snagless performance without sacrificing fish missed on the hookset. For subtle livebait rigging, it’s far superior to any form of traditional wire weedguard hook.

Swivels—Barrel swivels in #10 or #12 create snell connections while minimizing line twist during livebait rigging. Lindy offers a clip-on half-barrel swivel clip for quick and easy looped snell connections. Some folks prefer simply clamping a small BB shot on the line or tying in a small O-ring, but that adds weight and fails to negate twist. Substituting a bead and string bobber stop has become popular in recent years for creating an adjustable length snell; simply grasp the stop between forefinger and thumb and slide it up or down the line to immediately change snell length. Add a tiny barrel swivel between the stop and the hook if you wish.

Snells—Interestingly, most manufacturers have opted to go the component supply route, rather than pretie snells. Reason: Besides being less labor intensive, there’s a growing willingness among walleye anglers to tie snells on the spot to match conditions, rather than carrying pretied snells. Six-or eight-pound monofilament covers most walleye conditions (other than spinner rigs), with snells ranging from a foot or so for snaggy conditions, to 3 to 4 feet for average situations, to 9- or 10-foot-plus lengths when fishing pressure, cold fronts, or clear water makes fish spooky. In the process, they also match hook size and type to the type of bait.

Attractors—Beads, blades, floating jigheads, and more. Tiny colored beads add attraction when placed on the line just ahead of a hook, while larger rattle beads add both color and sound. Cork or foam floating jigheads not only add color, bulk, and an up-down wobbling motion to trolled livebait, but actually will slowly lift a small bait well off bottom if you pause your troll long enough to let the flotation kick in. On-line cork or foam floats do the same in tandem with your usual hook choices, allowing you to position the float near to (even adjoining) or farther from the bait (retaining its natural action). Tiny spinner blades and folded clevises add a hint of flash and vibration as you lift and drop the sinker, although if the fish are responding well to spinner presentations, larger blades and faster trolling speeds usually are better choices.

Mix and match. Personal preferences. Recipes for success, spiced to taste by the chefs of organic angling.

Lazy Is Crazy, Matchin’ Is Catchin’

Gary Roach, a legend among walleye anglers, is a finesse livebait rigger of amazing proficiency. Many livebait systems in use today were pioneered by Roach, who remains ever a tinkerer and fine-tuner, always looking to gain an edge over both fish and fellow fishermen.

“Walleye fishermen tend to get lazy and stuck in a rut, offering fish the same things every time out,” Roach offers. “I always bring a selection of livebaits and components to give walleyes the opportunity to tell me what they want.