Most predators attack when they spot prey showing any sign of weakness. Eagles, for instance, follow waterfowl migrations in spring and fall, primarily waiting to spot birds that have been injured or that show signs of weakness. Predators expend less energy by keying on injured prey that are easier to catch and just as filling.

Predator fish, like walleyes, that follow large schools of baitfish also seem to key on loner baitfish that wander away from the main school or are injured and unable to maintain a position within the school. This is likely the reason a vibrating bladebait or a fluttering spoon works so well in waters where walleyes feed on injured silvery-sided baitfish—smelt, shad, or ciscoes.

Used correctly, spoons and blades produce flash and vibration. Bladebaits like a Heddon Sonar or Reef Runner Cicada provide vibration and action on the rise. Spoons like a Luhr-Jensen Crippled Herring or a Hopkins Smoothie provide flash and flutter on the drop. Spoons like Bass ‘N Bait’s Rattle Snakie, Northland’s Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon, Lindy-Little Joe’s new Rattl’r, or bladebaits like Heddon’s Rattling Sonar, have enclosed rattles that further enhance their attracting power.

Use electronics to locate walleyes holding on the edge of structure. Drop a spoon to the bottom, then engage the reel, taking up slack until the line is tight and the spoon is just off bottom. Beginning with your rod tip pointed down at an angle (about 8 o’clock) toward the water, lift your forearm slightly while modestly snapping your wrist upward to about 11 o’clock. Use aggressive lift-drops of perhaps 12 to 18 inches. As the lure begins to descend, follow it downward with the rod tip. Keep slight tension, concentrate, and be prepared to set the hook the instant you feel any resistance. If you wait, a walleye likely will spit the metal bait.

Walleyes may suspend off the edge of structure or near schools of baitfish. On a liquid crystal graph, for instance, large schools of shad appear on the screen as a large gray mass. Fish hooks near or below baitfish schools may indeed be walleyes. Again, lower your lure near the depth where you marked the baitfish or fish. Simply snap the lure to create vibration and flash, then lower the lure back down.

Present blades and spoons on about 10-pound test with either spinning or casting gear. Use a 6- to 7-foot medium-heavy casting or spinning rod spooled with 10-pound test to work 1/2-ounce bladebaits.

A slow-as-possible vertical jigging presentation produces most days. Start with slower jigging tactics and experiment with different actions, slow or fast, to pinpoint which jigging method or action triggers more strikes. When you spot suspended fish that seem to be responding better to more aggressive tactics, try snapping a jig and minnow or blades or spoons. At times, aggressive tactics are a good way to trigger neutral and negative walleyes. Blades and spoons are an excellent option for getting the attention of walleye suspended off the edge of structure or in open water. Sometimes they work better than jigs if a crowd of fishermen are using jigs—a different look.