Anglers say walleye opener was best ever

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Anglers say walleye opener was best ever

 

May 17, 2008

Terry Curtis / northumberlandtoday.com

 

Can you say "walleye," as in "lots of walleye"?

 

For many anglers who dared dangle a line in Rice Lake this past weekend, that was the scenario. Many lure tossers reported this season's walleye opener on this lake as being the best one they can ever recall, with fish caught from one end to the other. Right from Bewdley on down to the Hastings area, reports were nothing but good news.

 

And, to think only four or five years ago, we were wondering where all the walleye had gone. They were still there, we just didn't adapt our methods for fishing them, as I've stated before. When the zebra mussels moved in everything changed, except for the way we fished for walleye. We still stubbornly fished the same areas with the same methods and lures we always did, then hit the panic mode when we couldn't catch walleye as we always had in previous years.

 

Well, here's the good news.

 

For those few years we couldn't find the fish as we had in years before, it may have been a blessing in disguise.

 

The fish we weren't catching had a chance to feed and re-populate as they never had before in the history of walleye in Rice Lake. And now it seems to be paying off huge dividends for the diehards who never gave up on them, as well as any newcomers who have tossed a bait in the past few days or nights.

 

Fishing from big boats, small boats, drifting, trolling or fishing from shore (in the evenings or after dark), it doesn't seem to matter. Walleye are hot to trot!

 

Of course, there are some things to keep in mind, and here are a few "tips" to put you on track.

 

The majority of daytime walleye are being caught in depths of nine to 11 feet of water, either on the edges of weedlines, or just off them towards deeper water.

 

Mud bottom bays with feeder creeks or small rivers are holding fish in really good numbers (Here's a no-brainer - look at a good map of Rice Lake - not many places like this, are there?) Also, check mud flats that are surrounded by deeper water, even if the change of depth around the flat is one foot or less. The walleye are sitting on the mud flats, resting up before they really hit the peak of their post-spawning feeding frenzy.

 

Here's a word of advice for those guys who have told me the walleye have already recuperated from the spawning cycle and are already in their prime.

 

WRONG!

 

Lots of walleye haven't even spawned yet, due to the high water levels and colder than normal water and air temperatures.

 

Yes, we've been blessed with an amazing early season bite. But, we haven't seen the peak yet. Wait until the lilac trees bloom. They just started to bud this week, and will hit their peak in the next week or so. As will the walleye. Mark my words.

 

Hot bite this week? Bucktail jigs, perch hue crankbaits or plastic finesse baits.

 

The trick is to switch them up fast once one bite dies off. The walleye are changing feeding patterns fast and with no rhyme or reason. Mixing up your lures pays off. One minute they want a fast-moving target, the next they want a slowly hopped or twitched lure.

 

Best lure I've tossed yet? The new Rapala X-SHAD in perch colour.

 

And, spare me the sagas about me mentioning them because Rapala sponsors me. I couldn't care less. I throw what catches the fish, whether I'm sponsored by that company or not. If it works, it works. If it don't, it don't.

 

The walleye know and so do I. That's what counts! The proof is in the livewell!