Kwan Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 any out there? they're going on the feedbag soon and i cant wait
mbac31 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 I've been doing this for years Kwan! I've even taken a few individuals from the board out a few times. Best fishing for them big walters.
lew Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Spent many many years trolling for night time eyes in Quinte. Blue & white minnow baits 100' back fooled em every time
bubbles Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 How shallow did you find them? Is there a "dead" period? I have always found that after the sun goes down they die right off.
lew Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 How shallow did you find them? Is there a "dead" period? I have always found that after the sun goes down they die right off. We wouldn't even head out until sunset and then the bite would usually last 2-3 hours then shut down. Always had the most luck in around 8 FOW. This was always in May, I don't know how it works the rest of the year as that's the only time I ever fished for pickeral.
Roy Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Sure you can catch walleye in the hot midday sun but the absolute best time is from dusk 'til dawn. My PB hit at 11pm on the Larry on a dark moonless night on a large blue and silver Rapala floater. They can be anywhere but usually in the shallows no deeper than 15 fow.
mike rousseau Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Most of my walleye spots slow down an hour after dark... What type of structure are you guys targeting??? I usually fish 15-20 FOW...
lew Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Surprisingly, one of our most productive night time spots was a barren mudflat with very sparse weed growth in 8-10 FOW.
Roy Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 This particular spot runs 3'- 4' fow with no current from shore to 50' out then drops steadily to a depth of 40' with current. As the sun sets, pickeral will start feeding on easy prey in the shallows (0 to 12 fow and no current...no weeds to speak of either). They have a huge advantage with their vision in obscurity, speed and teeth.
mike rousseau Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) ill rephrase... what depth do you get your walleye in in the daytime? and what depth at night...? so i can have a comparison to my waters... please....... i have spots that the walleye stack up on at dusk... but they seem to disapear an hour after dark... these spots are mostly sandy... and gradual drop off to deep water... or flat saddles... thanks roy... Edited August 25, 2011 by Musky Mike
Harrison Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 or flat saddles... Now there's an oxymoron. Night is my Fav time for jerking up giant eyes. They are in the same water you get them at dusk, I give them a couples hours to "adjust" and then they will eat. Usually head out a couple hours after pitch dark. Works for me anyways. I like to target the deep weed edges.
mike rousseau Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Oxymoron...? We have very large and flat saddles in my area... Unless there is another word for it...?
discophish Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 I don't bother fishing the couple of hours after sunset. It's rarely productive. Wait until the next feeding cycle. I have caught my best at night while trolling large minnow baits, flat lining over deep water for the high suspending eyes. You will be surprised what this will bring to the side of the boat. Go big and noisy with the lure selection. Give it a shot and good luck.
Fish4Eyes Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 I could of sworn I read an article saying that the eyes of a pickeral require time to adjust to the darkness once it is dark. While they are adjusting they cannot see anything and thus do not feed. I bet alot of them get taken during this time period my a muskie. Can anybody confirm this?
tb4me Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Great thread guys! Keep it going..I always wanted to night fish for eyes on a river...Any tips? I do have a boat.
bubbles Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 I am headed up north and want to give night fishing a try this year. We typically fish the sunset and once that dies call it a night. The more I have been reading indicates the big girls come up to eat in shallow water at night. Maybe I have to give it a hour or two after sunset???? this is a great thread.
Harrison Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Oxymoron...? We have very large and flat saddles in my area... Unless there is another word for it...? Mikie, just kidding around, I find'em funny, and no, there is no other word you nailed it. tb4me, fish the same areas you would in daylight but use faster baits. Reason being the walleye will be out cruising more as their eyes will not be as sensitive inthe low light. Also, very soon is the frog migration, top water walters is a blast at night.
manitoubass2 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 When walleye fishing during dark, I always do best around 11pm-2am. Around Rainy, the best walleye bite goes in certain time frames. 8pm is the last productive bite of the day for me, so the next feeding cycle starts around 11. I usually head out earlier though to get set up and get the eyes used to the adjusting light. I like to fish sand and mud bottoms at this time, and anywhere from 1-12ft. Sometimes the walleye are virtually on shore, lol. I cast right at shore, just like bass fishing. I still use the same baits for the most part. But shallow cranks and flicker shads etc are a blast when there shallow. I also like an area with some current, not heavy current though. and as mentioned before, top water frogs and walleye are very fun, just not crazy productive. It's not everyday you get to experience a top water bite with walleye! Oh, and I like black baits, anything black or with some black on it
mike rousseau Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Mikie, just kidding around, I find'em funny, and no, there is no other word you nailed it. tb4me, fish the same areas you would in daylight but use faster baits. Reason being the walleye will be out cruising more as their eyes will not be as sensitive inthe low light. Also, very soon is the frog migration, top water walters is a blast at night. ok... thought i might have been using the term "sadle" wrong... also... anybody trying night fishing should realize you have to be very very prepared... headlights are a must... and flashlights help... have your net and pliers readily available... and keep your boat as tidy as you can... make sure your boat lights are working... a gps really helps because you sometimes cant see shorelines..
Jigs Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 ok... thought i might have been using the term "sadle" wrong... also... anybody trying night fishing should realize you have to be very very prepared... headlights are a must... and flashlights help... have your net and pliers readily available... and keep your boat as tidy as you can... make sure your boat lights are working... a gps really helps because you sometimes cant see shorelines.. And pray that you don't hit a piece of driftwood.
bassmaster4 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 where i go at night i fish from shore and the water is about 6 feet deep at the deepest point lost of current as well the bite is pretty steady until around 3 am then it shuts down.
mercman Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 And pray that you don't hit a piece of driftwood. Or a St Francis Jigger, swimming with the fish
Jigs Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Or a St Francis Jigger, swimming with the fish Aquaman only plays during the day and with a watcher in the boat. To be very honest this lake kind of humbles me at night. I wouldn't mind going out to a few close spots but there's so much crap floating around, not to mention shady characters running with no lights.... Personally I kind of like to stick to daytime around here and just like Mike said my spots stop producing right after sunset anyway. But I've heard stories of walleyes coming in really really shallow at night around here and have to admit I'm a bit intrigued at the idea of trying a night bite. I'm learning something in this thread I didn't know the bite slows a couple hours after sunset and gets better later in the night.
daryl0815 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 ill rephrase... what depth do you get your walleye in in the daytime? and what depth at night...? so i can have a comparison to my waters... please....... i have spots that the walleye stack up on at dusk... but they seem to disapear an hour after dark... these spots are mostly sandy... and gradual drop off to deep water... or flat saddles... thanks roy... I am not a great Walleye expert, but I know a little bit, During mid-day, look in deeper water, 8-20 feet, targeting thick weeds with bucktail jigs, other weedless presentations etc. At night they move in very shallow to feed, I have heard of them going into less than 1' of water!, but smaller bays and closer to shore for sure, and they dont hang so deep in the weeds at night either, I have done well in the past using minnows on Lindy rigs fishing from shore with a light on the tip of my rod to see the slightest strike. I hope this helps somewhat! Daryl
mike rousseau Posted August 25, 2011 Report Posted August 25, 2011 Aquaman only plays during the day and with a watcher in the boat. To be very honest this lake kind of humbles me at night. I wouldn't mind going out to a few close spots but there's so much crap floating around, not to mention shady characters running with no lights.... Personally I kind of like to stick to daytime around here and just like Mike said my spots stop producing right after sunset anyway. But I've heard stories of walleyes coming in really really shallow at night around here and have to admit I'm a bit intrigued at the idea of trying a night bite. I'm learning something in this thread I didn't know the bite slows a couple hours after sunset and gets better later in the night. ive caught them around the island in front of my point where our boathouses are in 5 feet of water... but its not exactly a solid pattern... but i did win a tourney there one time... the tourney started at 12am till 2pm... i couldnt sleep... so i did some doghnuts around the island with floating rapalas... got some fish... and when we got up in the morning... it was blowing 30-40mph all day... only 2 boats weighed in fish....
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