Walleye in heavy current

[sneak_e_pete]

Hi all. There is a spot on the French River I have been to which is an outflow to rapids (i.e very strong current). Any advice on how to fish this?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Steelheadphycho]

Great subject!

 

I too am curious of the responses

[fish_fishburn]

Can you safely anchor a boat? Or are you talking from shore fishing.

[manitoubass2]

Ah my forte!!!!

 

Ill chime in soon

[Cosmos]

I didn't have any issues to fish heavy current with MinnKota Terrova anchor on French river. Anchor was holding well. Lost one regular anchor because it stacked between stones. Never use regular anchor after that. Also during summer month than current is not so strong as is in spring I was drift fishing.

[OhioFisherman]

How deep is the water? a crawler or leech on a slip float and let it move with the current, you can use a small slip sinker or a couple of slip shot to get the bait down, you really just need enough flotation to support the weight. The float stopping where it shouldn't or moving in the wrong direction will indicate a hit.

[manitoubass2]

Walleye in heavy current feed often and strike hard.

 

If its shallow a spinnerbait will get the bigger fish. Just fish it down current very slow.

 

If its deeper water this is weighted swimbait territory. Again slow is the key. Pop it off bottom much like jigging but much slower as it takes time for the bait/lure to get back to bottom. The current provides and awesome erratic action on the swimbait. Be carefull choosing your baits though, many wont run true in heavy current.

 

A simple jig and grub will work here also. Again the key is slow.

 

Use good line and a reel with a good drag. A 2lb walleye in heavy current feels like a 12lb fish. Dont take your time to land them either. The will wrap around rocks etc once hooked. Really pay attention to where your line is going.

 

also, look for those submerged rocks. Thats where they ambush prey from. They sit behind structure in wait, also reducing their effort to stay in place.

[esoxansteel]

Bottom bouncers, with heavy weight, or if you need heavier then what you can by i no of a guy who made his own out of coat hangers, and always pounded walleyes in deep water 35 feet plus in very heavy current, when everyone else scrubbed, he is in the same general area you talking about, and he had numbe 13 Rapalas attached to the hanger

[manitoubass2]

Whats the depth?

Edited March 18, 2015 by manitoubass2

[tb4me]

Your dead on with wanting to walleye fish heavy current..It often scares most anglers. I fish a few heavy current spots on the Trent river. All by boat..Ranging in depth of 4 to 6 feet of water.. I anchor off upstream and sit tight. Cast downstream into the current using a jig head topped with a Mr twister.. Let the jig go with the flow for the first few seconds and jerk it back a few times after that..The current will always take it back down stream. If that doesn't work try the slow to medium retrieve . I also find the best action at around 730 to 930 pm.

[kickingfrog]

Bit of difference too if you're fishing from shore or from a boat.

 

A 3 way swivel with a minnow bait (or just about anything else a walleye would eat) works in current.

 

Casting minnow baits, or crank baits, across the current and working them back.

 

Drift it in a boat and vertical jig.

 

Lots of possibilities.

[AKRISONER]

i fish heavy current in the fall on Georgian Bay every year.

 

Deadsticking still works but you really will need to finesse your presentation, i find that unless you have your bait dead on bottom but under tension you wont catch anything.

 

At times i litteraly let my rod balance in my palm as if it were a scale, allowing the jig weight to pull my rod tip downwards to the bottom, this allows me to place my jig exactly on bottom with a jig that is upright and under tension. The presentation allows the minnow rigged through the lip to swim into the current while hovering over the bottom.

 

Another favourite is to literally cast a crank down stream, and sometimes even let it float a long long ways down river and then as slowly as possible crank the lure back towards you ensuring that you are getting maximum action with the slowest movement.

 

ive hammered some pretty big walleye this way, especially if you can find a spot where the current is flowing up over a drop off, the diving crank swimming down the slop of the bank at a slow rate is absolutely deadly.

[Big Cliff]

Guided there for years

 

Would you be talking above the Flat Rapids by any chance or the set below X Bay? You can PM me if you prefer.

 

A Husky Jerk or Rapala type lure (I always liked Fire Tiger pattern)

 

Stand on the rocks as far out as you can get so that your lure is going to come up toward you but still be off shore.

 

Cast out and let the current take your lure down stream then set your bail.

 

VERY slowly retrieve your lure letting the current do the work for you.

 

Enjoy your limit of walleye!

[highdrifter]

This wouldn't be a spot out of Dokis would it?? Cause if it is...

X 2 for what Cliff said. Fire tiger or clown HJ13s do the deed!!

[Gerritt]

I'm liking this thread for a local river I fish that is loaded with Walters.... We wade it

[solopaddler]

I've always found that beyond trolling at night with oversized Rap's walleye on the French demand some finesse. I've fished tons of heavy current areas on the lower french and have always done so the same way. Anchor in the current and bottom bounce with a suitable sized split shot, single hook and a worm or minnow. I always used rods in the 9' range when doing that - stuff I typically use bottom bouncing for steelhead. Small spinning reel loaded with 6lb test and away you go. Quarter cast upstream, allow the bait to sink ticking the bottom, then as it swings below you open the bail up and feed out line keeping in contact with the bottom. Sometime the hits are incredibly soft for such big fish - you really need to have a bit of a touch at times as they'll often play with the bait for a while. I've caught plenty of giants up to 10lb's fishing like that on the French.

 

Typically on more remote less pressured water I never fish this way. Further north a heavy jig/twister combo will catch lots drifted in the current.

[Big Cliff]

I've always found that beyond trolling at night with oversized Rap's walleye on the French demand some finesse. I've fished tons of heavy current areas on the lower french and have always done so the same way. Anchor in the current and bottom bounce with a suitable sized split shot, single hook and a worm or minnow. I always used rods in the 9' range when doing that - stuff I typically use bottom bouncing for steelhead. Small spinning reel loaded with 6lb test and away you go. Quarter cast upstream, allow the bait to sink ticking the bottom, then as it swings below you open the bail up and feed out line keeping in contact with the bottom. Sometime the hits are incredibly soft for such big fish - you really need to have a bit of a touch at times as they'll often play with the bait for a while. I've caught plenty of giants up to 10lb's fishing like that on the French.

 

Typically on more remote less pressured water I never fish this way. Further north a heavy jig/twister combo will catch lots drifted in the current.

Mike, I know you know your stuff but you have to give this a try especially in the evening, you will be amazed at the number of fish you'll catch.

 

Now day time and if you have a boat anchor up stream. I like to use a drop shot rig with about 18" leaders off my main line and a good size bell sinker. I don't cast up stream at all, that causes too many snags, I just open my bail and drop my sinker right to bottom then let out some slack. I hook my minnows through the head so it looks like they are swimming up stream and I just keep lifting my sinker off bottom and droping it back down paying out more slack line each time. If you do get a snag you are pulling opposite the direction your sinker got lodged.

 

We have put many many limits in the boat doing this when no one else was catching a fish.

[Steve]

is the current more or less than the lower niagara?

 

what about a simple three way rig, dropper weight on the bottom, then whatever on the top. 3" grub, flat fish or other plug, minnow, whatever.

 

that's what most use in the lower niagara, i'm sure it would work there?

[solopaddler]

Mike, I know you know your stuff but you have to give this a try especially in the evening, you will be amazed at the number of fish you'll catch.

 

Now day time and if you have a boat anchor up stream. I like to use a drop shot rig with about 18" leaders off my main line and a good size bell sinker. I don't cast up stream at all, that causes too many snags, I just open my bail and drop my sinker right to bottom then let out some slack. I hook my minnows through the head so it looks like they are swimming up stream and I just keep lifting my sinker off bottom and droping it back down paying out more slack line each time. If you do get a snag you are pulling opposite the direction your sinker got lodged.

 

We have put many many limits in the boat doing this when no one else was catching a fish.

 

I have zero doubt your technique is a good one Cliff. That's what makes fishing so interesting, there's never a definitive answer, lots of different techniques work.

[manitoubass2]

Def. Try all these techniques mentioned as Im sure they will all produce.

 

It took me 3 years of putting in alot of hours to figure out heavy current walleyes and my techniques.

 

One tip, if there is water fluctuation throughout the year or at a specific time, take a mental picture when the water is low and youll be ahead of the game

[mike rousseau]

How fast is fast (mph) and how deep...

 

Most peoples defenition if heavy current differ quite a bit

 

I fish rivers 99% of the time and have learnt to fish some serious current...

 

I have a spots where I catch walleye in 8 mph current... Lol

[manitoubass2]

Yep thats me as well mike.

 

3 to 8mph.

 

Ive even fished em right in rapids(not incredibly effective lol)

[fish_fishburn]

I fish a spot on the Ottawa where the water flows between a long point and an island with an channel about 100ft wide. We anchor above the narrows and let our crankbaits out with the current taking them down river about 150 yrds or so then close the bail and let the current work the bait for you. Every 5 minutes or so slowly reel in about 50 ft of line and wait 5 minutes then reel in about 50 ft. Eventually we locate the fish and then its easy after that. My favorite is a rippling redfin gold with orange belly and black back or a j-11 in fire tiger. The larger walleye diver in gold works well also.

[2 tone z71]

Dallas rapids ? Where French meets G bay ?

[Old Ironmaker]

fish fishburn, we had a camp downstream of Westmeath and worked the rapids very similar. We would slow troll the shoreline of the fast water watching the land to make sure we were moving. A simple floating Rapala usually did the trick. At the headwater we would cast above the fast water and work back toward the anchored boat with a crankbait, minnowbait or jig. Can not beat fast water for Walleye.