Trolling with minnow baits hard to beat for fall 'eyes

Just ask the pros who ply the waters of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., Lake Erie, the Fox Chain or some of the Tennessee reservoirs during the fall period.

Most will tell you they like to use crankbaits in various forms and sizes to tease the big walleyes to strike. And there are others who will never wander far from their jig box and minnow bucket for fall walleyes.

I will never forget a fall walleye bite on Lake Erie when a friend and I were casting stick baits from a long dock that went out to deep water. There was a mud line near the dock and we managed to get the lures beyond the mud line into clear water. Big walleyes were hovering on the edges, waiting to ambush minnows that came close to shore. A few big fish beat up on those crankbaits as we struggled to bring in the fish.

Different anglers like different styles and brands of these lures. They continue to use what they have because the baits are high-confidence workhorses that manage to entice some of the bigger females to snap them up.

Thundersticks, long Bombers, large Rapala minnow baits and an assortment of various others have done the job for me. I'll even throw in some larger muskie baits that worked when nothing else could trigger a strike.

But it's trolling that seems to warm the cockles of some hearts and fingers as well (in cold weather) when the hunt is on.

Planer boards are very useful tools during the warm months, but there aren't too many walleye anglers I know who like to use them during the chilly fall periods because hands get wet and stiff hauling them in with a fish on the end.

My preference is to use 7- or 8-foot casting or light trolling rods and large stick baits. Sometimes I'll attach a snap weight in front of the lure to help it get down in to the fish zone. And there are times when I'll slow troll a plain crankbait without any adornments in front.

Now, I interchange the words stickbait and crankbait here in print. They are basically the same kind of lure.

The experts and pros speculate that many species of fish start their bulking-up routines about now. That means they gorge themselves on all kinds of bait fish, or whatever is available. But there is always some fish behavior that doesn't fit the usual patterns, like tossing jigs and minnows into tall grass, cane, and submerged trees, like I experienced on a northern Wisconsin, clear water lake.

I've had good success with Reef Runner lures and the extra-sharp hooks that come along on each bait. I've been trying out some new baits from then Sebile company. Friends who fish for the big redfish in the Gulf and striped bass on the Jersey shore told me they had tremendous success with the jumbo Sebile minnow baits. Some of the bass fishermen who work the deep, southern California bass reservoirs report they have had the same success trolling the bigger baits for deepwater largemouth as well.

When it comes to line for trolling, I'll sometimes use two different kinds on two separate rods.

I'll spool a super-braid line like Spider Wire on one reel, and 10-pound Berkley Big Game on the other. Mono line has a tendency to bow out and force the trolled lure to ride up. But that also means I can cover to depth levels in one pass.

On some lakes you may find the fish holding close to a deep bottom, and on some other body of water you may find walleyes suspended right at mid-depth, just under a school of baitfish. If you have a good sonar unit you will see the bait fish under the boat, and where you find the bait is where you generally find the big walleyes.

Another important tool to have in the boat is a set of brightly colored markers that you'll toss overboard when you get a strike. It's important to swing your boat around and cover the same stretch of water again in order to pick up more fish from that same area.