Tackle and Techniques for Catching Walleye

Walleye | Credit: USFWS

Catching walleye can be an exciting and rewarding experience. This post includes popular lures and techniques that are often used.

Jigs are among the simplest lures, consisting of a hook with a molded lead head. They can be fished vertically or cast and retrieved through any part of the water column.

Jigs can be tipped with live or dead minnows, worms, and leeches, or with soft plastic bodies and tails.

Crankbaits are another popular choice for walleye fishing. Typical crankbaits for catching walleye are around 4-3/4 inches in length and come in a variety of popular color patterns.

Spinners can also be effective for catching walleye.

Soft plastics can be used on their own or in combination with jigs.

Live bait rigs, such as worm harnesses, can be very effective for catching walleye.

Stick baits are another good option, especially for larger walleye.

In terms of techniques, walleye are known to be low light feeders and feed well at night but they also feed and bite during the day.

Anglers usually fish for walleye in less than 40 feet of water mainly because this is where most walleye live. Adult walleye primarily eat fish such as yellow perch, alewife, and ciscoes.

An understanding the behavior of the fish, using the right equipment, and being patient are key elements of successful walleye fishing.

Lures vs. Bait for Catching Freshwater Trout

One of the most common discussions among anglers involves techniques for catching rainbow trout and other trout species. Some anglers fish for rainbows with fly fishing gear only and consider conventional tackle or the use of bait to be taboo. Other anglers use spinning tackle or fish with natural baits when targeting trout. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages.

In some areas, fishing regulations dictate which types of gear may be used. On some streams, the use of live bait, cut baits, or even scented attractants is prohibited. In other areas, rainbow trout and other trout species are stocked specifically for harvesting with fewer restrictions.

Recently stocked trout are particularly susceptible to conventional artificial lures or live baits. Effective baits for catching stocked trout usually include nightcrawlers (earthworms), fish eggs, and a variety of insect larvae. Artificial lures are also popular for catching recently stocked trout, especially inline spinners or other flashy lures such as metallic colored spoons. In some cases, stocked trout seem to lack the inhibitions of wild fish and are easily fooled with almost any bright moving lure.

In coldwater streams and lakes, some stocked trout evade anglers and learn to survive in the wild, feeding on natural food sources such as aquatic insects and other small invertebrates. At this stage, semi-wild non-native trout can be much harder to catch than newly released fish. When targeting these trout, fly fishermen select fly patterns that closely resemble local insect populations.

Some rainbow trout continue to thrive in the wild for months or years after being released. As they grow larger, adult trout change their diet again and begin feeding on minnows, chub, shiners, sculpins, and other small fish. Anglers sometimes target large rainbows with crankbaits, inline spinners, or other artificial lures that resemble local forage fish.

Beetle Spin Lures for Catching Panfish

Beetle spins are a traditional lure for catching panfish. This small but effective spinnerbait is used to catch crappie, sunfish, yellow perch, white perch, sauger, and other species.

This specialized lure design consists of a wire arm, to which a jig and spinner blade are attached. The original design uses a soft plastic "grub" body with a split tail. Although the body itself has no action, it provides a natural feel and gives the lure color. Modern variations use a wide range of jigs and bodies. The spinner blade can be silver, gold, or painted and is usually available in several sizes.

The beetle spin design benefits from modular construction. The simple wire arm allows anglers to quickly change the jig, allowing for variations of weights, colors, or head shape. The spinner arm adds an element of flash, while allowing the rig to maintain mid-depth at slower speeds than a solo jig of similar weight. In areas where debris are a problem, the spinner arm also helps lessen the likelihood of snagging.

Simple painted or unpainted jig heads rigged with soft plastic "curly tail" bodies are one of the most popular options for a jig variation. The simple head and body makes changing colors a simple process.

Color can important for success when fishing beetle spins or other small spinnerbaits. Some anglers swear by black, white, chartreuse, or another solid color. Multi-color bodies are also popular. Red and white is a popular color combination but others may be favored, depending on local conditions.

Best Lures for Catching Sunfish

bream sunfish (bluegill)

Sunfish are favorite panfish of American anglers. Several sunfish species are found in fresh or brackfish waters of the USA. Bream (bluegills), pumpkinseeds, green sunfish, redears (shellcrackers), redbreasts, and longears are among the most commonly caught sunfish.

The list of best lures for catching sunfish is often debated, with top lures often varying widely by region. Most lists include a few basic types of fishing lures such as jigs, spinnerbaits, inline spinners, plugs, spoons, poppers, flies, and soft plastics.

The top lure for catching sunfish is usually some form of jig. These include several classic designs such as the shad dart, crappie jig, beetle spin, and others. Tiny versions of famous bass fishing lures are also popular for catching sunfish.

The following is a typical list of best lures for catching sunfish:

1/16 oz. shad dart - red and white
1/16 oz. crappie jig - red-black-white
1/16 oz. beetle spin - white with red dot
1/16 oz. plain jig head and soft plastic twister tail

1/16 oz. trout bomb head - various soft plastic bodies or tipped with nightcrawler
1/16 oz. Rapala floating minnow - silver w/black back
Strike King 3/32 oz. bitzy minnow - gizzard shad pattern
1/4 oz. Daredevle spoon - red and white
.13 oz. Hopkins lure - metal hammered finish

This list does not include ice fishing for fly fishing lures. Each of those specialties have their own sets of top performing sunfish lures.

These same lures are usually good choices for other members of the bass and sunfish family such as rock bass, warmouth, black crappie, white crappie, fliers and others.

Most of these lures are also excellent choices for catching perch and other panfish.

Related Information

Bluegill Sunfish Facts

Tips For Catching Trophy Sunfish

What Do Sunfish Eat?

Beetlespin Lures for Panfish

Spinnerbait Techniques For Catching Panfish

Spinnerbaits are excellent lures for catching bass, crappie, bream, yellow perch and other freshwater fish, especially during cool weather when fish are sluggish.

Most panfish spinnerbaits use a special metal arm and jig combination. One end of the arm is equipped with a swivel and a silver or gold blade. The other end of the arm is equipped with a snap for connecting to the jig.

These simple designs have several advantages:

 - Their modular construction allows anglers to easily change soft plastic lure bodies or jig heads.

 - Most models can be purchased with or without a jig.

 - Simple spinnerbaits catch a wide range of species, including largemouth bass, black crappie, bream sunfish, rock bass, yellow perch, and chain pickerel.

 - Anglers can choose from a variety of soft plastic bodies, marabou jigs or add bait strips.

 - Due to their design, spinnerbaits are less likely to get hung up on limbs or other underwater obstructions. 

 - Spinnerbaits can be worked very slowly, allowing sluggish fish time to react.

- Pulsating spinner blades create pressure waves as well as bright flashes which attract fish in murky water.

Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Show

The Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Show is scheduled for March 5th and 6th at the Valley Forge Convention Center in the King of Prussia area. The event offers free parking, convenient hotels and restaurants, and other amenities.

The Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Show precedes the opening of trout season, which allows the attendees to purchase needed products for the coming season.

For more information, visit www.flyfishingshow.com