Fish n’ Finn

This picture obviously needs an explanation. The day was quite cold, hence the toque. It was also very bright and sunny and the glare was too much to take. Forgot my sunglasses and the ball cap did the trick. I thought that I needed to explain this so that you don’t think that I am as loony as the picture looks.

Although backtrolling as described in the Presentation Part 1 article is my preferred method of presentation, I will (depending on conditions) use other methods. On a windier day when I get tired of the water splashing over the backboard while I am trying to backtroll, I will drift or anchor over my favourite spots and use a cast and retrieve technique. Here I use my trolling 3-way rig or change to a jig with a trailer hook. A slow retrieve, bouncing the bottom or near the bottom will often produce really good results. There are a whole host of lead jigs and floating jigs that work well.

You will have to experiment with lead jigs to get the right weight to get you down to the depth that you want to fish. With a floating jig, I set it up in a similar manner as the 3-way rig described in the Terminal Tackle article but replace the spinner with the jig. In both cases, make sure that you attach a trailer hook and a juicy dew worm. By now, you have the idea that I really like the worm. To me, it is a universal bait but if minnows, leeches, plugs or lures are working, then go for it.

Occasionally I fish in an area that has a fairly heavy current and here I  sometimes like to use my downrigger. I will anchor in the current, let out from 5 to 10 ft. of line and attach the line to the clip on the cannon ball. Lower it to the depth that you want and let your bait wobble in the current. Again, experiment with different depths. I have caught some nice ones like this.

Another method that gives a lot of control over your boat and presentation is an electric motor. Both bow and transom mounts work well. I prefer the transom mount for slow trolling and the bow mount works well when using a cast and retrieve method. The bow mount has a foot control that frees up both hands for rod control.

A final thought on presentation relates to when you should fish. All kinds of environmental factors will govern how good the fishing is at any point in time.

I try to pay attention to what conditions are present when I catch fish. Some of my best catches of walleye have been at high noon on the brightest and the sunniest of days. Now the water isn’t crystal clear but it isn’t really dirty either.  So, I guess my point is, don’t hesitate to fish when the spirit moves you. You might be pleasantly surprised. Don’t get caught in a rut and fish only when, according to traditional thought , you are supposed to.

Click here for tip #2 on enhancing the taste of your fish.

Until next time, good fishing and good sportsmanship.

Walleye!  How do we get this great fish to bite? Well, here I am again and I will tell you about how I present the worm on the 3-way rig described in the Terminal Tackle article as a juicy morsel for those waiting walleye. I have a 14 ft. aluminium boat and a 9.9 motor and my favourite method of presentation is by back-trolling. Why back-troll? Well, there are 2 good reasons.

First, it gives me more control over speed and manoeuvring and it allows me to bounce my bait along the bottom at a nice slow pace. Too often I see guys trolling and dragging a line around all over the place and nothing happens. As corny as it might sound, I think that you have to become more intimate with the situation. You have to pay attention and finesse them. You will find that a walleye will often hit just as you drop your bait by moving your rod back and it hits the bottom. I often pull my line ahead and then drop it back as I troll. 

Of course, fishing tight to the bottom will get you snagged up more than you would like. However, patience is the key and if you don’t keep “horsing” your line and you give it slack, in most cases you can go back to the snag and get it off. 

This method of presentation requires close attention and some effort and in a short time you will get a good feel for how to make a subtle presentation where you fish. Now this is not to suggest that you shouldn’t try other depths for suspended walleye but just dragging a bait around all over the place isn’t very productive. 

The second reason for back-trolling is the fact that I like to fish with a partner. (I have to tell you that my best fishing partner is my wife.) When you back-troll, you can make turns around shorelines and shoals etc. without your lines getting crossed. This is not the case when trolling forward where the line of the person in the bow is constantly wrapped around the driver of the boat. 

However, when I fish alone, I will use a combination of forward and backward trolling especially on a windier day. I will forward troll into the wind and back-troll with the wind. On a calmer day, though, back-trolling is my preferred method. 

If you have a larger boat (e.g. 18 ft. with a larger outboard or an I/O) you can split the difference between back and forward trolling if you have a smaller kicker motor. Obviously you can’t back-troll very well, if at all, but you can troll forward with the kicker at a fairly slow rate and with the right weight attached to your line, you can get down to the depth that you want to fish. However, this gets a little tricky when you get snagged. This often results in losing the terminal tackle. Here again, if you make your own worm harness, losing them isn’t as painful a financial experience as having to buy them. I have used this method but you have to be careful of water depths because you lose some control and the ability to manoeuvre. In rocky areas, especially, you have to watch for shoals and be careful how cozy you get with shorelines. 
 
Click here for a tip on how to enhance the taste of your fish.  It is the first in a 3-part series and applies to all fish.  Tip #2 will be described next month in the second article on presentation.

Until then, good fishing and good sportsmanship.