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Please don't bash me for asking about walleye on the Crappie Forum, but I haven't found a local Walleye forum that I like and you guys seem pretty knowledgible to me.
Anyways, For years now I've been wanting to hit the Walleye spawn at Hillsdale. Any tips for a absolute novice?
1.) When to go? Time of year or water temp?
2.) Where to fish? The Dam?
3.) What to fish with?
OK - you've got my attention! ;)
First thing I would recommend is contacting the local fisheries biologist - he/she can answer a lot of these questions.
1.) Anytime - The males will show up at the staging and or spawning areas first and leave last - they are the best ones to eat - both for the resource and your pallet.
2.) Staging and/or spawning areas - as the fish leave their wintering areas they will head to where they spawn (usually hard sandy/gravely areas with enough current to oxygenate the eggs)
Dams are usually good areas because of the barrier that is created. Creek or river arms are good as well.
Don't overlook shallow areas.
3.) Jigs are a great choice for targeting these fish - due to the fact that they are concentrated in tight schools. I usually fish with the biggest jig I can get my hands on and go bigger when the water gets dirtier. Also Jigging spoons and blade baits work well. I usually "double jig" so I will have a bright color on one and a dark color on the other - and let the fish decide. Both artificial (Hutch jigs and PowerBait/Gulp) and live bait (depends on forage and what's available at the bait store) but 95% of the time I will fish with artificial and if I fish with live bait - I will tip an artificial jig with it.
+1 above,,,if your fishing stained or muddy water, bright colors work also. small fish like cranks works as well. Walleyes start spawning in 40-45 degree water, and here, below dams they stack up, in resevours, rocky, sandy areas sometimes they will travel all the way to the backs of feeder creeks and spawn, natural lakes they spawn in the windy sides of the lake to keep the wave action oxygenating the eggs as well as silt off them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tommy Skarlis
Quote:
Originally Posted by ignisuti
ignisuti,
Check out this POST from the last two years. It should answer your questions on fishing the walleye spawn in Kansas.
Darn Craig wished you would have warned us youd be in the pic's but the Walleye look great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Johnson
Awesome, Awesome post you have from 2 ys ago. Very nice information.
Little crowd caasting off the hd dam last night. Big fish seem to get caught early each year. Could be time now.
I tried fishing the dam at coffey county the other day with no success. I worked from shallow to deep, and even trolled a walleye runner back and forth trying to pick one up but no luck.
In colder water - a bait with a subtle wobble (like an original Rapala or a #4 or #5 Flicker Shad) might be a good choice to try.
I only made it out to HD a couple times last year because of bad weather ever time I had a day off. I caught all mine on a chrome/black back rattle bait in about 2' of water when it was 41-43 degree water temp.