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Right Tool For The Job
by Norb Wallock

There’s an old saying about using the right tool for the job, which still holds true today; Especially if you’re a walleye fisherman. Selecting the proper tool,(like the right rod and reel), can mean more fish at the end of the day. More fish invariably translates into more fun.

Modern day walleye fishing has become a little complicated, and very specialized. There’s specific gear for rigging, jigging, trolling and bouncing. To cover it all you could quickly fill a garage, but it really isn’t necessary.

To get started, you can easily get by with a few rod and reel combinations that will effectively cover most applications. By looking at the different presentations, you can determine the equipment needed to successfully complete each job.

The first presentation on any walleye angler’s list, ( that’s worth his salt), has to be jigging. Jigging is the most basic of presentations, and is a time honored method for extracting walleyes from a variety of locations. Jigs can be either cast, trolled, or worked vertically.

Whatever the case, feel is paramount. Feel is developed by using a high quality graphite rod, and is no place to save a buck or two. Preferred jigging rods are of the spinning variety, as spinning gear will allow you to cast lighter baits with greater distance. They are also generally shorter in length than those used for other methods, with most falling into the five and a half to six foot range. Shorter rods are lighter, and provide for more finesse with better feel. However, anything shorter and you give up fish fighting power, while anything longer becomes heavy and awkward, and you start to loose that all important feel. Good jigging actions include light to medium, depending on the rod, as the stiffness level will vay from one manufacturer to another.

Another classic on the presentation list is live bait rigging. As does jigging, live bait rigging requires the utmost in feel. To be successful, anglers need to detect the very moment that a fish has taken the bait. Bites that go undetected usually result in missed opportunities.

Here again, a high quality graphite rod can be invaluable. The recent trend in rigging rods has been an overall increase in length. Rod length can run from six feet, to as much as nine, and comes down to a personal preference. Longer rods have the ability to take up a lot of line on the hook set, and will more readily absorb the shock of a fighting fish, which can be extremely important when using light line.

The problem with the longest of the rigging rods is the fact that they start to become too heavy. A good compromise would fall into the six and a half to seven foot range. Preferred actions include light to medium light, again depending on the manufacturer.

Appropriate spinning reels for both jigging and rigging, should be as small as possible, to keep the weight down, with large enough spools to hold line memory to a minimum. That eliminates the so called ultra lights with their tiny spools. Good smooth drags are another consideration, especially if you plan on working with lighter line. A rear drag can also be an advantage, and will allow adjustments while you’re fighting a fish.

Trolling has been where most of the advancements in modern day walleye fishing has been, and an area that deserves some attention. Trolling allows angler to cover lots of water, in the course of a day, and is a highly efficient method for finding and catching walleyes. The rub is the fact that trolling methods can vary greatly, and so do the equipment requirements.

Trolling crankbaits along a break line or depth change is a top producer, and is accomplished by letting out enough line to get a bait to run just over the bottom.

Baitcasting combinations are the top choice, with recommended rod lengths in the seven to eight foot range and light action tips. Lighter actions mean fewer hooks torn loose, and more fish boated. They can also accentuate the vibration of a crankbait running true, indicated by the throbbing action in the tip.

Baitcasting reels should have a large enough capacity to hold plenty of line, especially for those times when you’re trolling deep water and it takes almost all of you have to get to the bottom. Line counter reels can be a big advantage, and allow you to duplicate productive patterns quickly. The only downside to the line counters is the fact that they really have no other application, other than long line trolling.

Trolling bottom bouncers is a great way to get a spinner and live combination through some of the roughest walleye haunts. Good bouncer rods fall into that six and a half to seven foot range, and have soft tips and actions. A soft tip will buy you a little more time before a finicky walleye feels you and spits the bait.

As in every trolling situation, baitcasting gear is the recommended equipment. Reels with flipping features, (like the kind bass fisherman use), make letting extra line out a piece of cake, and can be especially important when you’re fishing with two rigs. With one hand you can push the thumb bar, let out the right amount of line and release the button, which re-engages the reel.

Another highly specialized trolling method involves trolling crankbaits with the aid of leadcore line. Leadcore allows for pinpoint accuracy in trolling depths, and will also help you when dealing with current. Leadcore rods can run up to nine feet in length and longer, and require large capacity reels. Leadcore line is very bulky and it will take a larger reel to hold enough of the stuff to be effective.

The line counters previously mentioned have the capacity, but aren’t necessary for calculating the amount of line out, as leadcore is metered and indicated by changes in color. Certainly this doesn’t cover every presentation known to produce a walleye or two, but it does cover the basics. And as you can see, some of very same gear has more than one application.

With a couple of spinning rod and reel combos, as well as one or two bait casting outfits, you can feel comfortable that you have the right tool for the job, most of the time.

The author’s reward for using the right tool for the job.

Red Pine Resort
Ice Fishing on Kabetogama.