Posted: 8/6/03

The fishing line

Scott Soderquist
Guest Writer

Big baits catch big fish. Thatís a statement most of us have probably heard more than once.

Itís a proven fact that at this time of the season, summer that is, big baits account for the majority of trophy class fish being caught.

Take walleyes for example. One of the most successful methods for catching big walleyes day in and day out at this time of year are big crank baits. Many walleye hunters in my area never use live bait during the summer months to catch walleyes. Never! And they catch a lot more walleyes in a year than most live bait anglers, and a lot more fish to boot.

Why you ask?

I believe it has much more to do with the warmer water temperatures. Right now a walleyes metabolism is at its highest level of the season. In short, that means they need to eat more and more often in order to survive. They are super aggressive feeders and very willing to chase down a bait with a vengeance.

Thatís exactly where the crank baits fit in. There are so many shapes, sizes, makes, model, and colors to choose from when selecting a crank bait that it can honestly boggle your mind.

I like to keep it as simple as possible when it comes to making my choices as far as shape, size, and colors go. During the summer months my most effective style of bait has been a shad bodied crank bait. These baits are semi short in length and exhibit a tight wobble action when pulled thru the water. A good example of this type of bait would be the Berkley Frenzy Diver crank bait. For whatever reason these tight wobblers usually out produce the longer style stick baits during these times ten to one.

As for color, if Iím trolling tight to weed lines and perch are present, I will most often start off using a perch pattern bait. However, water color will usually determine what colors Iíll try first. In clear waters try natural colored patters. Perch, shad, bluegill, or crawdad would be good choices. In dirty or stained water go with something brighter, say fire tiger or chrome blue.

Crank baits do catch big fish. Give some a try your next walleye outing.

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