Steve Carney
Guest WriterWe have come to the midsummer months where the fishing typically slows down. The baitfish explosions are everywhere, food is plentiful and it takes some changing in your presentations to put fish in the boat. The spinner rig is probably the best overall bet for these finicky walleyes and northerns. With the proper selection of components, you can have success where other anglers are scratching their heads in frustration.
The spinner rig consists of a small blade, spaced with beads along the line and has a long, narrow hook on the business end. The rotating blade creates sound and vibration which triggers game fish and makes them strike when they otherwise would ignore your offering.
Look to blades in the #0 and #1 size. These blades are small and will rise off the bottom better than the heavier, more bulky blades. The best choice for monofilament line would be in the eight pound test category, and donít forget to go with the long leaders in the process. I prefer a length of at least eight feet. The added snell length also helps your bait to rise off the bottom, keeping the bait well away from the sinker.
Sinkers are critical in this equation. Start with the ‡ oz. size and increase your weight if you are planning to fish deep. If you are too heavy you will stir up the bottom and ruin your presentation. If you are too light, youíll never be on the bottom where the walleyes congregate. Go with a walking sinker style, egg style or bottom bouncer. When in doubt, go a little heavier.
My favorite hook is one with an extra long shaft. The extra long shaft allows you to thread on your favorite crawler or plastic bait. The long length also runs true much better than the short shanked versions.
I have been using a ton of smaller plastics this season instead of livebait with tremendous success. I have been sticking to the short 3æ inch plastics and trailing them behind my spinner, creating almost a panfish-proof bait that resists the pecking and hassle of sunfish and crappies harassing the bait. They just bounce off the plastics, but the walleyes seem to inhale the whole plastic when trolled properly. If you have a proper hook in the first place, there is no need for an additional trailer hook behind the first hook.
Donít forget to keep this spinner rig as vertical below the boat as possible. Whether you like to backtroll or frontroll, your control and ease of presentation will be enhanced by keeping it just under the boat. The more line you have out, the less ìfeelî you will have. On the hookset, always use a ìsweepî style hookset versus the old, herculean manner. Those fish almost hook themselves on the initial strike anyway.
Just because it is early Aug., it doesnít mean the fish arenít biting anymore. You just have to adjust and adapt.
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