Modern angling

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/07/2016 (3457 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We are well into summer now, and by all accounts the fishing in most parts has been pretty darn good. I had a busy month with a lot of travel and some awesome angling. This despite unstable weather, rain, wind and intense thunderstorms. The fish, for the most part, seem unbothered and ready to hit anything that might arouse interest.

Over the last few summers, more and more anglers are starting to use lures normally found in their ice-fishing boxes. It was two winters ago down at the St. Paul Ice Fishing Show, when I got my eyes opened a bit about the use of a Jigging Rapala for open-water fishing. I mentioned to some of the top pros down there about watching friend Al Lindner catch all kinds of fish on this lure during the summer months on his television program, The Angling Edge. Jeff Gustafson mentioned the top pros had been using this lure on the walleye circuit for years when nothing else would catch fish. Since that time, lots of videos and articles have been written on the subject, but I don’t think a lot of anglers in this part of the world have bought in yet. My friends in Saskatchewan have been using a similar lure, the Shiver Minnow, on Last Mountain Lake in the summer and fall to catch big walleye. These types of lures work best on a sand or gravel bottom, which means you won’t be snagging them in rocky boulders all the time.

KEY POINTS:

— In the summer, using these lures, most of the fish will be in the five- to nine-metre mark. This also allows you to watch your lure on the depth finder. It won’t take long to determine if those fish will bite or not.

— Fish the bait away from the boat at a 60-degree angle.

— Sweep the bait forward two to four feet at a time, then let it nosedive down to the bottom.

— You can cast and retrieve up and down drop-offs as long as there aren’t too many snags.

— It is a reaction bite, and fish won’t hit them all the time, but when they do, you better hold on.

EQUIPMENT SETUP

— Use monofilament line. The stretch factor is needed so the fish don’t shake the hook.

— You also must have an in-line barrel swivel a couple of feet up from the lure to prevent line twist.

— Lures come in various sizes, but a size #7 will get you down to the bottom pretty quick.

I must mention though, that the right rod is critical in using these types of lures. You want a longer rod, maybe seven feet in length with a soft tip and a medium action. This allows you to keep the fish on once hooked. While the hooks on these lures are super-sharp, fish have a tendency to throw the hooks if you put too much pressure on them.

HOT SUMMER PRESENTATION:

While these type of lures have found a niche, it’s still almost impossible to beat a bottom bouncer and spinner rig for summer walleye and even huge pike. On a recent trip to Tobin Lake, Sask., friend Boyd Holmen and I caught numerous walleye using this setup. We found the fish on a six-metre sand flat scattered with a bit of sand grass and some sunken timber. By using spinners with floats and shorter snells we were able to prevent snags and get the bait in the strike window. The fishing was so good, in one area we had a fish on almost all the time. This presentation allows the angler to cover water, finding the most productive areas. I highly recommend this presentation for novice anglers as well. It allows you to cover water efficiently and effectively with a minimum of hang-ups. While not as effective when fish are tight on small pieces of structure, it can’t be beat when fishing weed lines, long sand flats, rocky points and other places fish like to hang out when the water gets warmer. It pays to vary trolling speed and size of the spinner blade you might use. I like to use a double-hook setup rigged with either a big night crawler or one ribbon leech per hook. Use a bottom bouncer heavy enough to keep the bait at a 45-degree angle. Then get ready to hang on for some great summer action.

dlamont@mymts.net