Avid angler and content creator Sam Sobi shares his four go-to approaches for walleye fishing.
4 Simple Approaches to Walleye Fishing
Walleye fishing can be intimidating especially for anglers that tend to focus on other species, but I’m here to tell you it’s not that bad. There are four simple approaches / presentations you can use that really simplify walleye fishing.
The first simple presentation for walleye fishing is the Rapala Rippin Rap. This bait really shines in the spring, but will catch walleyes all year long. It can be fish at any depth and works great fishing over sand, around rocks, and near weed beds.
For walleyes you typically want to use a Rippin Rap in a size five or six, but in certain places like Green Bay, Big Bay De Noc and other “big fish” bodies of water a size seven can be deadly. They are available in a bunch of different color patterns for both clear and stained water conditions.
The great thing about Rapala Rippin Rap is that there is no wrong way to fish it. You can do a simple cast and retrieve. You can rip jig it off the bottom. You can troll it and you can even vertically jig it. It’s a great presentation for covering water and targeting active walleyes.
The second simple presentation for walleye fishing is the VMC Moon Tail hair jig.
This bucktail hair jig can be fished in any type of cover, but really shines when it is fished through weed beds. The real secret behind this bait is to fish it fast in a rip jigging presentation. When it’s fish fast it’s quick drop speed really triggers walleyes into biting. Most of the time you’ll want to fish this presentation fairly close to the structure you are fishing.
The next presentation is a classic that has proven itself everywhere walleyes swim. It’s a jig and minnow presentation.
The jig and minnow presentation can be fish anywhere walleyes swim. The VMC Moon Eye jig works great paired with minnows because of its long shank and bait keeper. There are a number of effect ways to fish a jig and minnow. You can pitch it out and give it small hops, fish it vertically, or drag it along the bottom. It’s a foolproof way to catch walleyes.
The last bait that’s easy to fish and works great for walleyes is the number five Rapala Shad Rap.
This bait can be trolled or casted and it does a fantastic job imitating minnows, perch, and other forage walleyes feed on. Work this bait along the the shoreline, rocky piles, along the weed beds. It’s a proven walleye presentation that can catch them anywhere.