Walleye?

[Rimshot]

I'm a walleye virgin. I have been told go in the spring for big ones and summer for numbers. I waited through the spring thinking a rookie would have a better chance when there were more fish around. When would be a good time to start trying in the lower river here? What temps do I need to be looking for for it to be good? Also if anyone wants to show me the ropes I would be happy to have you along in my boat. Thanks a bunch :cheers:

[dragon67]

If you can get a hold of the oregon bass and panfish club, they are having a bass and walleye tourmet at the end of July out of Chinook landing. You might try that.

[dan(or)]

Email Larry McClintock and ask about the next walleye club meeting.

Here is there web site

http://www.walleyecentral.com/lrclmbia.htm

dan

[bait dunker]

i too am a walleye virgin. my grandpa asks me all the time if i could catch him some walleye (hes from minnesota). walleye is a fishery that i would like to learn. would anyone have an open seat sometime? id love to learn a little about it. id be more than willing to chip in for gas, lunch etc. i only have a 12 foot boat at present time. are there some spots around biggs or rufus that might be suited for a boat of that size? feel free to pm with any help... thanks

[shalom]

If you would like to learn more about Walleye fishing come to the next meeting of the OREGON BASS AND PANFISH CLUB . We are a non tourneyment fishing club that likes to meet people and have a good time shareing our knowledge and helping people learn new ways to fish . We are the largest Bass fishing club this side of the MISSISSIPPI RIVER .
We have good meetining and I am sure that you would have a good time and learn a lot .Our next meeting is Thuesday July 27th At 7:30 pm .We meet at 3700 se. 17-th Ave. Portland or.Feel free to e-mail me with any
Questions ? :jester: :dance: :yay: :dance: :angel1:

[rola76]

As far as gear, go with your basic worm harness, such as a Double Whammy or a Wally Pop. You'll want to run this off of a bottom bouncer, either a 1/2 or 1 ounce, that way you lose less setups on the bottom. If you choose to go with plugs, there are endless possibilities from Fatfish to diving Rapalas.

I've walleye fished my whole life, so if I can offer anymore help, let me know.

Good luck!!

[Rimshot]

Unfortunately I work nights so going to any meetings is not a possibility. I'm just looking for some basic info such as when is a good time to try and where are some general areas they like to hang out. If I can get pointed in the right direction I can figure the rest out from there. I have actually been out twice but both times didn't turn out so good. The first time we were out in front of Multnomah Falls and the kicker battery on my friends boat was dead so we were trying to troll with the 115. Not good. The second time we got a tip that Ough(sp) Reef was good so we gave that a shot. We were trolling worm harnesses downstream and I felt like I wasn't hitting bottom enough. I kept adding weight until I got up to about 3oz. :bigshock: :redface:. Shortly after that I hung on the bottom and before I could react my rod bent over and snapped :sick:. That was before I was smart enough to bring spares so that ended the day. I have done a lot of reading and learning since then so hopefully I'm a little smarter. You never know :help:. Anyway, thanks for the responses. If anyone could add anything more that would be great. Rola, thanks for the gear suggestions :hearton:. Take care all.

[dragon67]

I wonder if walleye fishing would be better at night?

[fishing is life]

we used to fish walleye at night in Mn and killed them . They come in shallow at night to feed. Being on the big C in the middle of the night and not on anchor is a bit nervracking.

[Fish mojo]

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/102scan0007.jpg
Walleye from Boardman last week.

[Rimshot]

I went out and tried it around the 205 bridge and then went up to Ough reef. Nada. I'm thinking I just don't know what I'm looking for as far as holding areas. I think my technique and gear are at least in the ballpark. I was fishing worm harnesses trolled downstream just fast enough to keep the blade turning. The color was chartreuse beads and a chart blade with gold sparkles. I made sure the worm was straight. I trolled at every depth between 15 and 30'. What am I doing wrong? One thing is we didn't start fishin until about 9am. I'm wondering if Walleye are strictly a morning/evening bite or do they bite well all day long? Any more pointers? I'm trying hard and I'm determined now. Going back out Monday. Thanks a bunch for all the input so far :cheers:.

[Fish mojo]

You're doing the right thing. The fish are probably not there. That area is hit or miss for me. They will bite thruout the day if you find the fish. If you want to get into fish, Rufus, Irrigon, Boardman, etc are better bets. I have put in a lot of fishless walleye days down here. this area gets better later in the season. Try pulling plugs upstream. 1/4 ounce hotlips. Keep trying!

[EastCreek]

Worm harness downriver is one way. Another is trolling very slowly upriver...4-5 ft leader to a Rapala (Blues, Greens, Shartuse...tiger triped-look... seem to work for me) tie leader to a 3 way...2-3 ft dropper and as much lead is needed. (lead can vary hourly due to tides and opening of the damns) Going upriver, you should be able to raise your rod on the troll and slowly set it back down and feel the bottom every single time. Constantly raise and lower the rod and constantly feel for the bottom (your arms can get tired, but that's how it goes). Many fish will strike as you lower the rod back down. Don't swing on the hook set, mouths are rather fragile..light pressure works and most times the head-shake of the fish will set the hook. If you're on the bottom, you can catch fish. If you're not, odds are very slim. Play with colors of Rapalas or shad imitation. Be sure your dropper test is lighter that your leader. It's better to lose your led -vs- a $5 lure. 15-30 ft of water is great. Ough reef is snaggy...losing gear (preferably led)is part of the game. It's not uncommon to catch bass, steelhead or chinook fishing for walleye this way. Go get 'em....oh...if you have trouble contolling your speed on the troll (ie:too fast) get a drift sock or drag a 5 gallon bucket behind you to slow you down. You should be moving...but slow and must feel bottom. Did I mention feeling the bottom? Now go get 'em.

[EastCreek]

I will second the Rufus comment. Mary Hill St. Pk. on the Washington side is nice. More #'s up there at this point.

[EastCreek]

Lead on the dropper = cannonball on the troll.

[Rimshot]

Thanks very much for the input guys. I really appreciate it. I'm gonna head to the Rufus area tomorrow I guess and give it a shot. I have never fished there so we'll see how it goes. I'd like to just get my first one out of the way. That way at least I'll know what I'm doing is right. Then I can come down river and try different areas with confidence. I'd like to see some walleye holding on the graph so I know what I'm looking for too. From the sounds of it Rufus is the best bet right now. Off I go....
Thanks again. I'll report tomorrow when I get back :cheers:.

[wishntobefishn]

Rimshot,

Any report on your Walleye weekend? I've got a 5 week sabbatical coming up in August and was hoping to hit Rufus. I hope the bite is still on then.

[Rimshot]

I only went out on Monday and I didn't end up going to Rufus. The wind was predicted to be gusting to 30. I did try again around the Washougal area and around 205. I got blanked again. This is becoming very frustrating. I may have to hire a guide to get it right. I still think my problem is not knowing exactly where to fish. I know I'm fishing in the general areas but as far as exactly what line to take, etc. I don't know. This was trip #4 with nothing to show for it. I'm still determined though. I'll keep you all posted.

[D4570]

:smash:Here is what you need to do.First walleye love rocks, points submerged high spots even heavy weed beds. They hide in or near them and ambush there pray. If you are trolling you need bottom bouncers, a lead wight on a wire that keeps the weight off the bottom. Then you need to troll SLOWWWW! Harnesses with a slow turning blade (maybe two), yellow or white are the go to colors here.If you think you may be going to fast and its as slow as you can go turn around and Back troll! :tongue: Set your drag real light walleye are Very soft lipped!Try using a jig and cast up stream and retrieve SLOWWW! White is a good color for this too! Good luck, They as a Very frustrating fish to fish for! :shrug:

[fishing is life]

Rimshot, i have been reading your thread and have been feeling your pain. I have not tried walleye out here yet but prob will soon. Not easy enough around town plus i love the salmon too much. But sure do miss eating walleye. I hope you will get one soon, I am sure a guide will help. Also check the Oregonian, there is a clinic put on by a well known walleye god around here Tom Thorud. It will be on Sat at GI joes from 9am till noon. He said to bring your map. That is how i would start and join that walleye club around town. Sounds like a great group of guys, not too competitive yet like the other fishies. That is how i would start. Go get em. :smash:

P.S. Thank you Tom Thorud for taking the time out of valuable fishing time to share your wisdom. One of these days i will be there to learn but I will be steelie fishing this weekend. :cheers:

[rebell]

I will vouch for Tom Thorud. I have spent a few day's in the boat with him, the man know's his stuff!!! :applause:

[Not Skunk'd Agin]

Rimshot,

I decided I'd go after the goggle-eyes myself this year. I sign up for the ********* program, and have been fishing the same areas as you. Various times of day, and at night as well. My luck has been much the same, but I believe the fish are not plentiful. I did pick up one at Ough reef, and lost it at the boat. :hoboy: Jigging with a blade bait. Those things are spendy, cause you'll lose them all the time, but it is a killer jig. I nailed it in about 6-7 feet of water, and I was drifting as it was the perfect day with winds and tides aligning!! I went back over a couple more times and nothing. But they spook very easily. Used to fish them a lot back in Wisconsin, but I got skunked back there two weeks ago!!! There was a huge mayfly hatch, and the carcasses were everywhere, thus, they weren't interested in anything we threw at them. Well that's my story anyway...

Everbody else has great input, this is just the greatest group of people. :cheers: I didn't see anybody else mention the blade bait, so I thought I'd share.

See you out there, I'm sure. 15" Lowe-line open aluminum, usually with my black lab, but not during the heat!

[EastCreek]

Something I am guilty of myself very often....Rimshot...don't get frustrated when you aren't fishing where the fish are. Your odds will increase dramatically upriver at this time of year. Get skunked 4 times in the Rufus area then vent some frustration.

[2slow]

Rimshot,

Congrats on being diligent. I havent fished walleyes recently but spent some time on it 4 or 5 years ago. In the Portland area I tried the same areas as you have with the same type of success. I tried MC also with limited success. I had my best luck in the John Day-Dalles area. Below John Day dam and in the St Marys area worked ok at times. Also at the mouth of the Deschutes and just upriver worked too. Varying water depths. I used worm harnesses 90% of the time. Jigs with a plastic grub tail work too. The key with the jigs is to fish verticaly. You must be right over your jig. In the current in the Columbia that means you have to make your boat follow your jig. Challenging but it works well at times. The result of my efforts on most days was 1-4 fish. Lots of fishing and not much catching. Seemed to end up giving up on the walleye and targeting smallies after a few hours of no eyes. Good luck, keep us posted as I am getting the urge to try again.

[rola76]

Rim,

Honestly, if you want to get into some walleye and have a bit of an easier time finding them, make a trip to Moses Lake or the Potholes. I know it's further to drive, but trust me, you WILL catch fish. Moses Lake, especially, is loaded right now, and the Potholes water level just dropped, which means you'll find them easier.

If you decide to go, PM me and I'll give you the scoop on the lakes.