Looking for a walleye fisherman

[USMCfisher]

Hey guys, i am looking for a nice person with some experience walleye fishing to come out with me on my boat and show me the ropes for the lower columbia. i usually launch out of chinook landing or rooster rock. I have a 20' intruder S/J. If your interested please let me know. I have never fished for them and will pry need to buy gear so maybe we could talk about some basic items i will need. thanks!!

[Trout,myster]

Originally Posted by USMCfisher

Hey guys, i am looking for a nice person with some experience walleye fishing to come out with me on my boat and show me the ropes for the lower columbia. i usually launch out of chinook landing or rooster rock. I have a 20' intruder S/J. If your interested please let me know. I have never fished for them and will pry need to buy gear so maybe we could talk about some basic items i will need. thanks!!

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[Hunt'nFish]

Basic gear:
a 7ft 10-20lb baitcaster rod w/ reel loaded w/ 30lb braid. The reel would preferablely have a flipping switch or similar feature to make one handed use eaiser but it isn't required. It's just that, w/ one hand on the kicker and one hand on the rod, it's nice to be able to re-engage the reel one handed after letting out a little line to adj depth.

A box full of worm harness rigs and cheater/corkies/blades/beads/plastic QD clevises/etc
Several 1oz bait walkers and a handfull of 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1oz cannonballs. (use pliers to twist a loop to hang cannonballs on end of walker for adj'n weight)
And 2-4doz worms depending on expected time on water and # of people.
I would offer to help more, but I have no time.
Hunt'nFish

[raptorschild]

Huntn fish knows what he's talking about, but thats also a lot of info and $$$ for a first timer.

I'm just getting into it, and I find fish every time out. Granted I'm fishing the Irrigon area which is numbers wise....a pretty good area.

What I use: A 6.5 or 7ft medium or light medium rod with a bait caster is best, but Ive used spinning too and it works just fine. I use braided line.....at least 15lb.

Then I use a 2oz bottom walker for 25-30 ft deep. Obviously a lighter bottom walker for shallower, and a heavier one for deeper, but I recommend that depth this time of year.

The lure I attach to the bottom walker is a double wammy in chartreuse. Google it if you need to but all stores have this lure. Its very similar to a wedding ring.

Put your trolling motor on a low speed such as 3 out of 10. If you use a kicker.....go as slow as possible....and go downstream. If you try to go upstream your rig won't stay on the bottom.

Hook your worm in the head, and tail with the hooks so it stretches out long and strait when trolled. Dip your rig in the water near the surface to see if your blade is turning, and to see if the worm is rigged properly.

Then just open your bail and let your rig plummet to the bottom as soon as you feel the rig hit bottom....then close your bail. You may have to let out, or real in line to stay in the right line length to keep the rig skipping the bottom. Your not dredging.....you just want contact every 1 or 2 seconds. If too much line is out, you will be to far off the bottom. Not enough line.....same thing. Has to be just right.

Once you get that down....thats about 3/4 the battle. Then just wait to feel resistance, and then make a sweeping hookset.

In Walleye fishing there is no penalty for setting the hook too often. If you feel something funny.....SET IT.

As for spots to fish.....there should be some community holes you can go fish, and just watch the other boats....If they are catching them, then keep at it! Just get in line, and troll through the area they are trolling. Just because its a community hole one day....doesnt mean its fished out....the next day nobody might be there, and new fish come and go.

Good luck. Hopefully someone can give you a location of a good community hole to fish.

[Don Fischer]

Now wait just a darn minute stud, a Channel Cat is not a trash fish!

[bassin]

Originally Posted by USMCfisher

Hey guys, i am looking for a nice person with some experience walleye fishing to come out with me on my boat and show me the ropes for the lower columbia. i usually launch out of chinook landing or rooster rock. I have a 20' intruder S/J. If your interested please let me know. I have never fished for them and will pry need to buy gear so maybe we could talk about some basic items i will need. thanks!!

Fish walleye out of Chinook and will be going once I get back from the coast this next week. Drop me a line if you don't find any takers.

[jdhogg]

Originally Posted by raptorschild

Huntn fish knows what he's talking about, but thats also a lot of info and $$$ for a first timer.

I'm just getting into it, and I find fish every time out. Granted I'm fishing the Irrigon area which is numbers wise....a pretty good area.

What I use: A 6.5 or 7ft medium or light medium rod with a bait caster is best, but Ive used spinning too and it works just fine. I use braided line.....at least 15lb.

Then I use a 2oz bottom walker for 25-30 ft deep. Obviously a lighter bottom walker for shallower, and a heavier one for deeper, but I recommend that depth this time of year.

The lure I attach to the bottom walker is a double wammy in chartreuse. Google it if you need to but all stores have this lure. Its very similar to a wedding ring.

Put your trolling motor on a low speed such as 3 out of 10. If you use a kicker.....go as slow as possible....and go downstream. If you try to go upstream your rig won't stay on the bottom.

Hook your worm in the head, and tail with the hooks so it stretches out long and strait when trolled. Dip your rig in the water near the surface to see if your blade is turning, and to see if the worm is rigged properly.

Then just open your bail and let your rig plummet to the bottom as soon as you feel the rig hit bottom....then close your bail. You may have to let out, or real in line to stay in the right line length to keep the rig skipping the bottom. Your not dredging.....you just want contact every 1 or 2 seconds. If too much line is out, you will be to far off the bottom. Not enough line.....same thing. Has to be just right.

Once you get that down....thats about 3/4 the battle. Then just wait to feel resistance, and then make a sweeping hookset.

In Walleye fishing there is no penalty for setting the hook too often. If you feel something funny.....SET IT.

As for spots to fish.....there should be some community holes you can go fish, and just watch the other boats....If they are catching them, then keep at it! Just get in line, and troll through the area they are trolling. Just because its a community hole one day....doesnt mean its fished out....the next day nobody might be there, and new fish come and go.

Good luck. Hopefully someone can give you a location of a good community hole to fish.

checkout over by the irrigon hatchery and down close to bordom,they was biting

[QH's Paw]

Well, pretty much (as has been stated above) the worm harness is the meat and bones of your walleye arsenal.
In the beginning you'll probably just buy pre-made from the store or shop. As you refine your style etc you'll probably move into making your own.
Here are a few pics of different set ups and misc. accessories.



The bottom walkers can also be made rather than bought. I make mine adjustable for different current, depth and speeds.



There are tons of blades and color options and I've even used spin n' glos with mylar wings with success.



There are plenty of good walleye spots where you're launching. We actually consider August one of the best months for that stretch of the river.
When you fish up near Rooster rock area, try to find bottom transition areas. I mean spots where it transitions for mud to sand or more so sand to gravel. Fish along the points of islands hard and long.
If you think of a walleye as a fresh water ling cod it might help you imagine the type of "ambush" fish they really are in the search for fish.
I don't know if it is true but, when I started walleye fishing I was told they only feed about once every 8 hours. If you find the fish, stay on them until you get them to bite.
There are also 2 other main methods to try once your hooked but, they are by far more expensive on a daily basis. Plug fishing and vertical jigging. My best per/hr rate of hook ups has been with vertical jigging. I have tried plugs but haven't spent enough time or money to have it figured out.
Some guys pull plugs so they can fish both directions(upriver specifically).
Hope that gives you an idea of what you're looking for in the gear department.

[Tar Heel]

Concerning the home made worm harness, would it help to use one of the thinner but just as strong new leader materials than what they provide with the store bought harnesses? Perhaps the thickness is important to save break offs on sharp teeth? Is leader shyness even an issue w/ "eyes?" The reason I ask is that in almost every fishing siituation I can think of, I do better with a smaller leader--there being obvious trade offs.The store bought leaders seem really thick and stiff.


Save a Salmonid, keep a Walleye?

[Hunt'nFish]

Dave, concerning using braid for harness........don't do it man!
Braid is NOT stiff enough for harnesses and all that happens is it gets all twisted up and makes a big mess of your harness. And if it isn't running true & straight....well ya just aren't gonna catch.

For me I tie (or is it tye) all my harnesses up out of 12lb Maxima, tough AND stiff.
I've pulled up sticks, shells and even a couple rocks w/ 12lb maxima and it rarely twists.

I do however run 30lb braid on my mainline. Zero stretch and it lets me "feel" everything on the bottom.
Most walleye bites feel liek a snag.....only diff is some snags have teeth.
If you feel a bite...most likely a squaw or peamouth. If you find peamouths, drop downriver a a bit 100-300yds, the walleye are very close to the peamouth it seems.
Hunt'nFish

[RiverJohn]

On more little homestyle nicety when Walleye fishing.

Re: Bottom walkers

I use 1/4 hollow-core crimped to the wire directly below the original weight as a little added weight when needed. Sometimes the outgoing tide starts pulling and I dont feel like switching my bottom-walkers, so I just crimp a little section as needed.

I find myself using the 2 ounces most then slightly add as the tide gets strong.

Get ALL THE WAY to bottom, as someone said already, think Ling Cod.

[skunkedalot]

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