Hello everybody,

    One of the least used yet most effective presentations for Walleyes on Lake Vermilion is trolling.

    I'm not talking about pulling cranks along the shoreline breaks, which I know many people like to do. I'm talking about trolling for suspended Walleyes, out in the lakes main basin areas.

    There has been an increase in the number of anglers that use this presentation, but it's still a very under used method for catching walleyes when many other more typical presentations aren't working.

    We all grew up fishing for walleyes with live bait presentations and it can be very effective, however very few anglers ever try anything different. One of the worst things an angler can do is to get into a rut by only using one method to catch fish. I often hear people say, "well they just aren't biting." The truth is there are always walleyes bitting someplace, sometimes right under our noses. It's up to the angler to broaden their horizons and try something new and different.

     Now there are a few different techniques you can use however they all accomplish the same thing and that is to get the lure in front of the fish. I'm sure that many of you have seen a few boats in Big Bay using down riggers or pulling planner boards behind the boat. They are two methods you can use along with long lining with mono or braided line and one of my favorites when the walleyes are a little deeper is trolling with lead core line. Lead core allows you to be more consistent in your depth control, without having to use a down rigger.

    There are a few things you'll need to be a consistent producer however other than a set of down riggers it's not all that expensive to outfit yourself with an effective arsenal for trolling. One must have piece of equipment is a good set of trolling rods, equipped with line counter reels. There are several good, well-known brand names that you can purchase that are relatively inexpesive. It's possible to get a good trolling combo for less than $100, and in many cases if you watch for a sale, you can get a decent combo for around $60. You'll want at least an 8-foot rod and I know of many anglers that use rods up to 12-feet long.

    Planner boards are at their most effective when trolling in shallow water or when the walleyes are spooked by the sound of your boat. The boards allow you to get your baits out away from the boat which is less likely to spook fish away from your baits. I prefer to use 10-pound mono on my rods however braided line allows you to get a little more depth on your baits. Unfortunately the no stretch quality of braided line tends to pull the hooks out and you will lose a few fish unless you run a mono leader.

    Typically an 8 to 10-foot leader works well but that is something that varies from one angler to another. Using a light drag can also help prevent fish from pulling the hooks. Most trolling rods have a very soft tip for this very reason, they can absorb the initial shock when the fish hits without ripping the hooks from their mouths.

    Now after you have purchased your rig, your next investment should be the "Troller's Bible." This publication lists every crank-bait under the sun and tells you how deep they run on mono and braided line in all pound test you would normally use for this presentation. Once you spend some time trolling you will begin to understand which baits work best in certain situations. Long lining is simply pulling cranks without any down riggers or lead core line to assist you in getting your baits down. You can attach a snap weight to assist your bait however that technique takes a lot of time to develop as you really don't know, without some experimentation, where your bait will be running.

    Now fortunately for us there are several manufactures that make crank-baits that will run as deep as 30-feet. It really makes it much easier for fishing deeper water without all the extra gear. Many of the areas I troll here on Vermillion are in the 18 to 35-foot range so it is possible to fish them very effectively without having to purchase a lot of expensive extras. As for which crank-baits work the best, there are many many models from a number of manufactures that will catch walleyes on Vermilion and most other north country lakes. It's just a matter of you doing some experimenting and finding your favorite baits.

    After you have a selection of crank-baits all that is left is locations. Vermilion has miles and miles of good trolling water, so finding places to troll won't be a big problem. The first key, and probably the most important, is to locate suspended fish or baitfish on your sonar.

    Walleye typically suspend for one reason - to feed on suspended bait fish. If you locate the bait, you will locate the walleyes and there are always walleyes suspending somewhere at all times of the season.

    So if you are looking for something new to try to catch your walleyes, give trolling a try. You will typically catch a better average fish and you will always have a shot a a real giant. Just think, no worm dirt in your carpet, no minnows to buy and a real shot at a "big" walleye every time you go out.


     "Good Luck"

     "Ace" <*)))><