Willard Walleye question

[obifishkenobi]

@Gonefishing71

I have made 2 trips to Willard in the last couple weeks and only caught 1 small walleye but have seen several posts from the same days I was out members had limits of walleye, I am still a novice at walleye fishing but will mostly be fishing Willard this year due to some physical limitations until I get surgery towards the end of the year I have a handicap sticker and if I get to the South marina early enough I can park close to the ramp, walking long distance is my only real limitation, I have a decent fishing boat 16’ Starcraft 50 hp main motor and a kicker motor so can troll as slow as needed and have decent Garmin sonar, fishing gear wise I have planer boards and rods with line counter reels set up with mono and leadcore plus spinning setups, lure wise I have a good selection of crank baits and many different options for bottom bouncers.
I would like to get at least a couple decent Walleye for dinner if any members would be willing to share some pointers on lures and techniques I would really appreciate it not trying to get anyone’s best spots or anything, I have a decent understanding of the layout thanks to the map and article created by Tubedude.

Thanks for any tips members are willing to provide.

Willard can be a fickle beast, but fortunately from the last couple weeks in May into the middle of June is the easiest time to consistently catch walleye. The technique that has been most productive for me the last several years has been long lining bottom bouncers at high speed. I am using 2oz. bottom bouncers with Lindy worm harness and half a worm set back 100-150’ going 2-2.5 mph. I use the really long set back so I can get my gear close to the bottom at that high of speed. The key to my success I believe, is that I turn a lot I’m always turning. When I turn the inside line slows town and the bottom bouncers ticks on the bottom and that is when I usually get bit. The most productive times for me is when there is enough wind to make  walleye chop. I will drive back and forth across the wind from 50-400 yards off the rocks and most bites happen when I turn up into the wind. I turn tighter than most which sometimes leads to tangles but it also produces more hook ups. My favorite area to target for Walleye is along the West Wall from the light pole to 2/3 of the way to the South West Corner if you watch your graph there are humps and bumps and old road beds you can see and follow especially if you have side imaging I will target those thing when there is no wind to work with. I will be out there again this Friday working that area in my big blue Wooldridge boat feel free to say hi and follow me around if you want. My first choice is bottom bouncers but if you have more people in the boat I would put the plainer boards out the side with #7 flicker shad set back 100’ Blue tiger has been my best color of flicker shad this year. The best color of worm harness has been fire tiger, purple and white and blue tiger.

[BSF]

Obifishkenobi,

When using planer boards, do you ever put any weight between the flicker shad and planer board?

Thanks

[obifishkenobi]

@BSF

Obifishkenobi,

When using planer boards, do you ever put any weight between the flicker shad and planer board?

Thanks

Yes, we played around with snap weights clipped 6’ in front of the cranks last week, to get them down near the bottom and caught several that way, but as the water has warmed they have been suspended high enough that we did not need them.

[Paddler]

I don’t use bait anymore. Not here, not in the ocean. Strictly hardware. I run crankbaits off planer boards at WB, typically 4 lines if there are two of us, one line off each side when solo. One day in my old Alumacraft, with a 50HP tiller steer Mercury, I caught 14 walleye in two hours out by the light pole using SR7s in walleye, 70’ off the boards. Over years, all, having fished WB for over 30 years, most days SR5s and SR7s do well. Sometimes Wally Divers or Thunderstick Jr.s are needed to get down deeper, but not this time of year. Last trip Hot N Tots were the ticket, 70-80’ off the boards, so ~11’-12’ down according to the book. I’m confident you’ll get into them if you do similarly.

[Redrebel]

Don’t be afraid to move. I did a full circle of Willard today. No fish until I got to the light pole and no walleye until I got back to the southwest side. No love in freeway bay. And every bite I owe thanks to paddler. All fish came on a storm thin fin.

[Paddler]

You’re welcome, although we caught ours on what appears to be a Storm Hot N Tot knockoff. I have found the Thin Fins effective on wipers, one day I got an early start and boated 25 by noon. Pretty amazing day.

[wiperhunter2]

@Redrebel

Don’t be afraid to move. I did a full circle of Willard today. No fish until I got to the light pole and no walleye until I got back to the southwest side. No love in freeway bay. And every bite I owe thanks to paddler. All fish came on a storm thin fin.

Thin fins don’t run very deep, were all your eyes caught without adding any weights? What color was working for you?

[Redrebel]

Stick bottom bouncer. I tried running #7 fs with no success. All fish marked were closer to bottom in 20’ ish feet.

[wiperhunter2]

We were fishing near the light pole yesterday but I don’t remember seeing your boat, what time were you out there?

[Redrebel]

Maybe between 9-11

[wiperhunter2]

@Redrebel

Maybe between 9-11

Were you trolling close to the dike?

[Redrebel]

Started out there. I like to do a pretty big circle in the LP area.

[wiperhunter2]

@Redrebel

Started out there. I like to do a pretty big circle in the LP area.

Wow, it’s amazing we did not see you because we were in that area all day, until 2 pm.

[doitall5000]

@Redrebel

Started out there. I like to do a pretty big circle in the LP area.

I fished there today, the garmin screen was always  showing fish, lots of fish from 10 ft to bottom.  we caught several large perch form 8.5 inches to 13. Wow biggest i ever caught.  lots of bugs take a screen… where were all these fish hiding two weeks ago??

[Redrebel]

White boat right? I saw one white boat in that area. Trolling east to west when I saw him.

[wiperhunter2]

@Redrebel

White boat right? I saw one white boat in that area. Trolling east to west when I saw him.

Mostly white, yes we were trolling east and west.

[oldguy]

@obifishkenobi

@Gonefishing71

I have made 2 trips to Willard in the last couple weeks and only caught 1 small walleye but have seen several posts from the same days I was out members had limits of walleye, I am still a novice at walleye fishing but will mostly be fishing Willard this year due to some physical limitations until I get surgery towards the end of the year I have a handicap sticker and if I get to the South marina early enough I can park close to the ramp, walking long distance is my only real limitation, I have a decent fishing boat 16’ Starcraft 50 hp main motor and a kicker motor so can troll as slow as needed and have decent Garmin sonar, fishing gear wise I have planer boards and rods with line counter reels set up with mono and leadcore plus spinning setups, lure wise I have a good selection of crank baits and many different options for bottom bouncers.
I would like to get at least a couple decent Walleye for dinner if any members would be willing to share some pointers on lures and techniques I would really appreciate it not trying to get anyone’s best spots or anything, I have a decent understanding of the layout thanks to the map and article created by Tubedude.

Thanks for any tips members are willing to provide.

Willard can be a fickle beast, but fortunately from the last couple weeks in May into the middle of June is the easiest time to consistently catch walleye. The technique that has been most productive for me the last several years has been long lining bottom bouncers at high speed. I am using 2oz. bottom bouncers with Lindy worm harness and half a worm set back 100-150’ going 2-2.5 mph. I use the really long set back so I can get my gear close to the bottom at that high of speed. The key to my success I believe, is that I turn a lot I’m always turning. When I turn the inside line slows town and the bottom bouncers ticks on the bottom and that is when I usually get bit. The most productive times for me is when there is enough wind to make  walleye chop. I will drive back and forth across the wind from 50-400 yards off the rocks and most bites happen when I turn up into the wind. I turn tighter than most which sometimes leads to tangles but it also produces more hook ups. My favorite area to target for Walleye is along the West Wall from the light pole to 2/3 of the way to the South West Corner if you watch your graph there are humps and bumps and old road beds you can see and follow especially if you have side imaging I will target those thing when there is no wind to work with. I will be out there again this Friday working that area in my big blue Wooldridge boat feel free to say hi and follow me around if you want. My first choice is bottom bouncers but if you have more people in the boat I would put the plainer boards out the side with #7 flicker shad set back 100’ Blue tiger has been my best color of flicker shad this year. The best color of worm harness has been fire tiger, purple and white and blue tiger.

I will also be out Friday in the yellow center console I will look for you.

[system]

I have made 2 trips to Willard in the last couple weeks and only caught 1 small walleye but have seen several posts from the same days I was out members had limits of walleye, I am still a novice at walleye fishing but will mostly be fishing Willard this year due to some physical limitations until I get surgery towards the end of the year I have a handicap sticker and if I get to the South marina early enough I can park close to the ramp, walking long distance is my only real limitation, I have a decent fishing boat 16’ Starcraft 50 hp main motor and a kicker motor so can troll as slow as needed and have decent Garmin sonar, fishing gear wise I have planer boards and rods with line counter reels set up with mono and leadcore plus spinning setups, lure wise I have a good selection of crank baits and many different options for bottom bouncers.
I would like to get at least a couple decent Walleye for dinner if any members would be willing to share some pointers on lures and techniques I would really appreciate it not trying to get anyone’s best spots or anything, I have a decent understanding of the layout thanks to the map and article created by Tubedude.

Thanks for any tips members are willing to provide.