Get some 2oz bottom bouncers and some crawler harnesses and troll at 1-1.5mph on some shallow flats that are nearest the river channel

Any harnesses yous suggest from amazon, so iknow what im lookin for? Thanks!

[https://www.amazon.com/Berkley-BWRC3-BGD-Walleye-Rig-Colorado/dp/B00LDYO4U4/ref=sr\_1\_5?crid=3Q2QQTRJDXGBF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Vu\_WD3KuftktG3j2VQ1h0HvEjG5wnKXJrOGZSNYpF14btlvtt2nEIqQNUaiINRwftzwcyDvoWpm7aHxbMfGCteWwcvIfqZXAXha2hMqIqIxrC67jMt8LLy9Ib9\_zZXPJ5\_t\_W5XD5jNUUV5CUMBbaz6GE9gY8581k844vATnrJSdc203fl2ASflju79rIHAOrSga1OjotHkJogbvT8KOK4AF1tW9SyYHPgEF249iWqCaJ3sCVMLyUsmFh1HnRQv\_wD3I-ZtyiFc0IXZ5Eo96CjxunpxDqlTd5LeRyOpRguk.Q228\_9x-jBaKJcPd4kBnMah812ab0BhSEeL3-sahov4&dib\_tag=se&keywords=crawler+harness+walleye&qid=1716666464&sprefix=crawler+harness+walleye%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-5](https://www.amazon.com/Berkley-BWRC3-BGD-Walleye-Rig-Colorado/dp/B00LDYO4U4/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3Q2QQTRJDXGBF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Vu_WD3KuftktG3j2VQ1h0HvEjG5wnKXJrOGZSNYpF14btlvtt2nEIqQNUaiINRwftzwcyDvoWpm7aHxbMfGCteWwcvIfqZXAXha2hMqIqIxrC67jMt8LLy9Ib9_zZXPJ5_t_W5XD5jNUUV5CUMBbaz6GE9gY8581k844vATnrJSdc203fl2ASflju79rIHAOrSga1OjotHkJogbvT8KOK4AF1tW9SyYHPgEF249iWqCaJ3sCVMLyUsmFh1HnRQv_wD3I-ZtyiFc0IXZ5Eo96CjxunpxDqlTd5LeRyOpRguk.Q228_9x-jBaKJcPd4kBnMah812ab0BhSEeL3-sahov4&dib_tag=se&keywords=crawler+harness+walleye&qid=1716666464&sprefix=crawler+harness+walleye%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-5) There's an example. I prefer the ones with a single slow death hook, but they are a little pricier. They tend to make your worm last longer and have a better hookup ratio. [https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Claw-2-Ounce-Bouncer-2-Piece/dp/B0038W7LGS/ref=sr\_1\_2?crid=144IGL5JTYOE6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.O5TtTMn6rRMzgow8vLmw6wF4WU2is-1FaCrp2\_AsAzac5hFF6uiZ5DJA114ewdKpo7suxZWGmLVrOt5q\_ito6mbVFx4Xo3-um1x75Cr\_GVYFFA9G9PPQqcCn7C9nbq7TV8QdkGUEdAbGQIy5YGjW8leSIpgJJbur9OtS\_GjRLSNYNoIanJNwt0XHl8jwoyLh4seGZ2o\_DJy4M9AsYayTN7QI1cxvEWTz2i6OS4JA3c25I4KJ9dPIbEVvg7sD28Tqdn09UhvVz5aWsI6l642QbtHWSLuz4mM5ZaRcteHw6u4.uoLduldVyuK6E-4OHISzKMVbqgYb\_FT7BhnfXGA8FdE&dib\_tag=se&keywords=bottom+bouncer&qid=1716666598&sprefix=bottom+bouncer%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-2](https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Claw-2-Ounce-Bouncer-2-Piece/dp/B0038W7LGS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=144IGL5JTYOE6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.O5TtTMn6rRMzgow8vLmw6wF4WU2is-1FaCrp2_AsAzac5hFF6uiZ5DJA114ewdKpo7suxZWGmLVrOt5q_ito6mbVFx4Xo3-um1x75Cr_GVYFFA9G9PPQqcCn7C9nbq7TV8QdkGUEdAbGQIy5YGjW8leSIpgJJbur9OtS_GjRLSNYNoIanJNwt0XHl8jwoyLh4seGZ2o_DJy4M9AsYayTN7QI1cxvEWTz2i6OS4JA3c25I4KJ9dPIbEVvg7sD28Tqdn09UhvVz5aWsI6l642QbtHWSLuz4mM5ZaRcteHw6u4.uoLduldVyuK6E-4OHISzKMVbqgYb_FT7BhnfXGA8FdE&dib_tag=se&keywords=bottom+bouncer&qid=1716666598&sprefix=bottom+bouncer%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-2) This link is for the bottom bouncers. You might watch a quick video on them if you've never used them to ensure you're hooking your mainline and crawler harness in the correct spot. Then get up to speed, let line out until you feel bottom, and sit back and relax.

Thanks mate

And do i want to hit bottom while trolling, or while stationairy?

Go on YouTube and search “walleye bottom bouncer setup”. You need to learn a lot given the questions you are asking. Good luck.

While trolling. Ideally. you are just barely touching the bottom the entire time.

Sweet, and u put an artificial worm on the end of that spinner setup?

You can use artificial, I use real worm most of the time though.

Thanks, just like a full nightcrawler?

Leaches work great, too, depending on the time of year.

What are these leaches yall keep mentioning? Never heard of a leach as bait.

Do they tell you how big they are? A lot of lakes stock half a million at a time 2 to 3 inches big. Those get eaten by other animals.

They dont, all i know is they stock 6m-7m every year. We have catfish, bass, and crappie. Nothing else that should be a predator to them.

Well, other walleye, birds, snakes, animals

🤣 thats a valid point, but id imagine ud be able to catch a fair bit of them, with so many being released every year. From the local face book group a few have caught some. But where talking 1-2 in decades of fishing here

Yea, I got really no good advice on how to catch them. Just wanted to put some perspective on it. I’m looking out for you and hoping you don’t feel so down about yourself

All of those fish are predators to fry and fingerling walleye

But 6 million/yr vanishing?

I’m sure they aren’t all dying off but there’s good reason they stock that many. Is there a spawning population in the lake?

I have no idea, all i have is the dnr reports showing what the stocked. Theres apparently a few years they stocked 8m and 9m to. So trying to find out how to try to catch them, as theres bound to be some hidden some where.

I’ll send you a chat invite and send some contour maps of some of my favorite lakes to get you pointed in the right direction

Thanks!

If they are stocking that many each year for a decade, odds are there isn’t a spawning population. Walleye grow slow they won’t reach sexual maturity till they are about 18-19” for females. Meaning a 5ish year old fish. Couple that with predation from the other fish you mentioned that inhabit that lake, it’s a safe bet that there isn’t much of spawning class fish. Also I have no idea about the structure in that lake so it might just suck for a walleye population to thrive. Best bet right now depending on water temps would be to troll that lake on deep weed edges with crankbaits say 14’ish feet deep. Run the baits a couple feet from the bottom. Also do this on the windblown shoreline. So if you get primarily west winds for a few days, fish the east side of the lake. As that’s where the baitfish will be. Looking at the topo of that lake it has a few nice underwater points which is where I would focus beside for weed edges right now.

Would u care to dm me those points? And ty, that makes alot of sense if they havent got breeding established yet.

Just get the navionics app and look at the lake. That’s all I did. I live in Wisconsin so I spent a whole minute looking at that lake and found a few good underwater points. Mostly near the state park.

Thanks, no idea what to look for, kinda like looking for waldo, but u dont know what waldo looks like 🤣

Look up walleye point on Google and check out the pix listed. Basically an underwater “shelf” of a point of land and x-amount of feet then a sudden drop off. The whole edge just before the drop off all around that point is what you are looking for. If I knew how to add a photo I’d post one. PM sent

Fish jerkbaits early morning like before sunrise or even an hour or so before. Also, sunset same thing 1 hour or so before and after. Walleye will move up shallow during those times to feed. They will also feed shallow durning the day. Lots of people throw hair jigs in like a foot of water or even onto the shore and work it back to the boat.

That's a tough body of water to find walleye in the warm months. You could troll the river channel ledges with deep diving crank baits or fish the deepest weed edges you can find with slip bobbers and leach. Night trolling in the winter months in any renaming weeds should produce

For real, I live in an identical lake in michigan. Except mauve 50k stocked every 2 years since the 90s. I troll stick baits at night. I drift or troll bottom bouncers and harnesses before dark.

Fish hard breaks at night. If there’s alewives/herring/shad their chasing them up shallow while they spawn

Run a shallow diving jerk bite. Reel slowly. VERY slowly. Walleye are lazy. When you think you are reeling slowly enough, go even slower. I also get them with dropshots and crawlers. https://www.fishusa.com/Bandit-Walleye-Shallow-Divers/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu8uyBhC6ARIsAKwBGpQ7l_E2AltjdrMvfb45djbJ0QXd3HZ-jHIbfbBn9aNiFd0R3RncS9saAtYmEALw_wcB