ALEXANDRIA 鈥� This week鈥檚 blog is going to be a bit different from the normal 鈥渉ow to鈥� fishing columns. I was fortunate recently to be part of a TV filming shoot where some oversized walleyes were caught. Another publication caught wind of that catch and asked for details. The details eventually appeared in that publication, and those insights did a really good job of supplying 鈥渉ow to鈥� information for others who might want to exploit the pattern. So here are answers revolving around how we found the walleyes and the presentations used to catch them.
First off, we were on one of the many good walleye lakes in the Alexandria, Minnesota area. I was fishing with Shane Gesell who does TV production work for us at Fishing the Midwest, but who is also a top-notch fisherman. In fact, I call Shane 鈥淭he Natural鈥� as he seems to always catch fish and often some of the biggest.
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Sensing that the good minnow bite of spring was over, we hit the lake with four dozen nightcrawlers and rods rigged with what we call 鈥淭he Plain Rig.鈥� That rig is simply a heavy bottom bouncer fished on a braided line on a baitcasting rod and reel combo. Trailing the bouncer is a plain 2-hook harness on about a 40-inch snell of 10-pound CONTRA fluorocarbon line.
We headed to an underwater point coming off a sunken island, a classic summer holding spot for walleyes. We quickly cruised up and down the point and marked several fish on traditional 2D sonar that we felt were walleyes. These fish were holding in the 18- to 22-foot water depths. Satisfied that there were numerous fish in the area, we baited up and went to work.
A few minutes into the fishing, Shane exclaimed, 鈥淚 got one, and it鈥檚 big.鈥� I turned around from running the bowmount trolling motor and saw his rod doubled over from the fight with a big fish. The fish made a couple of runs near the boat, which Shane handled expertly. After the second run, the fish tired, so Shane pulled it toward the landing net. It wasn鈥檛 long before we were celebrating as the fish hit the net. We immediately started to guess the fish鈥檚 size, feeling it was close to the magical 30-inch mark and somewhere around 10 pounds in weight.
We had a landing net with a ruler on it, but it only measured to 28 inches. When we put the fish on the ruler, its tail went a least an inch and a half past the 28-inch mark. We both agreed that the fish was somewhere between 29 and a half and 30 inches long. We didn鈥檛 have a scale, but the fish was fat, and we guessed it at being in the 10-pound weight class. After some quick pictures, the fish was released to fight another day.
After the excitement of Shane鈥檚 big catch, we put the lines back down and resumed fishing. It wasn鈥檛 long, and several eater-size walleyes in the 16-inch size range found our baits.
Mid-morning, things got interesting again, as The Natural indicated he had a fish and said, 鈥淭his is another giant, I think.鈥� It wasn鈥檛 long before another big walleye was in the boat. This fish measured 28 inches, not quite as big as his earlier one, but still a giant walleye.
Throw in about a dozen eater-size fish, and this turned into a great fishing day.
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As usual, the Plain Rig lived up to its reputation as a great fish catcher. Any time walleyes hold on mid-depth to deep water structure, that heavy bouncer - we use 2-ouncers most of the time - imparts a great stuttering action to the bait. To achieve that action, it鈥檚 paramount to keep the line/bouncer as vertical as you can while still maintaining bottom contact. We typically go 0.8 to 1.0 mph, and when a fish hits, we just let the rod tip slide back to the fish before sweeping it forward. I like to pinch the tail off the nightcrawler to leave a scent trail and hook the crawler with the lead hook, which I prefer to be an orange #4 hook, right in the crawler鈥檚 nose. I leave a bit of slack in the line so the crawler can expand and then insert the second hook.
Also paramount to the rig鈥檚 success is the use of a quality baitcasting rod and reel combination. We use the Lew鈥檚 7-foot Speed Stick rod that was designed for bouncer fishing. A rod that retails for under $100, Shane (who sells rods of all makes at the local baitshop) calls it the finest bottom bouncer rod on the market. We pair it with a variety of Lew鈥檚 baitcast reels and load the reels with a 20-pound CONTRA braid.
When properly rigged, this is a simple fishing technique that doesn鈥檛 require much fishing skill. In fact, during my 30 years of guiding, this was my 鈥済o-to鈥� rig on most days when walleye fishing. And, of course, congratulations to The Natural for being the star of the show again.
Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV show on Sportsman Channel and others. Visit to see all things Fishing the Midwest.
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