Wow! What a difference a year makes. For the Oneida Lake walleye angler, the spring of 2017 has been the equivalent of “pay back”, or divine retribution. No kidding! The walleye season for Oneida so far has been extremely productive. Blade baits seem to dominate as the go to lure for putting old bright eyes in the live well. Although those anglers not completely enamored by this blade bait phenomena are finding success with perch patterns and the old reliable black and purple jigs. The spinner and worm enthusiasts are also boating their fair share of fish. There are a few “out of the box” thinkers using jigging Rapala’s in the fire tiger and perch patterns.
Another surprising aspect to this early season bite has been the presence of yellow perch. Anglers are reporting catches of “jack” perch while targeting walleye. Perch can also be had by presenting small minnows vertically under the boat. After all, they are members of the same family.
The fisherman last month found that many successful walleye anglers made it their business to finding fish in the weeds. Once the dog days of summer are upon us and the weeds become prevalent, especially in the 4 to13 foot depth, few savvy walleye anglers limit out consistently by tapping into what most anglers try to avoid, including the old timers. Weeds and walleyes are like peas and carrots; an Oneida Lake fact of life. It’s usually an early morning bite. Sun up, involving a night crawler dragged by the Carolina rig with a Mustad “Slow Death Hook”, using a soft tip rod. Adding a spinner with float beads in front of a “Little Joe” like spinner will have your limit in the boat by 8am.
That’s it! Less is more. You bass fisherman can do the same with artificial lures until season opens, although you don’t have to be advised to fish the weeds.
