Trolling crawler harnesses high in the water column works wonders for walleyes in open water, no matter where or when the technique’s employed.
I n fishing, there’s no such thing as the perfect ploy. Generally, it takes countless techniques to consistently catch fish throughout the year.
But there’s one tactic that works well for walleyes in open water no matter when or where it’s employed, and that’s pulling crawler harnesses high in the water column.
The method takes fish in natural lakes, reservoirs and the Great Lakes, whether the water’s warm or cold. It’s one of the most effective ways to cover a lot of water in a short period of time; which is a must when attempting to find fish fast.
And locate fish quickly it does, even as the fall season rolls in and the cool autumn air starts taking over summer’s swelter.
All in a Day’s Work
Pulling crawler harnesses well above a lake’s floor is not a hard plan to employ. I use Church Tackle’s “The Walleye Board” in-line planer boards to get my spinners out from behind the boat, and the Big Jon Multi-Set Triple Rod Holder Tree on the gunwale of my Lund Pro-V holds my rods without fear of failure and losing them overboard. There are several minor factors to pay attention to that will up the outcome of your catch ratio, however. Ignore these little details, on the other hand, and you could go fishless.
To explain this better, I’ll tell you about a trip I took to Lake Michigan’s Green Bay, off the Port of Oconto, Wisconsin – a small, angler-friendly community just north of the city of Green Bay. Similar to Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay and Lake Erie’s Western Basin, several reef complexes can be found within just a short boat ride from the marina. Here, walleyes swim about the rocky shoals, which are also home to an abundance of bait fish and other forage.
The first part of the trip was getting to Oconto in as short of period of time as possible from my home in Southwestern Lower Michigan, so as to be able to spend as much time on the water catching fish as possible.
It was just a short drive from my home to Ludington, Michigan, so as to allow ourselves, vehicles and boats a rapid yet relaxing ride across Lake Michigan aboard the S. S. Badger – a passenger/ car ferry. After departing the S.S. Badger in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, it was a just a short drive north to Oconto.
Overall, utilizing the services of the S.S. Badger saves me money as well wear and tear of my rigs. Just ponder the price per gallon of gas and how many miles driven while towing any trailer. Well worth the price of the voyage, and, without the stress of driving hours into the night.
Know Right Where to Go
Although Green Bay is merely a cove of one of the Great Lakes, it is, by far, not small water. Thus it’s the perfect place to pull crawler harnesses when searching for active fish. And that’s exactly what we did while off the Port of Oconto. And we landed a lot of walleyes within just two days of plying the waters.
First we had to find fish. And that was made easy with my Lowrance HDS-12 Gen2 Touch all-in-one sonar and chartplotter. And in the card reader of the Lowrance unit was an SD card filled with Navionics mapping, which showed me every hump, bump and breakline in high detail.
With my HDS-12 Gen 2 Touch, I am able to split the screen into three views and see the GPS with Navionics mapping and standard sonar to show me what lies below. And then there’s StructureScan, which shows me an image in high definition several hundred feet out both sides of my boat.
StructureScan is an important piece of the finding fish puzzle when they are up high. With it, anglers can actually see exactly where fish and forage are in the water column, which is perfect for proper lure placement. Also, you can place a GPS icon right on top of the area you’re marking fish without having to run them over and spooking them. This means you can come back later and get your bait right where it needs to be without the walleyes ever being the wiser.
Speed Trap
One digital readout I always have in large font on the screen of my Lowrance is speed. This is because fish can be picky when it comes to whether or not they will take a poke at a lure passing at a particular pace, right down to one-tenth of a mile-per-hour.
Overall, I will use my bow-mounted electric trolling motor so as to pull, rather than push, my Lund at the slower speeds crawler harnesses work best, which is .07 to 1.3 MPH. And once I get bit, I pay close attention to maintaining the very speed that is producing strikes throughout the day.
Another rule of thumb for keeping my rate right is to make sure to troll with the wind anytime there is more than just a breeze blowing. This allows me to hold my speed better, and, I will not have to continuously keep fighting to steer my boat’s bow in the right direction.
Size and Shape Matter
The size and shape of a spinner’s blade is crucial when it comes to catching walleyes. And once I figure out what speed is producing best, I’ll start switching out blades, trying different shapes, sizes and colors so as to narrow the bite down even more.
In general, I’ll rummage through my Plano tackle totes in search of new blades about every hour. In most cases, I’ll use size-3 and -4 Colorado and Indiana blades when fishing in inland lakes or reservoirs. When fishing the Great Lakes, where walleyes feed on larger shad I’ll opt for size-5 and 6- blades, including willows. And I always pay attention to the condition of my crawlers every time I reel in, and am quick to pick out a new one being kept fresh in a Frabill Crawler Cabin. This is because scent is also an important factor for taking fish at all times, and a plump night crawler is just about as irresistible to fish as anything can be.
But if panfish are picking apart my live crawlers, I will switch out the live ones for Berkley PowerBait Power Nightcrawlers so that I know I am never pulling harnesses with empty hooks. And every so often I spray the rig down with a few sprits of Berkley Gulp! Alive! Attractant Nightcrawler scent.
Power Tools
By and large, I start out using 1-ounce in-line weights about 6 feet ahead my Northland Live-Forage or Berkley Flicker Rig harnesses. With this weight the offering will sink about half the amount of line out behind the board when using 10-pound-test monofilament at trolled at 1 MPH. (Example: Thirty feet of line out will run at 15 feet.)
And when it comes to monofilament, I always spool 10-pound-test Berkley Trilene XT (Extra Tough) onto my ABU Garcia line-counter reels, and use medium- action ABU Garcia Vendetta Line Counter Cast rods for the perfect match.
They Never Give Up
Out of all the techniques one can use to catch walleyes constantly, pulling crawler harnesses though the upper reaches of the water column is the tactic that seems to never quite giving.
Just make sure to watch your speed closely and keep it at the pace that the fish want. And don’t be afraid to change blade sizes and shapes often. And make sure to have fresh bait on, or a facsimile there of, at all times. Do so and you’ll catch more fish than ever.
Mark Martin is a touring professional walleye tournament angler and instructor with the Fishing Vacation/Schools. Check out his website at markmartins.net for more information.