Lake Erie walleye fishing is a pastime that many locals and tourists come to the area to pursue. They have fished the waterway before and have the proper tools and knowledge to catch massive quantities of fish. Being a Lake Erie virgin is a tricky thing to overcome, there is a lot of events that can take place that will either cause great successes or enormous failure. EpicWalleye has provided a cheat sheet for all the Lake Erie virgins out there, and maybe some helpful hints to the most seasoned veterans.

Specialty Equipment

Lake Erie walleye fishing requires a couple of specialty items to be fished correctly. They are devices that when used properly, will present your lure at the correct depths and trigger feeding fish to bite. These two pieces of equipment are down riggers and a dipsy diver.

Down Rigger- A down rigger is a device that utilizes a cable, a cannon ball weight, and a giant reel. This system allows an angler to reach great depths in a fraction of the time of lead core. Line from your rod is let out until the desired distance. Then a 2-clip system is attached around the down rigger cable and clipped onto it. The line from your rod is clipped into the remaining clip. The cannonball weight is then lowered to the chosen depth. The down rigger is a great tool for fishing depths of 60 feet or greater.

Dipsy Diver– A dipsy diver is a line attachment that acts as a larger bill of a lure. There is an adjustable weight on the bottom of the diver. This acts as a rudder and forces the line away from the side of the boat. The angle of the weight is the distance that the dipsy diver will travel from the boat.

This unit is very useful because it cost way less than a down rigger and works extremely well. The amount of line that is let out from the reel has a direct correlation to how deep the dipsy will dive. The dipsy will come with a depth chart for the type of line used, distance and depth that the attachment will go. Use this with a snubber to lessen the impact of a strike and the pull force of the dipsy.

Lures

Lake Erie walleye fishing is very dependent on the type of lure used. This is a great and terrible thing while fishing. It is good because if you have the right lures, you will catch fish all day long. If you have the wrong lure or color on, walleye will be very difficult to catch. Click this link for a description of the best walleye lures on the market.

The lures listed have been 100% proven to catch Lake Erie monster walleye. Be sure to buy them in assorted colors so you will not miss out if the lure color combination for the day changes. Trust me, I have been there, and it does not make for an exciting time watching all the boats around you catch fish.

Rods

I have written another article for trolling rod setups. This article will describe the best line counting reels, and the best trolling rods to use. I have kept price in mind and they give the angler the best bang for their buck.

One thing to note, there is a difference between a trolling rod and a down rigger rod. A down rigger rod has more flex in the pole, so it can be loaded up. The reason for a loaded rod is to allow it to trigger from the clip when an initial strike is made by a fish. Make sure you get the correct rod for the setup desired. A trolling rod will work well for a dipsy but can be catastrophic in a down rigger setup.

Speed

Speed is a critical factor when trolling for walleyes in Lake Erie. Too slow of a speed will result in catching nothing but sheep head, aka freshwater drums. They are a garbage fish and catching them takes away from any potential walleye catches. Trolling under 2 mph will result in a massive quantity of drum catches. I try to maintain speed of around 2.0 to 2.5 mph when Lake Erie walleye fishing.

At this speed you will catch a few sheep head, but it will minimize your chances and improve your walleye catch numbers 10X. As the water temperature increases you will be able to troll faster, in the 3-mph range. The walleye will become more active and will target faster moving bait fish. When in doubt try varying your speed throughout the day, and see what speed produces the most amount of fish. This is the speed that you will want to fish.

Dispatching your Catch

I have fished in many lakes and rivers. The walleye in smaller bodies of water and generally a reduced framed fish. This in simple terms, means they taste better. Lake Erie walleye are huge in comparison to other water systems. Bigger fish have softer meat, that is mushy when cooked. This can take away from the desire to eat them. However, Lake Erie walleye are great tasting fish in my opinion, but there is one simple method to increase their flavor and texture.

When a fish is caught, immediately cut their connective tissue between their bottom jaw and belly. This area is just before the front fins. Cut them all the way to the top of the gill plate and drag them behind the boat for 10 minutes. This bleeds out the fish and makes the meat less mushy. It is also pulling out the excess toxins from the lake which will improve flavor.

 Weather

One final note that I would like to make is please be aware of the weather that in on Lake Erie. The waves can go from 1 foot rolling waves to 5-foot whitecaps in a blink of an eye and without warning. This shift in weather can put a damper on the fishing and can flip a boat with ease. Also look at the wave forecast and the potential weather that is coming. If it is bad, stay close to shore or don’t fish at all. There will always be tomorrow to fish in Lake Erie.