Fly Fishing Walleye

[flyfisheranonymous]

I thought you guys might find this interesting. First appeared in American Angler in 2007.

Spring Time Walleye

By Stu Thompson

The Waterside guys were at it again. After helping plan and take part in the FLIPR

(Fishing Improvement in the Parkland Region) Trout Festival, we decided to do some

fishing other than trout. The three of us, Will Milne, Kim Russell, and me, made a

decision to pursue a species better known to conventional fishermen. Will and Kim fished

this spot a day or two before and landed some really nice fish. In fact Will caught the

largest fish that day at 27 ½ inches. After telling me about the fishing they experienced I

couldn’t wait to get there. We pulled up to the spot at about 12:30 in the afternoon and

raced into our waders. You have never seen such a hilarious sight, three guys hopping up

and down on one foot trying to get their waders on, fishing equipment flying in all

directions. Did I mention it only took us 30 seconds to get to the waters edge? As always

when I got down to the riverside not only myself but the other 2/3 of the Waterside guys

stopped to study the water. Will and Kim decided to fish a backwater hole while I

decided to fish the wall edge of the spillway. My second cast with a DDH Rubber Leg

Leech produced the first fish. Will and Kim soon joined in the fun with fish of their own.

Unfortunately they both had to leave after a couple of hours but I had the opportunity to

stay. In 5 hours of fishing I managed to land a 41 inch Pike, a jumbo bull Perch at 14 ½

inches, and a whole hockey sock full of Walleye, the largest being 28 ½ inches. (For those

who don’t speak Canadian hockey sock full means a whole bunch). It was an absolute

wonderful day.

Now I know what you are thinking “What is a fly fisherman doing going after Walleye”?

They certainly are not great fighters, no leaps or jumps and they don’t even make any

long sizzling runs. In fact a lot of fly fishermen call them logs but I can honestly say that

they are the most challenging, finicky, and picky eaters you will find anywhere.

The best time of year to fish Walleye is the spring so let’s concentrate on this time of

year. In my home province of Manitoba the season opens mid-May, so spring for us is the

following six weeks, which is the end of June. Let’s take a look at different locations to

find Walleye at this time of year and then some techniques to catch them.

Lake Locations: Like trout Walleye will hold in different areas. The number one area on

a lake is a weed bed. This lunch buffet offers Walleye their choice of diet. Whether its

baitfish, aquatic insects, leeches, or whatever, this area will give the fish what it needs,

but all weed beds are not created equal. This is what to look for. The depth of the wed

bed has to be from 3 – 8 feet with an adjacent drop off down to 15 feet or deeper, not

only does this weed bed provide food but also provides protection, through deep water

access, to the fish. Find one like this and you have a Walleye magnet.

Another prime location in lakes are the underwater humps or depressions. We fly

fishermen have to take a page out of the conventional angler's diary to achieve the ability

to see through water. A fish locator, whether it’s a Fishin' Buddy II or a high end

Lowrance unit, is a must. These units should actually be called structure finders because

that is what you are looking for. With this said lets look at a fishing day, of course after

you find the hump or depression. If you are fishing an underwater hump in late morning,

with the sun beating down on you and the water warming it, what side of the hump will

hold fish. If the sun is in the east fish the west side of the hump. It will offer cooler water

and shade and this fact could turn the Walleye on. The old spot within a spot. Now let’s

change the hump to a depression. The opposite occurs; the east side would have to fish

because that is the side that offers the shade and cooler temperatures.

The third location is inlet or outlet rivers and streams. Some of my most memorable

fishing has taken place in streams you could jump across. Trout fishing rules apply when

you fish these areas. Low silhouettes and careful approaches are a must. Casting

accurately is a cornerstone in this style of fly fishing. Hitting pocket water or casting tight

to structure will ensure your success. Walleye when found in inlet or outlet streams will

always look for the nearest structure. It doesn't matter if it’s a log or mid stream boulder a

fish will be there. An accurate cast will be well rewarded.

River Locations: I will further classify rivers into two types. The first is with man made

structures such as dams or water control gates and the second as free flowing. When

fishing man made structure do you ever stop to think "If I was a fish where would I be

hiding?" Certainly not in the middle of the river where the current is the strongest, no, I

would look for places that there is less current but where the current brings me food". If

you thought like this while out fishing do you think you would catch more fish? You bet!

The first areas that I like to fish are the back eddy pockets. There is a virtual smorgasbord

of food items swirling around the fish’s head just waiting to be eaten. My next spot, if I

can get to it, is the inside wall of the locks. Baitfish congregate along these walls, less

current and food availability, and the Walleye know it. All they do is sit underneath these

food items and eat away.

In free flowing rivers the trout fly angler has the upper hand in locating fish. Walleye

behave similar to trout in this situation so if you know your trout fishing you know how

to fish Walleye. One of the best areas you can fish is the riffle/head of the pool location.

Once again the food drifts down river and collects at the head of the pool; hence you are

fishing for fish that have attained huge proportions. If you are lucky enough to fish a river

with a waterfall try the base of the falls. Less current and more food. The last area to

fish that I will tell you about is found on both types of river water. This tip is something

my father passed on to me when I was about 6 years old and it still has merit today. I

have caught so many fish doing this it is unbelievable, in fact my son out fishes me in

these spots because he is much younger and can run faster to these spots. Are you

interested? Foam patches. How many times have you walked by a foam patch on the

water and never entertained a thought of tossing your fly in the centre of the patch. Let

me explain to you why you should. First there is nothing on God’s given earth that can

see through foam. No bird, no animal, no human being. Total security in the fish’s brain,

safety from above. Two, can sunshine penetrate the foam? No, we now have protection

and shade. Three, can aquatic insects when they hatch, push up through the foam? No.

That’s like me piling 12 feet of dirt on you and telling you to dig out. Impossible! With

the aquatic insects trapped what happens? The forage fish start coming to feed. Now we

have an area that has protection from above, cooler temperatures, and a menu of food

items that is unreal. I’ll bet you’ll never look at a foam patch the same way again.

Techniques: These techniques I’m about to explain you may have tried already. In fact

if you are a fanatical outdoor magazine reader you may have read about some of these but

let me assure you these techniques work. One system I read about was back in the late

70’s. there was an English magazine that I was fond of reading and inside the magazine

was an article on fishing booby flies effectively. The bulb went on and the light was so

intense it was blinding. So naturally I tied up 2 black and 2 yellow booby flies and tried

this technique on walleye. All I could say was “WOW!!” The walleye just annihilated

all 4 flies; in fact all I had left were the bare hooks. To fish this fly effectively requires

patience. If you don’t have it this technique is not for you. To start you require at least a

type IV sinking line. Add to this a 3 ft piece of 6 pound tippet material then tie your fly

on. Cast the line and let it sink. A type IV line will usually sink 4-6 inches per second.

If the water is 10 feet deep count to 20, then add a couple of extra seconds. The line

should be at the bottom and you start the retrieve. The retrieve is also important, one six

inch strip for every 30 seconds. The fly should be riding approximately one to two feet

off the bottom. The most important thing to be done while fishing this system is to watch

your fly line. If it moves set the hook. There is only one reason the line moves and that

is a fish has your fly.

Another technique I have used with great success is the dropper system or what

conventional anglers call a drop shot rig. There are numerous ways to rig droppers but

there is only one way to rig for walleye. I run a 9 foot leader and to the end of the leader

I add approximately 2 feet of tippet with a blood knot. I leave an 8 to 12 inch tag end and

my leader is ready. There are two flies that I like to use. A heavily weighted deep

Clouser in chartreuse and white or a pearl dace imitation on the point and on the tag I will

tie my foam leech pattern. Now you may ask what type of fly line to use. All of them. I

have used this system on sinking, sink-tip, and floating lines. This way you can cover

fish that are sitting on the bottom or that are suspended in mid water depths. How do you

fish for suspended fish? I have found that when walleye are suspended they will usually

feed on minnows. When I first started fly fishing suspended walleye I used a fly that had

part of a turkey quill for a body and a shaped cork head that fit into the cut portion of the

quill. On the back was a marabou quill that was tied down and extended past the body

quill to form a tail. I put this fly on a sink-tip line and over the first few years caught a

few walleye this way. Who ever invested the Crease fly – Thank You! Using this fly has

increased the percentages of hook ups.

When fishing insect hatches you present the fly in the same manner as you would while

trout fishing. I have caught walleye on stonefly nymphs, caddis emergers and mayflies. I

would like to say that I am blessed living in the province of Manitoba and reason is this.

With all our silt bottom lakes and rivers they offer ideal habitat for burrowing mayflies.

To be exact the Hexigenia family. The largest hatch in the world occurs in and around

the Winnipeg area. Metric tons hatch every year and Walleye key in on this food item. It

starts in June and may last a month, with the peak of the hatch occurring in the last two

weeks. When the hatch starts I look for a sand or mud bottom flat in 3 to 8 feet of water.

A light beige Montana nymph works wonders at this time of year but Will Milne has

come up with a Hex pattern that just absolutely destroys Walleye. When the nymphs

emerge to adults it’s time to put on a dry fly but with a twist. The dry I use is tied on a

size 6 dry fly hook with an extended body of deer body hair. Around the deer body hair

on the shank I use a cream colored dubbing. Then two complete mallard breast feathers

tied fan wing style, and finally the hackle. When you cast this fly the sound is akin to a

helicopter flying past your ear. When it lands it spins like crazy but as soon as it touches

the water the walleye will smack it.

One last thing I would like to allude to. When you go out fishing take the time to read the

water. Also start asking yourself some questions, such as “Where would I be if I was a

fish”? If you do manage to catch a fish ask yourself “Why did I catch that fish there”?

Doesn’t matter if you spook any more fish out of that spot as long as you find out why

that fish was there. I hope I have piqued your interest.

Side bar: Tackle required: Most times a nice mid flex 9 foot, 7 weight rod will suffice.

A reel with enough capacity to hold the fly line and 50 yards of backing will do. There

are times that big pike inhabit the same water and will hit your fly and if you know this

then you may want to upgrade the line weight to 8 or 9 weight. Leaders are quite basic

and a 9 foot tapered down to 6 pound will do. If you use a dropper system make sure

you bring extra tippet spools.

Flies are another matter. The following are a blend of traditional and local patterns.

Attractor Patterns – Easter Egg Bugger, Mickey Finn, and a DDH Head in Pink and White

Leech Patterns – DDH Leech, DDH Rubber Leg Leech, and a floating Foam Leech

Bait Fish Patterns – Clouser Minnows tied in the following color combinations:

Chartreuse and White, White, Red and Black and White, Yellow and Black, Crease Fly,

and Black Nose Dace

Aquatic Insect Patterns – Will’s Hex Nymph, F.F.A. Stonefly, F.F.A. Caddis Emerger,

Beige Montana and Light Cahill fan wing dry fly.

g. First appeared in American Angler in 2007.