Slow Death And Harness

[Feathers and Fins]

I should note that is two feet from the loop to the weight. I like my bait suspending off the bottom and with this rig I can adjust it for instance if I see fish where the bottom is 25ft and they are suspending at 23ft I can set the dropper loop at 5ft above the weight which presents the bait to the fish perfectly and with the float beads which RPS taught me about my snag rate is very low.

[kjackson]

Basically, I think it comes down to what works best for the way you fish and the water you work.

I've fished in waters (east side of Washington state) where you really needed a "wedding ring"--a jeweled bezel usually incorporated in kokanee spinners-- in the middle to do the best. On Green Bay, the guide I fished with up there swore by #7 and larger blades and using double spinner blades on huge harnesses. On Mille Lacs, the guys I fished with use six-foot leaders (and don't use floats on the spinners) and blades that are smaller--#4. The Columbia is, or was, a floating spinner river, not that the spinners really floated as such.

Here's a bit of history-- which you may not be interested in, but...

I started walleye fishing in '81 and was introduced to snelled spinners in '82 or '83 when Lindy-Little Joe brought out the Fuzz-E-Spin. That spinner used a lozenge float similar to what Scott has that was flocked with a fuzzy material and a single, long-shanked Tru-Turn hook. That was the year that adding scent became a big part of the tackle business, and the Fuzz-E-Spin float was designed to hold scent better than a slick finish. You threaded a crawler up a ways on the hook and didn't use a trailer.

That was the time when walleye fishing in the Northwest took off after Dan Nelson from South Dakota (North Dakota?) caught the Oregon record walleye of 15-pounds. The big river was loaded with hogs--lots of fish over 10. That catch and the Lindy promotion kicked off the fishing, and local companies--Luhr Jensen and Yakima Bait-- developed their own line of spinners using floats that were already in the lines. Luhr Jensen used the Okie Drifter, a salmon-egg cluster representation of foam, and Yakima Bait used the Winner and Li'l Corky floats (plus the Spin-N-Glo). Yakima still has some of its spinners in the catalog and does have a big selection of Li'l Corkies and limited Winner floats. It is offering a variation of the egg cluster float as well.

The good thing about using floats on spinners, besides the reduced snags which RPS talks about, is that a float adds a very solid spot of color, and at times color is the difference between catching and not. Color may not be a big issue on Beaver, though. It may be more about the blade's motion and the bait (and the speed and location and presentation). I've been pulling spinners that are on the small side using chrome floats and a silver blade and catching fish. My thought was to match the hatch. However, when I lost one rig, I pulled out a Northland floating spinner that was yellow-chartreuse with a small blade (on a two-hook harness) and caught fish.

It would be easier to pin down what works and what doesn't if there were more walleyes to work on. When you're fishing in a lake where it's possible to have 100-fish days, you can evaluate things in a hurry. It may not be possible on Beaver and Table Rock without a lot of work and sharing of information. Fortunately, it is intriguing, for me anyway, and fun.

[rps]

This is what I caught the fish on TR on July 2.

[Feathers and Fins]

Here is the four Pill with the swivel just above the blade. and a 3 pill set same way without the blade

[rps]

Those are well thought out Scott. Have you tried any of the other hooks designed to spin the bait? Trokar and Matzuo make versions.among others

[Feathers and Fins]

Yup use both of them, that one I just had handy to throw in the picture. I also have been toying with a 4 blade set-up but still working out kinks. The nice thing about that set-up is being able to scale down to 6lb line for increased fight.

[vuekid]

what would ya recommend for rigging plastic worms instead of live bait? What kind of plastic would ya use?

[rps]

what would ya recommend for rigging plastic worms instead of live bait? What kind of plastic would ya use?

To rig a plastic, I suggest something very soft and smelly.

[vuekid]

like?

[Ron Burgundy]

Gulp