I’m not sure if this belongs here or not, but I’ll pose it anyways. I have an interest in targeting walleye with a fly rod. Other than fly selection, which I’m assuming would consist of leech and baitfish imitations, I have no idea where to begin. I’m thinking of targeting rivers, as I think this would be easier than lakes, but maybe I’m wrong on that. Does anybody here fish for them, or get them while targeting other species enough to know something about them? Can anybody get me started?
I’ve caught a few of them accidently. It’s always been when I’ve be smallie fishing. Usually overcast conditions, swinging clousers.
Kevin
I’ve been targeting them for about 7 or so years when I take my vacation trip to a lodge in Northern Ontario. I’ve caught one. The main problem is the time of the year when I go up, mid-July, and they’re mainly in 20-25 feet of water, a bit deep for fly fishing. I’ll probably give it another shot this year. We either anchor up or drift at night. Figure with my depth charge sinking line. I should be able to get a fly down close enough to attract attention.
You’re not going to find many books on the topic. Try picking up a book on walleye fishing. I’m not sure if it’s still in publication, but the In-Fisherman has a great book on the topic, covers both lakes and rivers, and you can just adapt the tactics to fly fishing.
If any of the rivers in your area, have a spawning population, then the spring during the spawning run would be your best shot at catching one. Overcast day or at night would be the best time. They’ll be concentrated and in shallow. For rivers, I’d forget the leech patterns, and go with the bait fish patterns or streamers. I caught my only one on an all white streamer fished slow along the bottom. Big off beat wooly buggers, 5 or 6 inches long. You can probably find these three on line. White River Demon, Chili Pepper and Catskill Killer. A couple of streamers, a Bucktail Deceiver and the Semper Fleye. You might even want to try some pencil poppers or gurglers at night.
Another shot you might have at them would be if your rivers or lakes have a hex hatch. That will bring any fish in the river up to the surface. You could try large dries, and smaller streamers sub surface.
Good luck with them.
Philly, I see that you’re relatively near to me. The bodies of water I was thinking of were the Delaware and Schuyllkill rivers. Any thoughts.
Jeff
That seems to be my experience as well. Most of the eyes I have caught have been on Clousers, Micky Finns and Foxee Red Clouers.
Thanks for starting this ff, I too have been wondering about Walleye. We have alot in our lakes around here, but I have not been able to find any flyfishing info on them.
I look forward to the responses you get.
I’ve been wondering about Walleye for quite some time as well. I live just a few minutes away from a lake they’re pretty heavy in. Don’t they have big nasty sharp teeth? Do you need a wire leader to fish for these babies or can we just use our regular tippet?
I have caught a few, but, I was fishing for trout when I caught them. Most were caught at the base of a dam where the fast water was being released into the river and I was using a clouser or white flashy woolly bugger to match the shad that came through the dam. I do remember the walleye were a lot deeper than the trout I was catching. I would say they were very close to the bottom in the fast water release. I would cast the fly across the strong release and mend like crazy and the current would take the fly down pretty deep and then the eddy current would start bringing the fly back towards the dam. I guess it would be the under current. I can usually catch a lot of trout this way and a walleye every once in awhile. I know this is not much help, but, that is where and how I caught mine.
Wild One,
I’ve caught a pretty fair number of walleyes on line as light as 4 lb. test and haven’t really had a problem with bite offs even though they do have a nice mouthful of sharp teeth.
I’ve caught the majority of mine near the bottom in fairly deep water but there are exceptions. Last summer I saw a fish making some splashes on the surface every now and again very close to some riprap at the mouth of a local marina. When a spin fisherman cast over there he caught a walleye.
Around here spring and especially fall seem to be the best time for shore anglers, fly fishermen included, to catch walleye as that is when they are in closest to shore.
Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate the info.
To expect consistent success on in-season lake walleyes with a fly rod, fishing shorelines at night, in mid to late fall, might be your best bet.
It would require a setup that could handle at least a 4’’ streamer on a fast sinking line, and it would be a plus if the location allowed quiet waist deep wading.
For MN spin-fisherman in the know, this October approach is lunker time.
I have targeted river walleye for a few years now. Never in lakes where they suspend too deeply for effective fishing in my opinion. Make use of either a forward sinking or weighted leaders with a short tippet. My “tippet” is basically 6 lb. mono. A foot to 18 inches long. The key is scratching the gravel. I like finding a fresh water inlet and cast into the deep side. Also, tailwaters are nice spots. I like white flies. Indeed, I cannot remember catching one on flies that didn’t have some white somewhere. The flies themselves don’t need to be weighted thanks to the short tippet. I’ve caught them casting down river into the flow and bouncing the fly up against the current and substrait, and casting from below and bouncing the fly down into deeper water. As long as they see the flash they’ll pounce. But I’ve found that you have to have it on, or as close to, the substrait as possible. It’s odd, but sometimes after you release one they’ll nose right up to your toe if you’re wading and sit there behind an object that breaks the current. Also, while I don’t find them exceedingly fun fighters when jigging for them in the lake, they’re fun in a river. Long way from a carp or cat, but they do engage in a fun battle. Hope this helps. JGW
Thanks for the replies guys. White, I’ll have to give it a shot this year. How are you finding them relating to current?
Wow, some good info.
How about this, in a small lake of max depth of 28 ft, would the inlets be a good place. (these are actually saugeye in this particular lake I’m talking about now), or should I go deep, with like a crystal flash or maybe #8 Crappie candy?
Fishin fool
I know they’re in the Delaware from Scudders Falls on up. I caught one years ago on bait off the New Hope wing dam. From shore, I’d look below wing dams, deeper water below riffles. The Schuylkill, the only places I’ve heard of people catching them is again below dams, Fairmount and Flat Rock are the closest to me and mostly at night or on overcast days.
Thanks Philly.
I’ve caught quite a few when fishing for pike. I don’t really target them as they are not as sporty a fish as pike or smallmouth on a fly rod. Generally given the choice I’ll opt for northern pike any day, as they genarally inhabit the same waters. I seem to catch them mostly in the late evenings just before I call it a day. I’ve caught quite a few on the surface w/ deer hair frogs. Surprised the heck out of me the first time as I did not expect them to take on top but they will.
My success with walleye over the years has almost entirely been in rivers. When they are holding in riffles or pools below fast water, then fly fishers can to as well, or better, than anyone.
One of my most memorable ffing experiences occured when I was a beginner. We were all fishing with hardware below a waterfall in the spring, using the tried and true lures that had always worked in the past. Nothing. More out of boredom than anything else, I picked up my new fly rod, rigged with a bucktail/mylar shiner immitation I had tied up and, in short order I had caught four nice walleye. I don’t know who was more surprised: me, the fish or all the spectators! (Not alot of ffers in these parts; even fewer back then.)
Yellow and chartreuse patterns have worked best for me and, typical of walleye, keeping it close to the bottom usually makes the difference. Whether you rely on sinking lines and/or weighted flies depends on water depth, current speed, etc. Swimming streamers across and down, into holding areas, seems to work best…TIM
Thanks guys. I appreciate it.
Whitefish,
Your experience catching walleye on the fly reflects what happened to my younger brother one fall quite a few years ago when he was fishing some tailwaters with my dad. They were fishing with jigs and couldn’t catch any walleye so my brother got his fly rod out and put on a streamer. Shortly thereafter he caught a walleye.
That tailwater has a run of smelt in the fall and they come very close to the shore and stay a ways off the bottom. My theory is the jigs they were fishing were getting too deep so they were fishing below the walleye. When my brother began casting his fly it was at the right dept and distance from shore for the walleye to hit.