I’m going to take a fishing trip to northern Minnasota in june. To lake Winnibigoshish. Will be fishing mid-lake humps.
Normally will be dragging rigs,with leaches,crawlers,minnows
We will be fishing some where between 15 to 25 feet deep.
I have been tying trout flys for a year or so off and on.
Thought I might try tying something to use for walleyes.
I’m thinking along the lines of rabbit fur leeches or maybe dressing up a spinner with something. Bucktail, Marabou?
I’m wondering if anyone else has had the same idea or any tips with patterns that may work.
Thank you in advance for any advice or ideas.
Bunzo,
I don’t think you could go wrong with some clousers in the deep water. White/Chartreuse, white/green/chart ought to be pretty good colors. You might also tie up some black marabou leeches.
I don’t sling flies for walleye in lakes. In river fishing, you need to be scratching the gravel. Sinktip or full sinking lines. Short leader. Clousers are good. My favorite is a white bunny tied Clouser style. Tie off a short tail, then palmer the zonker around the shank and up and over the hourglass weight, and tie it off. You don’t need a real heavy weight unless you’re in really fast moving water. I like fishing small inlet streams, casting downstream and bouncing the bunny up the drift. This probably isn’t very helpful. It works for me. JGW
hook 1/0
Thorax 3 silver glass beads
Body and tail bronze marabou
It was a fly that I thought I would try becasuse nothing else was working. I’ve caught a number of smallmouth bass on it and one walleye.
I’m looking forward to warm weather and lower water.
Enjoy
Ed
Wow, that’s a big hook! Sounds like a good fly, and creative as all of your flies seem to be, Ed. JGW
What I’ve done in the past, fishing for walleye in that northern part of the country, when fishing lakes and in not too deep of water, is to drift fish. If the winds right, blowing just enough to move you along a little, and I’ve experimented with a few streamers & wet flies. The flies that have worked the best have been the black woolly bugger, black matuka and a black dose. Have had some luck with the clouser minnow and a lefty deceiver. Of course (God forbid!), live minnows work real well, too!
Dale
I fish Winne 6 or 7 times a year, usually when it is iced over. I have never tried it with a fly rod, yet.
All I can say is think yellow perch because that is aprox. 80% of there food supply in that lake.
Of course if you fish the humps during the witching hour in the evening you could throw an old sock with a hook an do well!
Have Fun!
I’ve lived in MN for 25 years and have yet to fish Winnie. Gotta give it a try. JGW
Just about any smallmouth fly will do. I’ve also had good luck in northern Ontatio with deceiver-styles in Flo. Chartruese and in bright yellow.
Almost all of the walleye I’ve caught on a fly came while I was targeting white bass in areas with a lot of chunk rock and/or riprap. Usually a clouser or epoxy minnow/shad fished right down in the rocks will do the trick. Chartreuse, orange, yellow, and silver/white (shad) seem to be the colors I have the best luck on, but then they’re also the colors I fish most with. Get out the sink-tips and full sink lines, you’ll need 'em.
Thank you for all the suggestions. I know i’m thinking outside the box a little on this one.
I’ll be trying some of these.
Boxes are highly overrated my friend. It’s much more fun outside them! I myself am plotting at least one trip each this year for gar, pumpkinseeds, and your walleye. I’m out to catch one of everything by the time I’m done 8)
also try a a yellow and grean clouser that you bard
with a permanent black marker to make it into a pearch patern fire tiger
fire orange with a goldish belly has ben hot on rapalas probly could sub yelleow for gold .