Fishing is one of the most addictive activities you can ever see. Fishing makes you fish more and more and you never get bored of it. Fishing for walleyes is one of the most attempting activities you can ever enjoy.

Walleye Trolling Guide

You are reading my article because either you are a beginner at walleye trolling or looking for ways to improve your walleye trolling skills.

No matter why you are here you will be getting more than what you have expected after going through this whole article.

In this article I will be disclosing the top secrets about walleye trolling you must know to polish your skills.

Other than exploring the tips for walleye trolling we would also talk about some popular walleye rolling equipment.

Rod Setup For Walleye Trolling

 

I would go deep into the walleye trolling equipment including rods, reels, rod holders, crankbaits, etc. But for now, let’s talk about the basics of rod setups for walleye trolling.

You are allowed to utilize 1 to 4 rods per person but it depends on the state where you fish.

The state where you fish can decide the number of walleye rods and their orientation. That’s why you must keep that in mind.

If you troll in a state where you can use 2-4 rods, the general orientation is to spread them out around the boat.

When you are using rods out the side you would need the longest rods. On the other hand, you would need relatively shorter rods to be used in the back at an angle.

I would recommend using 10.5-foot walleye rods to be used out the sides. For shorter rods, I would suggest using 5-foot long out of the inside. It is the orientation when you are using 4 rods per person.

I would suggest you be very careful while using the 4 rods out of the boat without using the planer boards.

If you turn fast and slide the back of the boat around your lines can get tangled. Detangling the lines is time taking and leaves you frustrated.

If you don’t want your lines to be tangled then I would recommend using 3-way rigs or snap weights. We would cover a detailed topic on snap weights later in the article but for now, let’s just stick to the current point.

There is another probability that you might be using more than 4 fishing lines per boat.

If you are doing so without considering snap weights or 3-way rigs then you must consider planer boards.

Planer boards are effective tools to get your fishing line away from the boat and avoid tangled lines. Later in this article, we would cover planer boards too.

The Speed For Walleye Trolling

There is no fixed speed for walleye trolling instead you need to change it constantly.

The speed for walleye trolling varies according to the season. You cannot get stick to one speed throughout the year.

At the start of the year when the temperature of the water decreases, we go at a slower speed. When the water warms up we get faster and that’s the thumb rule you can consider.

During the winters when water is cold I would prefer trolling at 1mph speed. Usually in cold-water fish is sluggish to chase a fast-moving crankbait.

Once summer starts you can increase your speed up to 3mph. in warm water, the high-speed moving crankbait can make fish react quickly. Moreover, high-speed crankbaits can increase the chances of getting bitten by fish in warm water.

As mentioned earlier there is no specific speed for walleyes you should stick up with.

You must keep changing the speed according to the weather and temperature of the water.

Sometimes if you slightly slow down your boat or take a quick turn it can destroy the whole plan and frighten the fish.

To naturally speed up or slow down the lures, you can take a zigzag or S-curve path.

When the water is calm and clear you need to take your baits as far from the boat as possible.

Walleye Fishing Equipment

I remember in old school times we used to go fishing having a fishing rod and reel in our hands. That simple fishing gear always worked so we returned home with a bucket full of walleyes.

But when you are a grown walleye troller you would need to upgrade your walleye gear too. You would need to use multiple rods, reels, and lines at a certain time.

That’s why you need a proper walleye equipment guide to stand out with maximum results.

Reels For Walleye Trolling

The main part of a walleye trolling reel, as I would like to think, is a line counter. Realizing how much line to have out to get your crankbait in the zone FAST should truly just be possible appropriately with line counters.

So if your trap is running 75 feet back and is running a foot off the base and getting fish, you’ll need to recreate the length. This must be done well with line counters PERIOD.

The second most important factor about reels you need to consider is the drag power. The cheap trolling wheels come with weak drag you don’t feel comfortable with.

The drag in proper trolling reels is considered as easy to set up. The drag on proper reels doesn’t fail in many situations.

You will find high-quality reels starting at $100 on both online and offline markets. There are some reels available at half of the above price.

But I strongly suggest you not compromise on quality when it comes to choosing a quality reel.

Your reel is your investment so make it a top choice. Don’t fall for cRods For Walleye Trolling

You can get high-quality walleye trolling rods for under $150 without compromising on top-notch features and specs.

You don’t need to cross your budget limit to buy a superior quality walleye trolling rod you just need to choose the right length.

When you are adjusting the setup of 5-6 foot long rods you should go with a 10-foot long rod. In the situations where the above combination doesn’t work, you can consider a set of 8-foot-long trolling rods.

When you are using planer boards with trolling rods then I would suggest 8-foot rods. But when you are using rods with snap weights and 3-way rigs then you can consider short rods.

By using this combo you can easily remove the snap weights. By the way, these are my opinions and choices. If you want to save some coins while buying the trolling rods then below are some options to consider.Fishing Line For Walleye Trolling

Fishing line for walleye trolling is something you can never be sure about. If you ask different people about their fishing line you would get different answers.

That’s why I would recommend you use a 15lb power pro fishing line for walleye trolling for three reasons.

• Whenever I have to choose between a thick and thin line I always go with a thin line. And power pro is a thin line that makes the bait diver deep in water by offering less friction.
• The reason for preferring 15 pounds line over 10 pounds line is the strength. When you are fishing for walleyes it is not sure that you will come across walleyes only. There would be various snags and giant pikes in the water. To handle those bulky creatures, you would need a strong line that’s why I recommend using 15 lbs power pro.
• It endures long and doesn’t shred without any problem. At the point when I’ve utilized Fireline, for instance, I end up getting line fights which debilitate it tremendously. So I’m cutting/re-tie all the more than I might want to.

Well, this is my consideration. You can choose what suits you.

Crankbaits For Walleye Trolling

 

When it comes to choosing the crankbaits with the fish you are going to catch things get complicated. You would need to find the forage base in the river or lack to get the targeted species.

The size of crankbait is the first and foremost factor that specifies the specie you are targeting. If you know the exact size of crankbait according to your target you would catch your favorite one.

After choosing the exact size you would need to focus on the color combination of crankbaits. To find out which color would work best for your target is a little bit tricky.

If you want to know the thumb rule for choosing the color then I would go with natural colors while trolling in clear water. When it’s about muddy water I would recommend choosing bright colors.

If still you are confused that how your target reacts to the color of the crankbait then there is another piece of advice. Keep a good quantity of color crankbaits and try with different colors every time.

Once you start noticing the trend then you are good to go with the trend.

If that’s true then you might be wondering about having a huge variety of colors and sizes of cranks.

You don’t need to have hundreds of cranks. You can buy a couple in each color to withstand multiple situations.

Cranks don’t come cheap you would need to invest in multiple colors to catch your favorite target every time.

Rod Holders For Walleye Trolling

 

I have already put a detailed review on Rod Holders for trolling and I won’t waste your time here.

If you are concerned about having the right rod holder for your trolling experiences then you can check that review out.

If you still want me to suggest a rod holder for walleye trolling then I would go with Folbe Rod Holders as they are amazing.

I like Folbe rod holders because they are smooth to utilize making your walleye trolling experience enjoyable.

It gets a little bit of time to get used to these rod holders but once you are familiar with them they worth each penny.

Troller’s Bible/Precision Trolling

I don’t think that there are trollers who haven’t heard about Troller’s Bible/Precision Trolling Book.

This book is a guide for beginners at trolling and it emphasizes on basics of the dive curves of cranks.

In this book, you learn about the dive curve of almost all the cranks available in the market.

When you are not sure about the dive curve of any lure or crank then just look into the book and you are all set.

If you want to but Troller’s Bible/Precision Trolling Book in its original form then you might not get successful. But luckily it’s available in mobile app form. You can get the mobile version of Troller’s Bible/Precision Trolling Book at any time.

If you are a beginner at trolling then Troller’s Bible/Precision Trolling Book is something you cannot get started without. It’s essential equipment to put in your arsenal before getting started with trolling.

Planer Boards for Walleye Trolling

If you type a query for planer boards on the internet you will be overwhelmed by thousands of results.

If you see the working of different planer boards you won’t see a big difference. But still, some technical aspects distinguish one planer board from the other.

When it comes to using the planer boards for walleyes it takes some time to get used to them. After comprehensive research here are some top planer boards tips you can consider.

• Make sure to keep the tip of your rod oriented up in the air. Avoid dragging it in the water and make it go straight to the boards.
• Whenever you have the option to buy a planer board make sure to invest in a taddle flag system. The taddle flag system allows you to stay informed about what’s going under the water. Whenever your line comes across a fish or any other object the flag turns upside down and you get a signal.
• When you decide to run multiple planer boards on one side of the boat make sure to keep them spaced accordingly. If you don’t set the appropriate space for each planer board your lines would end up being tangled. That’s why I would recommend you start with a single planer board on each side and then increase the number after gaining enough practice.
• When it comes to choosing the size of planer boards then choose according to the size of bait. If you have small bait then get started with a smaller planer board. Go accordingly while using the large planer boards.
• The planer boards often feature a standard red clip that can make your line slip. I don’t know others but when you are buying Off Shore planer boards make sure they have a tension release clip. If the planer board doesn’t have a tension release clip you can buy it separately.

Walleye Trolling Snap Weights

When you are using smaller crankbaits and shorter lines then you would need something to weigh down the bait.

You get some snap weight and attach them on the line away from the bait and you are good you go.

I would recommend using the snap weight almost all the time until it’s already shallow.

Using the snap weight for trolling is all about choosing the right leader length. You can set it 20-25 feet.

For example, while using the snap weight you have already let out the line around 25 feet.

The 25 feet is almost enough length to attach the weight without making the fish frightened.

This allows you to remove the weight without affecting the landing of fish. That is why choosing the right leader length is the key to attaching weights successfully.

Using the snap weight is almost similar to the planer boards. You just need to get used to them then you would be comfortable with snap weights.

If you don’t want your lines to be tangled then use the snap weights on the inside of the rods. When you take sharp turns you move smoothly without making your lines tangled.

Once you get used to snap weights you would love them because the results turn out to be surprising.

Top Choices for Walleye Trolling snap weight

OFF SHORE TACKLE OR 20 SNAP WT 

 

Off Shore Pro Snap Weight Clip

JSHANMEI Three 3 Way Cross-Line Barrel Fishing Swivels Set

Leadcore Trolling for Walleyes

The leadcores come to action when summer comes or during early fall because you would need to diver deeper to catch walleyes. In summers or early fall, walleyes tend to slide deep.

That’s why I would recommend you to use leadcore when you need to dive deep. It’s not the most effective way to troll for walleyes but the results come out so amazing that you prefer trolling with leadcore.

When you decide to fish in summer or early fall then you will need to consider the fowling factors.

• You need to have big crankbaits that go deeper. You would find them in stores. To get your line dive deep, you can use either 3-way rigs or snap weights.
• Use leadcores while trolling for walleyes

Leadcore shows a lead-filled line we use because it dips into the water. When you go to but leadcore you would be overwhelmed with their availability in 8 colors.

Each color of leadcore dips into the water up to 5 feet. When you don’t have line counters to estimate the line length you can easily measure the depth with colored leadcore.

When you have 8 colored leadcore then this line is going to be large. To wrap the whole line, you will need a bigger reel. I would recommend using SHIMANO TEKOTA 500 LINE Counter A TEKOTA for this purpose.

Trollmaster For Walleye Trolling

Trollmaster is a remote control that assists you in controlling your bait when you ars using the kicker motor. After connecting it to your kicker motor you would be able to control the speed and other factors of a bait.

You don’t need to spend the whole day speeding up and slowing down the throttle.

I can’t imagine a professional troller fishing without a trollmaster. That’s why I would highly recommend you to invest in one if you don’t have one.

Split Shots For Walleye Fishing

When you are trolling for walleyes you would come across multiple pieces of debris present on that debris.

Your line catches that debris and it takes almost forever to get rid of those particles. That’s why I recommend using split shots about 2-3 feet above the cranks.

It keeps your lure or cranks clean and your crank always comes out of the water clean with a big walleye.

After getting your fish it would take a few hours to clean the line but occasionally. When you have plenty of walleyes in your fish box then the cleaning line won’t even matter.

Closing Thoughts

Walleye trolling becomes easy when you know the science you get grip on the scientific facts about walleye trolling guide you would never be disappointed.

The results become prominent when you have achieved the required potential and calculations.

From learning the techniques to acquiring the walleye fishing equipment everything is mentioned in this article.

Once you successfully learn to handle things from choosing the best walleye trolling lures to snap weight your results start surprising you.

If you think you troll better for walleye tips and there are certain tips and unique tricks you often use then let us know in the comment section. Because I believe that learning never ends.