Capt Roberson Doing what he does best!

But the bread and butter blade style for most walleye anglers on the Great Lakes is the Colorado blade in a size 5, but number 4 and 6 Colorado’s are also very popular choices. Blades as large as number 8 are used routinely by serious anglers, including tournament guys looking to catch the eye of the largest walleyes in the system.

The color combination an angler could come up with is only limited by their imagination. Color can and does matter at times, but all too often fishermen focus way too much on color and not enough time on getting the rig in the strike zone of the walleye. This is the single most important thing to remember and master when it comes to getting bit while trolling spinner rigs.

Luckily these days we have about as many ways to get the lure down as there are blade types, but we are going to stick to the basics and the most popular methods here.

There are three basic ways of getting the harness down: snap weights, in-line weights and bottom bouncers. Bottom Bouncers are used for trolling along the bottom like their name implies, but to reach the most active fish in the system you have to fish high. When walleyes are up in the water column they are doing one thing and one thing only, and that’s feeding. So, these fish will be your most aggressive fish in that area, and that is where understanding and mastering snap and in-line weights come into play.

Snap Weight

Off Shore Tackle Pro Snap Weights

A snap weight is a weight that is attached to a clip like those from Offshore Tackle (OR16) that get placed further up the line than what an inline weight would be placed. Robertson says snap weights shine in rough conditions as they tend to surge less with the weight being farther from the lure itself… they are also very good in very clear water because the weight and lure are farther apart. The disadvantage is that the system puts a lot more angles in the system…the angles from board to snap weight and the angle from the snap weight to the lure. This can make hookups and depth control more difficult.

Inline Weights

Bass Pro Inline Weights

This weight system is deployed 3 to 6 feet from the business end of the spinner rig. Its job is the same as the snap weight, it gets the lure down into the water column. In-lines are the easiest delivery system to use, there is no need to remove it as you bring the fish in like you would have to do with snap weights. Maybe the only thing difficult is learning your own personal dive curve. Different speeds and weights sizes…. trial and error and time on the water is required to fine tune your presentation.Some people use the general rule of a 1oz weight will run about a foot down for ever foot back when ran at 1 mph.

For both of these systems though there is a little help in figuring out just where that weight is running. Author Mark Romanck & Dr. Steven Holt have helped to really shorten the learning curve and get you closer to know exactly where your spinner rig is at. Precision Trolling “The Trollers Bible” is the name of the book. The book now is coming in two different editions the “Pro” and the “Big Water”. The info in these books gives you a little short cut to a lifetime of fishing knowledge. If you want to step up your game trolling track down these books, they are ran in limited numbers every year so they sell out quick every year it seems.

Also see:

Trolling Spinners – Part 1 Rods, Reels and Line

Copyright © 2011 Out in Michigan LLC

The post Trolling Spinners – Part 2 The Rig, and getting it bit. appeared first on Out In Michigan.

Capt Ross unhooking a pig caught on a spinner rig

There are many ways to catch walleye these days. But still, the number one producer of walleye in the great lakes region are spinners, aka crawler harnesses. The spinner rig is a simple one made up of a few hooks, beads, and a blade. Even though the rig itself is simple to build, getting it into the mouth of a hungry walleye consistently isn’t easy for some fishermen. What I hope to do with this next series is to help you get bit more often when trolling spinners. The best place to start is with the rods, reels and lines being used and what characteristics you should be looking for in your selections. When talking about presentation of trolling spinners, we are going to be talking in the terms of using in-line planer boards as our main delivery.

Rods

Having a well put together combo when spinner fishing is critical to not only hooking but also landing walleyes. There are a lot of rod options on today’s market, and Captain Ross Roberson of Big Water Guide Service employs a 8’6” Mr. Walleye rod. This particular rod has plenty of backbone for running in-line planer boards, yet soft enough to handle the surges from a walleye making one or two last runs boat side. They also telescope for easy storage. Daiwa, Shimano, Berkley and a few other rod makers out there also make very similar rods of varying price points to match your budget. Here are just a few options to check out:

• Shimano Compre Trolling Rods (CPCTR86MH2B, CPCTR83MB,CPCTR710MHB) -$99.99 -$129.99
• Mr. Walleye Gary Roach Trolling Rods (MWS86MCT)- $79.99 Capt Ross’s Rod
• Cabela’s Depthmaster Trolling Rods (DM-PB-86M , DM-PB-90M) – $44.99

Reels

When looking for a reel there are a few key things you need to keep in mind: a reliable drag system, ample line capacity and an accurate line counter. Capt. Ross relies on a Shimano Tekota 500 LC, “These reels are super smooth and have a great drag with an accurate line counter.” Daiwa, Shimano, and Okuma all make reels that fit this bill and have options for every budget:

• Shimano Tekota (TEK300LC,TEK500LC) – $179.99
• Daiwa Sealine (SG27LCX ) – $129.95
• Daiwa Sealine SG-LCA (SG17LCA, SG27LCA-W) $89.95 to $94.95
• Daiwa Accudepth Plus (ADP17LC, ADP27LC-W) $64.95 to $69.95

Line

The most common line used is monofilament in 10lb to 14lb test. You are looking for a tough line that can handle the shock of boards surging and fish making there last ditch run at the boat. Berkley Trilene XT makes a great all around choice for a trolling line. Some Pro’s and Captains though have found ultra thin and a strong mono called Sunline Super Natural. Sunline Super Natural in 16lb test has about the same line diameter as Trilene XT 10lb, yet it is tough enough to get the job done. Just about every brand on the market has a line that will work for trolling now a days.

Also See:

Trolling Spinners – Part 2  The Rig, and getting it bit.

Copyright © 2011 Out in Michigan LLC

The post Trolling Spinners – Part 1 Rods, Reels and Line appeared first on Out In Michigan.