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Surefire Tactics to Troll Weedbeds For Walleye

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So you're fishing weed beds from a boat and you decide now might be a good time to try trolling.
Here's a step-by-step way to do this for maximum effect.
Walleye and weed beds commonly go together, which is the reason why this strategy can be so effective.
Bait fish hang out in the weed beds, and this attracts predator fish including Walleye.
Step 1: The Early Morning Start by trolling the edge of the weed bed, and look for any drop offs or flat spots where the fish may dart in and out of the weeds.
In the early morning the Walleye can be very active and aggressive when it comes to feeding, and they will generally patrol along the edge of the weed bed trying to catch the smaller fish that congregate in these areas.
Step 2: Success-Minded Persistence If you do not see any results in twenty or thirty minutes then move on to the next weed bed.
Don't give up, but move on to the next area with your eyes on the prize, confident that you will pull some really nice walleye out of this body of water today.
Crankbaits are normally super-effective in these locations early in the day.
By the middle of the morning, once the sun is rising in the sky, switching to a worm harness and putting the bait right on the bottom can help, because the higher levels of light and water temperatures will cause the Walleye to sit on the bottom of the weed beds.
Putting the worm harness right on the bottom will offer it within easy reach, at a time when the Walleye may not be as active.
During these periods the fish may not chase a meal but may take it if offered for almost no effort.
Step 3: The Mid-Day Walleye Rush Once the sun is high in the sky, the thick weed beds located in shallower waters may offer great Walleye fishing opportunities.
Extremely thick weed bed located in shallower waters.
Many anglers avoid these areas because of the thickness of the weeds, which can make fishing seem troublesome, but this does not have to be the case.
Oftentimes, when you just go for it, and avoid conventional wisdom, you'll astonish yourself, even if you're used to doing things different from all the "other" anglers.
Step 4: Afternoon Sun = More Walleyes When the sun is high and hot, Walleye will normally suspend in thick weeds and wait for bait to come by above them.
Look for weed beds that have high weeds, those that grow all the way up to the surface of the water.
If you have planer boards, run them with crawler harnesses attached at this time, and troll slowly over the weed beds.
The ideal trolling speed for this technique is around one mile per hour.
You can still do this if you don't have planer boards by using both harnesses and crankbaits.
After trolling over the bed for several passes, if you do not have results then move on to the next thick weed bed and start over.
Step 5: Work Underwater Structure Weed beds that are close to underwater structure provide excellent opportunities for Walleye anglers, because the close proximity makes it easier for the Walleye to go back and forth between the two.
In these situations, or where the weed beds are located very close to much deeper water, trolling with spoons may be the best option to catch Walleye.
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