Walleye fishing equipment.

[Trooper]

First off I like to say how much I enjoy reading you guy's post and how much I learn from reading them. I am starting to get serious about walleye fishing and was wondering if any had any suggestions on what basic equipment to start out with. Which lures you don't want to leave home without, good all around rod.

Thanks

[RapRunR]

I use a 7 ft medium but it has a fast tip for eyes running regular raps and shad raps. Although this time of year i use bait heavily i catch instead of throwing. I have a 9ft noodle i use for running the bigger plugs and really like it for drifting live bait mainly. My favorite in a couple sizes are the Rapalas of course, hence my name. At dawn or dusk and into night time i use a blue and white rap or shad rap. I have caught more eyes on this than any other lure. When my eyes start to change from the light ending at dusk is when i switch from the traditional black and silver/white rap to the blue. It really works and when it's this cold a really slow steady retrieve is in order. Usually i cast out too far into the current and take up the line and then not reel too much and let the current take er down, maybe a couple cranks, waiting and ready for the lure to reach the current edge and then the stop or hit and turn. Hey now don't go and tell everybody about my blue secret, lol, j/k. Mind you i fish from shore so keep that in mind. Black & White/Silver, Blue/White, Fire Tiger, Perch, Chartreuse and live shiners/suckers are some i never leave home without.

[b.bent66]

i like a 7ft medium spinning rod with med fast tip. my #1 go to lure black/silver f11 rapala. this time of year ive been fishing a lot of jigs and slow retriving husky jerks. i like useing fireline in the 8lb test.

[muskie24/7]

Go to your Bass Pro Shop Book or on line, and look at the Micro Lite Rods. I have 5 of them. They are only about $40 and are the best,lightest rods I have ever used. I actually sold my St. Croix noodle rods after I bought My second 8'6" micro lite. These are awsome trout and steelhead rods also. They come in a lot of sizes. All the way up to 9'6". Its the best $40 I ever spent!
Hope this helps...Brian

[jah1317]

I have one all around rod that is not my musky rods and it is a 5.5' ugly stick lite in medium light action it's a pretty good rod but I bought a pfluger president to put on it and it is by far the best reel I have ever used! it is around $60 or so but is METAL on the inside! Very smooth and tough.... I caught a 30" ski on it and there was never a problem. Last piece of advice.... if you ever plan on fishing french creek, make sure to stock up on black and gold 3" countdown rapalas! Have a bunch on hand in that size and color.... last year I watched my Dad out fish me 8 - 1 on walleye because he was using a gold one and I was throwing a silver we were side by side and he killed me! All my life he has used the same and he ALWAYS catches walleye on them including his pb 31" out of the creek. Sometimes the simplest is the best.

Jacob

[ppalko]

I fish from a boat and mainly fall and winter...

Four main rods (I made them using blanks from Cabelas and St Croix):

6 ft light action for vertical jigging
6 1/2 foot UL action for light lining small jigs
7 foot ML action for general jigging
7 foot M action for larger jigs and trolling cranks

I rarely use live bait. My dad consistantly out fished me using jigs any time I tried live bait (drifting minnows, tipping jigs) so I rarely bother. Sometimes I'll dead stick a rod if I have the time to get minnows.

I use hand-tied bucktails and other synthetic variations. Sometimes plastics.

The key to catching fish is learning the water you fish and putting in time and a little luck. My dad caught a 15 lb and then 10 lb walleye on back to back casts on a trip two years ago. Learn lots of techniques and put the time in to apply them. In Fisherman magazine had a lot of good river walleye technique articles over the years.

ppalko

[Red Childress]

I did not take the time to read all the posts on this topic so forgive me if I am repeating someone else's recommendation.

For walleye fishing in rivers/streams (while wading) or thick weedbeds in lakes, I started using an 8'6" for livebait and jigging back in the mid-90's and cannot go back to a shorter rod. By having the extra length, I have more control during my drifts and less line bow when trying to detect strikes.......same principle as the noodle rod is for trout/steelhead. Most of my walleye livebait noodle rods are rated for 5/8 to 3/4. I also have a couple other noodle rods rated much lighter for chucking small jigs into the weedbeds of Chautauqua Lake. It is much easier to detect strikes and pop the jig out and let slowly fall into the holes just like jigging and pigging. I usually use 1/16 and 1/32 ounce jig heads for doing this as the jigs do not hang in the weeds as badly as larger jigs plus they drop much slower allowing the fish to see the bait more naturally.

If I had a dollar for every gill/perch/white bass my partner has caught and then immediately had swallowed by a muskie in those Chautauqua weedbeds, I could buy a new boat.