Are You a Walleye Angler or Want to Be?

I've noticed that there is a growing interest in walleye fishing here in Georgia - myself included - but you don't see a lot of people writing about having success at it, or actually going out and targeting walleyes on purpose - mostly you see people catching them on accident - so that got me wondering, how many folks do we have that actually go out on purpose to try and catch walleyes? And who is catching any when they do? And if you would like to target walleyes, but you haven't, why not?

Maybe people are doing all this, but they're being tight-lipped about it. We all know how secretive some anglers are. But there really just isn't a lot of information out there about walleyes in GA. If there were more information I believe it would make it easier on those people who want to pursue the fish, like knowing which areas of which lakes they are in, how deep they are, what they're eating, all that sort of thing. I know if I ever get to where I can catch them, I will certainly be sharing that information.

Me personally, I'm ready to get serious about it. I've never caught one before, but I want to make it happen. On and off over the past year or more, I've been reading a lot of books on walleyes, studying information and videos online, and listening to podcasts. I did a little bank side scouting trip to Lake Yonah back in the spring, but really went too early for where I was, and then a couple of weeks ago I got out on the water and did some more scouting. I'm heading out on Saturday to give it another go, and hopefully finally catch one this time. I have a much better idea of where I need to look for them now. I'm currently fishing from a kayak, so I want to stick to smaller bodies of water, but I'm planning on getting a motor boat before too long. I've been a pretty hardcore trout fisherman up until recently, so I never really needed a boat.

I've done one targeted trip for walleye, actually to Yonah with another member on here who fished for 'eyes back up north where he's from. We skunked that day.

I'd like to do more of it, especially like to catch one to cross that species off my bucket list, but people around here are tightlipped about their waters, techniques, and success.

Talk about stopping the stocking programs and you'll have them crawling out the woodwork telling you that it's successful and they frequently fish for, and catch, walleye. Try to get them to talk about how and where they fish, and they're ghosts again. It's weird.

Some guys catch them by accident on Lanier, I'd like to target them there myself.

Personally I'd love to see this turn into a productive discussion on the matter.

Obviously I'd love to see this turn into a productive discussion as well. I see it like this - look at all the fishing communities we have here in GA, where people can learn and share and plan for success - we have a huge bass fishing community, striper fishing community, trout fishing, fly fishing, kayak fishing, so much! But you have to scrounge and search to learn anything about walleyes in GA, and you find pretty much all there is to find very quickly. End of story, the rest is up to you. You have to rely on learning from people who fish for walleyes in other places, which may or may not help you, depending on the situation. Certainly some general information helps, but there is nothing like knowing what's going on with a particular body of water.

http://www.georgiawildlife.org/site...e Fishing in Georgia_HQ-APPROVED_02.18.11.pdf

Simply drifting nightcrawlers slowly along the bottom
through the staging areas is the best way to catch pre-spawn walleye.

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Good info in that article, unless you live near Lanier.

There was a decent walleye kill on lanier early this year I believe or maybe at the end of last year it all runs together when youre striking out striper fishing trip after trip. Im sure someone on here will correct me but I found some pretty big ones floating on the south end all swelled up. One was +20". Ive caught one on accident up in the river.

Yes, that brochure has a lot of great information. I've read through it many times! LOL.

DNR has some videos on youtube and some other information you can find online. Trust me, I have done extensive online searches related to variations on the phrase "Georgia walleye fishing." LOL! Oh and the fishing guide that is mentioned and pictured in the brochure, he has a Facebook page and a website and he periodically posts fishing reports here and there on both. If you search his name, you can find some information too. Good advertising for him! I'd be willing to go on a trip with him if anyone wants to pool our money together and go. I'm sure we'd learn a lot that way.

Here is GA DNR's youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/GeorgiaWildlife/search?query=walleye

You can also look through DNR's webpages on individual lakes to look for tactics. Here's the one for Lake Yonah, you can search for others there.

http://www.georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Yonah

You can also contact DNR and ask to speak with someone with knowledge about the lake you want to fish.

Here is that guide's website. He guides on several lakes:

http://georgialakefishing.com/

His Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Georgia-Lake-Fishing-Guides-Charter-Service/185934404604

I've always caught them jigging spoons or trolling crankbaits like a shad rap down a step ledge with some cover real early in the morning or real late at night. I mostly fished the mountain lakes, especially Lake Seed.

The way we have caught them on Burton is with nightcrawlers.

We put a 1/8 to 1/4 oz slip type sinker on the line, with a #6 hook tied on. We don't use any line heavier than 6#. 4# is preferred. Then about a foot up from the hook, we crimp on the smallest weight that will keep the slip weight from coming down to the hook. We hook the nightcrawler one time through the middle of the body, so it can trail back like 2 streamers off the hook.

We look for rocky places that have deep water nearby, boat docks with deep water nearby and fish the bank channels. Toss the bait up under the docks, trees or whatever cover you are fishing. Snug up the line so you can feel the bait. Raise the rod tip slowly just to bump the bait along the bottom for about a foot or 18inches. Lower your rod tip, and reel up the slack. Repeat. Move the bait real slow. When you think you are going slow enough, slow down some more. You will feel some resistance when a walleye picks it up. Open the bail on the reel and let him have the slack. I let them pick it up and run with it for 10 to 20 ft. Then close the bail and when the line tightens up, set the hook. You have to give them a chance to get the hook past all those teeth and down into their mouth.

You have to use light line and light weights or they will drop the bait and leave it. If you get a real strong hit, it ain't a walleye. Probably a big shellcracker or bass, so I don't let them run far with it.

Good luck

PS overcast, dark days are better. The fish will come up more shallow on those days.

NE GA Pappy said:

The way we have caught them on Burton is with nightcrawlers.

We put a 1/8 to 1/4 oz slip type sinker on the line, with a #6 hook tied on. We don't use any line heavier than 6#. 4# is preferred. Then about a foot up from the hook, we crimp on the smallest weight that will keep the slip weight from coming down to the hook. We hook the nightcrawler one time through the middle of the body, so it can trail back like 2 streamers off the hook.

We look for rocky places that have deep water nearby, boat docks with deep water nearby and fish the bank channels. Toss the bait up under the docks, trees or whatever cover you are fishing. Snug up the line so you can feel the bait. Raise the rod tip slowly just to bump the bait along the bottom for about a foot or 18inches. Lower your rod tip, and reel up the slack. Repeat. Move the bait real slow. When you think you are going slow enough, slow down some more. You will feel some resistance when a walleye picks it up. Open the bail on the reel and let him have the slack. I let them pick it up and run with it for 10 to 20 ft. Then close the bail and when the line tightens up, set the hook. You have to give them a chance to get the hook past all those teeth and down into their mouth.

You have to use light line and light weights or they will drop the bait and leave it. If you get a real strong hit, it ain't a walleye. Probably a big shellcracker or bass, so I don't let them run far with it.

Good luck

PS overcast, dark days are better. The fish will come up more shallow on those days.

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Why do the crimp stop instead of just using a carolina rig? Too large a profile?

StripeRR HunteRR said:

Why do the crimp stop instead of just using a carolina rig? Too large a profile?

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you want to keep it as small and light as possible, that is why I like 4lb test line. When it takes the bait, all the weight it is pulling is the very small weight crimped on to keep the slip weight from touching the bait. The foot of line behind the weight with the hook will kinda free float with nightcrawler, so it won't feel any drag from the bait itself.

The largest walleye we have caught was from Burton and was just over 5-1/2 lbs. My wife caught it on 4lb test, and it took over 30 minutes to get it into the boat.

Hi Cliff

I took my kayak to Seed 2 weeks ago, only got bass. Went to Tugalo on Monday and only got yellow perch. I'd love to figure out the walleye game myself. Tugalo and Yonah are the lakes to hit it seems.

Pappy and Pete, thanks for sharing, I really appreciate it. How often do you guys purposely target walleyes?

Striperr Hunterr, what tactics were you guys trying on Yonah the time you went? Do you recall what time of year it was? Did you guys stick to one end of the lake, or were you trying all over? Were you able to find fish, or no?

I wonder, when people are going out for walleyes on those NE GA lakes and they aren't catching any, is it because they couldn't actually find the fish, or if they find them, but can't get them to bite? I wonder if they maybe don't know they are getting bites. I keep hearing about how light their bites are.

When I was on Yonah a couple of weeks ago, I found a promising looking place and dropped my minnows down. I started getting several very light pull downs, but I wasn't actually hooking any fish. Finally I decided to just let the next fish have my bait. I got another bite and let the fish just have the bait and when I was sure he was hooked, I reeled him in, and as he was coming up he was so green, I was just sure I had my first walleye. Turns out it was a small bass that didn't quite look right. I asked DNR and they identified it as a hybrid of a spot and a redeye! I was a pretty little thing, especially for a bass, but that was a little heartbreaking! LOL. Still, it was cool to reel in a fish like that. I don't know if the other bites I was getting were other bass or what.

I've only caught 1 walleye and it was at Rocky Mountain PFA on a jigging spoon. Accidentally caught it while bass fishing.

I don't want to catch them so much as I want to eat them. That makes sense, right?

Coenen said:

I don't want to catch them so much as I want to eat them. That makes sense, right?

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Sure, some people only believe in catch and release. The fact is, it makes it a whole easier to eat them if you catch them first though.

Coenen said:

I don't want to catch them so much as I want to eat them. That makes sense, right?

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Makes perfect sense since they are so hard to catch!!

You could always buy some, it's only $14 or so per pound. Cheaper then grouper from the grocery store!

http://www.redlakewalleye.com/main-menu/walleye-1/walleye-11lb-box-fresh-frozen#.VIM2a8mRP8c

Klag said:

Makes perfect sense since they are so hard to catch!![/url]

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I have yet to hear someone say they're much of a sport fish either.

Carters and Blue Ridge are full of them. I have caught them 5+ at Blue Ridge on Shad raps when the lake was down. Man they are a boring fight. Like reeling in a heavy leaf. I have also caught them at Carter's on a drop shot. Nothing overy 2-3# but more numbers. Once again no fight slight head shakes. Best fish I have ever ate but boring to catch.

I struck out again today. I went back to the same spot where I was getting bites last time, and it was the same thing - slow steady pull downs on my rod tips, but unable to hook up with anything. I tried opening my bails, free spooling, setting my drag really lightly, but no hook ups with anything. I know they say their bite feels like getting stuck on a stick, and the way my rods bent a little was like when you're drifting and get hung on something, but I never could set the hook on anything. Maybe some of it I was getting hung on stuff and some were bites. I know a couple of them were bites, because they were more than just subtle, slow pull downs, but I still missed those fish. I did manage to catch a very colorful yellow perch today though. I haven't caught one of those in more than 20 years. I wanted to try and locate more of those, because I know walleyes like to eat them, but I never did find any more.

I guess I'll keep at it. Lake Yonah is crazy though - it's just one long, very deep trench. It hardly has any points, or humps that I could see. The banks just drop straight down in most places. I wonder if I would do better to try a lake with more varied structure. Tons of blow downs though. Wow! I definitely hit a few of those, but no luck there either.