Are You a Walleye Angler or Want to Be?

[Cashvaluerecovery]

The hooch run sees the most fish by far. But its a very long run and to get to the right spots you need a jet boat. Kayaks work but be prepared to get it out of the water and pull it at times when its to fast/ too shallow. The nearest put in to float down requires at least a 2 person party to park one car down stream and one car upstream to drop off but you best be prepared to get wet. You will be getting out a few times to go over shoals your kayak isnt going over. There is a lot of distance between places to put in and the fish. You can walk to the chestatee fish.

 

[tree cutter 08]

The ones I've caught have been on herring, 2 ft off bottom. Usually 25 to 35 ft of water. Late evening or early morning. Always in blowdowns.

 

[BDD]

.

My dad was no doubt the best Walleye fisherman in western PA in his day. Not all days are good for Walleyes, they
Like low light days, or wind to chop the water. Live minnows or night crawlers fishing on the bottom in moving water.

If I were to go after them my first attempt would be in the fall, where the Coosawattee empties into Carter’s lake.
I’d go up the river a little ways it find a deep hole with moving water, and as he would say if you’re not loosing
Hooks you’re not doing something right.

This one was over 30 inches long,

 

[tree cutter 08]

Well I'm glad to here somebody else loses hooks! I was going to mention earlier when I fish for them I get hung a lot more than I catch but that where they seem to be.

 

[Cashvaluerecovery]

Well I'm glad to here somebody else loses hooks! I was going to mention earlier when I fish for them I get hung a lot more than I catch but that where they seem to be.

Your technique will work off deep points, river channels, suspended in the middle of nowhere, rock cliffs, and even shallow clay banks free lining. All spots you can keep from getting hung up. Herring is a key though. We put walleye in lakes because they had herring introduced illegally to help keep them under control. They certainly prefer it.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

I found this very interesting. Someone developing a bait and specifically targeting walleye in Georgia, and doing a great job of it, looks like. I sure would love to meet this feller and chew the fat with him.

http://www.wormrigs.com/2015-round-up.html

 

[lampern]

They need to stock brown trout or walleye into Blue Ridge Lake to eat the herring.

 

[Klag]

They need to stock brown trout or walleye into Blue Ridge Lake to eat the herring.

Stock it full to the brim with smallmouth bass

 

[Yotes]

If you are fishing a deep lake with nearly vertical banks I like to fish them two ways. I look for two things. I will troll along the bank close so I can see any humps or logs in the water so I can see the average height of the structure. Then I look for corners or bends in the banks (and bottom) that are near 90 degrees. These need to be decent sized variation in the bank. Walleye are sheep and they cruise around looking for food. The will not go over trees but they will go around them. I like to use slip bobber rigs and set them to the depth midway on the structure. Once you find the depth they are cruising at you can work the bank. I also look for a corner because once again walleye are sheep and they can be corralled at the depth you find them at. Also at night you can find a vertical wall and anchor 35 yards from it. Blast your lights in the wall until baitfish show up. Cast a bass spinner (gold willow blade) really really hard against the wall and let it fall into the water. Keep your bail open and let the spinner fall naturally. Watch your line to see if you get s hit. Normally right when it falls below the light in the water. I did this in a state where that was legal. Never tried the lights in GA yet.

 

[Cliff Speed]

Yotes, thanks for that advice. I have been thinking more and more that I need to try getting way into the blowdowns on Yonah, because there are a lot of them and they seem to be the most abundant source of cover in that lake. With the banks so steep they often fall right down into deep water. It's a funny coincidence that you mention fishing the corners, because just this morning I was re-reading Al Lindner's book "Walleye Wisdom" and the section I was reading talked about how important it is to fish corners in certain situations. Very timely commentary!

So do you do all your walleye fishing at night? Thanks again for contributing to the discussion! I haven't been out for walleyes since the last trip I wrote about here. I will definitely be going again soon, but getting to go at night is difficult.

 

[Yotes]

I walleye fish when I can. Night or day any time of the year. But it doesn't happen a whole lot anymore. Mid-day is tough unless you can find murky water with baitfish in it.

Water temp in the south is another factor. Any creek flowing in constantly is a walleye rest area. Mainly river walleye.

But I do not know everything so this works for me in KY,WV,OH,WI,MI,MN.

My best advice would be to move every 20 minutes until you find fish.

 

[WalleyeWORMRigs]

How about a Walleye Round-Up?

Hello I am new to the Forum.

I am an Avid Walleye Angler and have been chasing Walleye for over 40 years.

I have had a lot of success in both GA and SC waters in the last 4 years as the "Stocked" Walleye populations grow.

I use WORMRigs aka night crawler harnesses coupled with either Trolling Weights aka Bottom Bouncers or Dipsy & Jet Divers for catching Walleye.

I am trying to launch the 1st Annual Walleye RoundUp in 2015 including both Georgia & South Carolina Lakes.

Currently I am looking for Sponsors as well as Anglers interested in pre-registering and/or donating services for the event. As well as gathering feedback and interest.

The Round-Up is structures to educate and share knowledge about the Walleye fishing opportunities and techniques for both Georgia and South Carolina waters.

If anyone is interested please contact me.

Attached is an average size Walleye from 2014.

http://www.wormrigs.com/2015-round-up.html

 

[Klag]

Do walleye school? If vertical jigging, or just locating walleye in general, will you find them in small groups of 1-3 fish or large 10+ fish schools?

 

[Yotes]

Yes. And depends on location. I personally think points are for the birds. Corners or suspended walleyes beneath bait (during all hours) you will find fish. Also jig the whole water column. You probably do that but I have had good luck jigging for a two minutes then reeling up a reel. Then repeating until I get where I can see my jig. Another thing is that walleye hit on the falling bait more so the the rising bait. So control your fall by keeping a small bit of tension on your line. Or use fluorocarbon it also helps you pull jigs out of rocks and logs.
I hope this helps and I am not sounding like a know it all. These are just things that I have caught walleye doing.

 

[WalleyeWORMRigs]

I found that the Walleye in the South DO NOT School ... if they do they stay together only for the first year or two after a stocking ... almost 100-200 yards from where they are stocked. They are only 12 - 16 inches and you can vertical jig for them. I believe that there is just not enough space for Walleye to School in the Tullulah Basin Lakes ... Maybe in Hartwell and Russell ... but I have never seen it ... The Jumbo Perch do though ... and that's what the Walleye are eating ... not herring .. the BIG ones are Lone Wolves ... they leave the pack and hunt on their own. You might see two or three marks on your graph together that are mature Walleye but for the most part schooling is a big lake Walleye pattern. I look for small packs of Walleye not Schools when scouting.

 

[WalleyeWORMRigs]

I have noticed all the chatter on the forum as well as on and off the water that the interest about catching Walleye has Grown! And has got everyone on the Hush. This is because IT IS NOT EASY ... and the numbers being caught are so low that the a Walleye anglers do not want to share there intel.

I'm a little different .. I like Bragging and Sharing information, its HOW you LEARN to FISH! I believe we can all stand to benefit from sharing information.

There are at least 12 Lakes that I am familiar with that hold a strong population of Walleye now.

Lanier
Yonah
Burton
Rabun
Seed
Tugalo
Hartwell
Russell
Clarks Hill
Carters
Tullulah
Blue Ridge

I have been fishing HARDCORE the Tullulah Basin for trophy Walleye going on 5 years.

My experience comes from 30 years on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and Lake St. Clair ... and the Past 10 years I have spent chasing eyes in the Tullulah Basin.

I DO NOT catch a lot of fish. But Mostly Trophies.
Only catching between 1-3 Walleye on each trip ...
NOTE: I am Targeting Trophies not Table fare.

I have never caught my limit ... I fished 40 trips last year for Walleye ... I was Skunked on maybe 5 of them.

I average (2) nice Walleye per Trip.

When I catch 2 or 3 Walleye that is a GREAT DAY for WALLEYE fishing in the SOUTH !!!

A lot of the northern guys might be thinking they can bag their limit in an hour or two .. like in a big school on a big lake ... It is NOTHING like that here ... they are stronger faster sprinters not herds of hungry Walleye .. They are smarter, stronger and much more healthy.

They also have Plenty of food to eat ...Herring, Perch, Shad, Bass, Bream, Crawfish. Leeches just to k=name a few ... your lures and a worm ... have to out play the buffet ... this is what makes it tough.

Walleye have the most sensitive eyes for colors and action on lures .. they follow and track the lure often for up to 30 minutes or a mile or two on water before a striking.

I found the more consistent your lure and bait run the better. Jigging, dragging and bouncing bait is NOT the best way to catch these guys unless you have a electronic jigging plate that can repeat the exact move each time ... if you do jig try to keep the jig the same speed and same height when lifting to get the best opportunity.

75% of the Walleye I am catching come from a Reaction bite not a Hunger Strike.

My experience comes from 30 years precision depth fishing in Canada on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and Lake St. Clair... and the Past 10 years I have spent chasing eyes in the Tullulah Basin and developing the techniques and equipment.

However I am not a Biologist or Professional Walleye Angler ... Just an Avid, wanna break a record, love catching Walleye kinda guy... and do not know everything about Walleye .. yet.

I look forward to feedback and any questions the forum might have about Walleye in the South.

 

[Yotes]

WWR,

Do you troll big boards for Walleyes ever?

 

[NCHillbilly]

I found that the Walleye in the South DO NOT School ... if they do they stay together only for the first year or two after a stocking ... almost 100-200 yards from where they are stocked. They are only 12 - 16 inches and you can vertical jig for them. I believe that there is just not enough space for Walleye to School in the Tullulah Basin Lakes ... Maybe in Hartwell and Russell ... but I have never seen it ... The Jumbo Perch do though ... and that's what the Walleye are eating ... not herring .. the BIG ones are Lone Wolves ... they leave the pack and hunt on their own. You might see two or three marks on your graph together that are mature Walleye but for the most part schooling is a big lake Walleye pattern. I look for small packs of Walleye not Schools when scouting.

They certainly school in the bigger lakes here in western NC. They scatter out along the banks for awhile in April after spawning, but by mid-May, they are usually schooled up in open water on the main channel following schools of threadfin shad. I have caught limits sitting in one spot many, many times. I don't catch many of the really big ones, but have always done good on numbers. I walleye fish for supper, not trophies. I want all 8 of my walleye when I can get 'em. In really small lakes, and lakes without good shad populations, they don't school up nearly as much. And the ones I'm talking about are naturally reproducing fish, not stocked ones.

 

[Klag]

There are at least 12 Lakes that I am familiar with that hold a strong population of Walleye now.

Lanier
Yonah
Burton
Rabun
Seed
Tugalo
Hartwell
Russell
Clarks Hill
Carters
Tullulah
Blue Ridge

I have been trying Tugalo and Yonah. Tugalo is my favorite because in my mind it has the most fish because it has the least fishing pressure. I fish from a kayak I carry on top of my Jeep so the 4x4 only access to Tugalo is no problem for me.

Never caught a walleye, but I was really just paddling around looking for schools to jig since I didn't bring any bait. I catch 2 or 3 perch jigging near the river mouths of both lakes, but not enough to take home. (I keep them in a bucket of water so I can release later if I decide no to keep).

I'd like to catch a limit of the perch, jumbo or not, but I have no experience in that either. I guess just find the school on the sonar and drop jigs with minnows/worms. I believe it's legal to use a perch for bait as long as caught on a rod and reel.

Back to Tugalo/Yonah - where do the fish hang out in the winter when not spawning? By the dams? In creeks? Near the rivers? In general that is. I find the perch schools on the bottom usually closer to the north end almost in the rivers.

As someone else mentioned previously, I'd rather catch a few eater size walleye for the table rather then the trophy.

 

[shakey gizzard]

I have noticed all the chatter on the forum as well as on and off the water that the interest about catching Walleye has Grown! And has got everyone on the Hush. This is because IT IS NOT EASY ... and the numbers being caught are so low that the a Walleye anglers do not want to share there intel.

I'm a little different .. I like Bragging and Sharing information, its HOW you LEARN to FISH! I believe we can all stand to benefit from sharing information.

There are at least 12 Lakes that I am familiar with that hold a strong population of Walleye now.

Lanier
Yonah
Burton
Rabun
Seed
Tugalo
Hartwell
Russell
Clarks Hill
Carters
Tullulah
Blue Ridge

I have been fishing HARDCORE the Tullulah Basin for trophy Walleye going on 5 years.

My experience comes from 30 years on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and Lake St. Clair ... and the Past 10 years I have spent chasing eyes in the Tullulah Basin.

I DO NOT catch a lot of fish. But Mostly Trophies.
Only catching between 1-3 Walleye on each trip ...
NOTE: I am Targeting Trophies not Table fare.
I have never caught my limit ... I fished 40 trips last year for Walleye ... I was Skunked on maybe 5 of them.

I average (2) nice Walleye per Trip.

When I catch 2 or 3 Walleye that is a GREAT DAY for WALLEYE fishing inn the SOUTH !!!

A lot of the northern guys might be thinking they can bag their limit in an hour or two .. like in a big school on a big lake ... It is NOTHING like that here ... they are stronger faster sprinters not herds of hungry Walleye .. They are smarter, stronger and much more healthy.

They also have Plenty of food to eat ...Herring, Perch, Shad, Bass, Bream, Crawfish. Leeches just to k=name a few ... your lures and a worm ... have to out play the buffet ... this is what makes it tough.

Walleye have the most sensitive eyes for colors and action on lures .. they follow and track the lure often for up to 30 minutes or a mile or two on water before a striking.

I found the more consistent your lure and bait run the better. Jigging, dragging and bouncing bait is NOT the best way to catch these guys unless you have a electronic jigging plate that can repeat the exact move each time ... if you do jig try to keep the jig the same speed and same height when lifting to get the best opportunity.

75% of the Walleye I am catching come from a Reaction bite not a Hunger Strike.

My experience comes from 30 years precision depth fishing in Canada on Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and Lake St. Clair... and the Past 10 years I have spent chasing eyes in the Tullulah Basin and developing the techniques and equipment.

However I am not a Biologist or Professional Walleye Angler ... Just an Avid, wanna break a record, love catching Walleye kinda guy... and do not know everything about Walleye .. yet.

I look forward to feedback and any questions the forum might have about Walleye in the South.

Ever thought of fishing Dale Hollow Tn?