Skinny walleyes?

Skinny walleyes?

Like many old guys, I often wake up about 3 a.m. to answer nature’s call. Going from vertical to supine again the brain often starts to work with sleep denied until pondering is resolved.

This night’s torment centered around skinny walleyes. River walleyes usually weigh heavier than the average for their length. Over the past 10 days the dozen or so fish 18″+ were SKINNY…like they came from a mismanaged inland lake. Shorter fish usually haven’t put on significant girth yet. Maybe they are skinny, too. You can catch “eaters” all day long drifting 1/8 oz jigs with a half-crawler on sand flats along channel edges in 9-13 fow now or pulling spinner rigs & crawlers in deeper cuts in running sloughs, Maybe 1 out of 10 fish is 18″+

An oxbow pattern Rat-L-Trap has produced 80% of my quality ‘eyes over the past couple weeks targeting shallow rocks with current in 3-6 fow. Much deeper water is usually under the keel of my Lund– which is positioned in the most effective way to target 3-6 fow. Time of day doesn’t matter. The nicer eyeballs are whackin’ the Trap @ noon on a blue sky day.

Boat position/control when throwing cranks on the Big River is like a trout fisher mending the line to create a natural presentation with a fly–a small but critical detail in hooking up.

With this demon now excised I can try to get back to sleep for a nap before 4 a.m.

SMB have been stupid on channel mainstem rocks fishing wacky rigged Yamamato senkos or Zman black/blue TRDs ned rigged. Always at least a couple 17-18″ fish, but mostly shorts.

Bluegills are easy in 3-9 fow relating to rocks with a little current, also in the wood. Crappies are moving into fall pattern hanging 4-6 feet down over at least 10 fow in the wood. Perch are a little tougher to find. The best place to look is in patches of coontail weed in 18″-3 fow with a tiny pinch of crawler on a 1/32 oz orange jighead.

The River is MUCH more dangerous now than it was at full-blown flood a couple months ago with pool level as low at it was at its nadir in ’23 (which was the lowest level since ’88).

No shortcuts thru running sloughs for this old River Rat until the pool comes up another foot.

Boat traffic has been exceptionally heavy, even during the week….maybe cuz the weather has been pretty much perfect.

Stay safe out there!


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