Lake Erie Walleye Trolling Basics - Don't Get Overwhelmed!

Lake Erie Walleye Trolling can be overwhelming if you are just getting started. Don't let it get to you, we all went through the learning process at one point or another. In quick words, we will break down some basics that should help you be more consistent on the water when trolling for Lake Erie Walleye. This isn't the full book review, just some thoughts shouted out loud that may give you some pieces of the puzzle. 

Learn as much about the location you will be fishing before you get on the water. Get a few target areas picked out before hand. Pay attention to the finer details. Take note of the water color as you are covering water. Get your transducer set to the right angle/height so you can mark fish at high speed. Learn your fish finder and take note of what your arches look like when you are catching good walleye or non target species. Taking mental notes and looking at your graph when fishing is good is a great way to learn what to look for and eliminate water when it's slow. Don't fish unproductive water for too long. Listen to your gut, don't get lazy and wish and hope a dead school will get active after another half hour, then another half hour, etc. The effort you put in is typically shown in the end result, especially on slow days. Efficiency on the water can increase up-time, which is important on days with short bite windows. Our Planer Board Caddy Systems can help you be more efficient when it really counts. With that said, some days the fish just win, don't beat yourself up too bad. When setting lines, don't start with all of the same lead lengths, mix it up until you dial in a program. Some days the high fish are the biters, some days its the mid column fish, some days they are down in the mud. Confidence lures will catch more fish than ones you don't have confidence with. Give lures long enough wash time to gain confidence if you know they have potential but are just new to you. Pay attention to your speed. Sometimes .1-.3 speed changes make a big difference. Sometimes they are direction-ally specific and only want the baits trolled in a specific direction. Sometimes they want you to go in circles or s curves rather than straight lines. This is especially true in big winds or high sun situations. There are some quick tid bits. Whatever you figure out, reproduce it! Each trip you will learn more and more. Build your confidence and don't be afraid to ask questions. Failures are successes too. Sometimes you have to spend time on the water figuring out what doesn't work. Stay positive and keep learning! Trolling Lake Erie for Walleye can be extremely fun and rewarding but there are days that will bring challenges. Make sure to keep an eye on our Fishin' Talk page for additional content that can help you be more successful on the water. Our Lake Erie Walleye Fishing Reports are a great resource of information to help with your upcoming trips too!