Weeds, Walleye, and Wacky Weather..

nickyneb · **Posted:** Mon Sep 08, 2014 7:53 pm

When Mother Nature throws you a curve ball.......Hit IT!

The wacky summer temps have kept the walleye bite going strong. From where I live on Big Bay to past the ferry I've been able to keep a solid shallow water (6-14 ft) bite going for my charter clients all summer long.

These summer fish aren't the big girls that visit us in the fall, they are solid 2-6 lb fish that smash the bait like it "owes em' money"! I wrote a small article about this last year on my website, (yes they are one of my sponsors) but it has continually produced fish for me year in and year out. The Bait... is the "SpinDoctor" from REELBAIT Tackle Co.

In lure terms it's a tail-spinner, ..there are quite a few variations on the market. I own pretty much all of them and this one just continually sets itself apart. If you talk to the "bass guys" it may surprise some of you to find out how many walleye are caught every year on spinnerbaits.

This little bait gets down quick, thumps along at a perfect pace and although it has a single treble hook it runs fairly weedless which makes it an excellent Quinte weed casting presentation.

County Shores (formerly Fosters Fishing) by Telegraph Narrows has em in stock. If any of you need questions answered on how to fish the SpinDr.. just PM me. I'm throwing in a few photos of clients who had never even seen this bait before and had never casted for Walleye!

Just a reminder, with fall quickly approaching keep an eye on the weather and stay safe!

Superdad · **Posted:** Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:16 am

Thanks for sharing your walleye tips, always interested in what others use to nail the eyes.

David aka Superdad

Walleye 9 · **Joined:** Mon Jan 24, 2011 12:05 pm **Posts:** 1985

Thanks for the tip on the lure.... casting for walleye in the weeds is a lot of fun. My favorite technique for walleye, and very productive on many lakes.

nickyneb · **Posted:** Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:02 pm

Thanks Superdad, it always seems there is a better mousetrap. This one works for me!
I did receive text and PM mx asking more details about the lure and how I work it. In a nutshell:

1. I primarily use the 3/4 oz model. It may seem heavy to some, but it gets down to the weed bases and "hunts" quick and stays there throughout most of the retrieve.
2. I use mostly the natural colours, (see Picts) fire-tiger is a favourite also.
3. Steady retrieve you want to feel the rhythmic thump of the Colorado blade
4. Speaking of blades.... I've tried to switching them out for other sizes and styles, (willow leaf, Indiana , hatchet) but I always come back to the stock Colorado blades that come on the bait.
5. Also on the "tinkering" subject. I've tried to switch the stock treble hook out at least 100 times, it never works out. They either roll over and grab the lure on the cast or they catch too many weeds. The stock treble hooks come thru the weeds pretty darn good and if you pick up a weed just "pop" your rod tip and usually it slips free.

Again I appreciate the questions. And if you guys have any more I'll be happy to answer em. It's a fun and relatively easy way to fish weeds quickly and effectively. I can hand a rod to a client and even if they have limited casting and angling skills this little sucker usually produces.

MWM · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2014 6:59 pm

Hey Nicholas, I see red hooks on those baits. Are they stock. I purchased some tackle from u a couple of months ago and some lures were with red hooks. Do you favour these hooks over regular stock stuff ? Thanks. mike

nickyneb · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2014 8:13 pm

Hey guys /gals ...Just a few more answers to the PM's I'm getting.

1. The type of line I use is 90% braid for this lure. I've had some success with monofilament but the braid just slices the weeds better. 14 lb fireline up to 30 lb power pro and anywhere in between. I DO use a fluorocarbon leader, 15-20 lb or you can use a heavy piece of monofilament if needed. Approximately 18"-24" ...the type of line isn't the most important you just want some stiffness so the bait doesn't flip back onto your main line. Additionally I tie the lure directly to the line. I used to use snaps but they just seem to foul up too much.

2. To answer your question "Mike" ....the baits come with the red hook standard, I'm not switching them out on this bait. I've tried, and tried and tried.....(see original post). It just doesn't seem to work as well. The catch rate stays the same with stock hooks and the weed snag rate is really low with stock hooks. I spoke to the lure inventor about this at length many times and he invested over $50K to get the design right. It really does perform well in the weeds.

3. My choice of rods......It varies a bit. I personally prefer a med or med-heavy with a fast tip. For my charter clients I usually try and gauge their ability and weed cover and either set them up with a medium action to medium heavy action rod with a medium to medium fast tip. I always tell them the most important part is to feel the rhythmic thump of that big Colorado blade. 90% + of the strikes are vicious so I really don't have to worry about clients setting hooks. If you do foul up with weeds you will feel that "thump" stop immediately and you can usually just "pop" your rod a couple times to get it running again.

This bait was invented by a B.A.S.S. Circuit angler and it just happens to work great for walleye too. There are a couple different names they are sold as "Lytles Secret" and "Spin Dr." both versions are by Reelbait Tackle Co. www.reelbait.com they are also currently in stock locally at County Shores (Fosters) right now. Stacy at Pro Tackle may have them as well.

If you anglers have any more questions ... Keep em coming.

Please stay safe on the water!

MWM · **Posted:** Thu Sep 11, 2014 3:54 pm

Thanks Nicholas, great info.

mr. walleye · **Joined:** Sun Jul 30, 2006 12:48 pm **Posts:** 434

Hi,I sent you a PM.Maybe you haven't been on the board

Good luck fishing

nickyneb · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2015 8:41 pm

Hi guys/gals...with all of our rainy weather and our high water levels the bait-fish population is off the "HOOK" (no pun intended). It's been a tough and spotty bite no doubt.... the summer "bite" finally turned on for me a few weeks ago and I waited a bit before I posted just to make sure it was gonna keep going. I decided to pull up my original post from last year as I've laid out the how/why of using this bait.

A few weeks ago I had a chance to take out a fellow board member and a great contributer to the future of fishing. His tireless efforts to the Cops-N-Kids event every year has made it the biggest one in Ontario. Some of you know Pat Comeau from the Belleville Police Department and he is a true fishing enthusiast. I showed him the weed-line casting system for walleye it was a blast! I've been able to keep this bite going for a few weeks for my clients so I thought I'd re-post this article and add a few current picts.

If you are looking to change it up from trolling worm harnesses and do some exciting hand to hand combat with then give this method a shot. It's an absolute blast to feel a walleye smash the bait. (I do catch the occasional "green carp /Bass" as well :/. County Shores has em in stock and you can PM me with any questions.

SteelKrazee · **Posted:** Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:02 am

Hey Nick
I ordered a few of these directly from Reelbait website last year after reading one of your posts. Luv the action of the lure, but I gotta say I haven't had much luck trolling them but on the other hand the large mouth were smashing them pretty hard off my dock. I will definitely try hitting the weed lines with them. Do you recommend tipping them with a worm or just solo? Any other tips are much appreciated here or by P.M.
Thanks
SteelKrazee Mike

nickyneb · **Posted:** Fri Aug 14, 2015 7:46 pm

Hey SteelKrazee Mike,

Thanks for the questions and Idea!!
Lol.....
I've never tried trolling these baits before. But the way they are designed I don't see why this wouldn't work!! I'm gonna giver a try the next time I have a free day on the water.

That being said I'm 100% casting this little bait. The real key is to let it fall on a slack line for a second or two or five depending on your weed depth. And then start to reel a nice steady rhythmic thump from the blade is what you want to feel.

Ironically I go against the normal "Quinte worm" and I DO NOT tip them with a piece of worm. But it really wouldn't hurt it if you did.

If you read my earlier posts you'll see this lure was developed by a B.A.S.S. Circuit Tournament Angler so it doesn't surprise me that you've caught bass off the dock. Lord knows I've pulled a few off the deep weed lines.

If you anglers have any more questions feel free to ask. Casting for walleye is such a fun tactic for many anglers but very effective and an exciting way to catch fish.

nickyneb · **Posted:** Wed Aug 26, 2015 7:11 pm

Just a quick update,

I wanted to say thanks to the anglers who have PM'd me and the ones who have texted me. I'm very glad my tips helped and put some fish in your nets! Hand to hand combat casting for walleye is so much fun!

The walleye are now fully set up in their deep weed lairs for the remainder of the summer. Don't be afraid to fish at high noon as these guys have to EAT!!
If your still looking where to buy these baits, I saw that County Shores had in a large selection of different colours (some of my favourites and some new).

Good luck on the water and please wear your PFD's

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Weeds, Walleye, and Wacky Weather..

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