Taking advantage of spring fishing is always a must for any angler out there – as fish are still trying to put on some weight from the spawn
My friend Cayden Parisian and I always enjoy this time of the year to chase after the Eastern region walleyes. We often find them creeping around shallow rock piles near the shore of islands to stay searching for baitfish. As the days after the early season progress, fish slowly expand from their spawning grounds, but they are not as far away as one would think. After walleye opener last May, Cayden and I decided to head out on Big Whiteshell Lake to see how many fish we could land in the boat. We already had some of our favorite spots mapped out, which had been successful in previous years. We were pre-rigged with what we knew would work, and we were in high spirits to be the first ones out on the water.
A favorite launch on Big Whiteshell Lake is on the south shore, as it has recently been rebuilt and is perfect for unloading and loading boats. We dropped the boat in here and after a 5-minute boat ride, arrived at our desired island. We were using the Humminbird Mega live to scan ahead, looking for pods of schooling baitfish, and to see what was hovering over the rocks. We made sure not to spook the school when we trolled just outside the spot, which was about 50-75 feet away from where we wanted to be.
LONG CASTS TO PREVENT SPOOKING FISH
We made long casts towards the shore and did not give much time for the lure to sink, to avoid snagging in between the big shallow boulders. Our retrieve was a series of pops and pauses, normally reeling in the last few yards of line before hitting the boat.
We often did not feel the bite of the fish, but more so a sudden feeling of weight on the line, which we were paying close attention to. Most of the strikes that we had were on the pause, but the more aggressive fish slammed the lure mid pop. It was essential that we always had tight lines, so we could feel the most subtle bites, and be ready to reel in a catch!
EQUIPMENT
I was using a 6-foot 6-inch Extra-Fast Medium Shimano SLX with a 1/4 oz Northland Thumper jig in the silver shiner color, with a 3.75″ Zman StreakZ Smoky Shad. We had our reels spooled with 10-pound Power Pro with about 3 feet of fluorocarbon leader. A longer leader is essential in clearer water, as the fish will see the braid a lot easier opposed to murky water.
The average size of the walleyes was between 15-18″, all of which had full bellies and looked extremely healthy. Some of the walleyes had a darker body than the others, which was interesting in comparison. We did not come across any that looked lethargic or beat up in any way. It was clear that the selective harvest of table fare fish was not difficult to obtain.
Earlier in the morning it was very calm, but we had some “walleye chop” by the afternoon. Which was what we were hoping for, as that means that the baitfish were to be pushed into the shallows, right where we were waiting! Having a taller boat was essential and gave us the high ground to try and spot the big rocks with our polarized glasses.
Overall, we had a memorable day on the water and made sure to take note of our findings and compare it with our past trips to figure out a pattern for next time. In reflection, the only thing we would have done differently is to individually target the bigger marks with Acme Hyper Hammers or Rapala Jigging Raps, as the live imaging would have made it extremely easy for us. Be sure to always keep an eye on your fish finder for any indicators of prime fish habitat, and focus on finding the fish first, before making any initial casts.