Summer Walleye Trolling Tactics
by Capt. Dave Adams

On Lake Erie, mid June is the time when anglers begin to think about open water walleye.

Two areas generally hold walleye at this time of year. East of the entrance to Presque Bay, boat anglers can troll Deep Jr. Thundersticks (black/purple, green or rainbow trout) during the early hours. Begin trolling in 40 to 50 feet of water and troll approximately five miles. The best presentations for plugs are 150 feet leads (using 12 pound monofilament) off the planer boards. This setup will keep the plugs in the upper 15 feet of water. If the fish start to drop lower in the water, switch to the larger Thundersticks."

West of the bay, walleye can be found by trolling the same depth for approximately four miles. If your boat has a downrigger, try using the crawler harness. Attached the harness to the downrigger and use a 50 or 100 feet lead off the ball. Vary the depth from 20 feet to 40 feet until a feeding pattern can be developed. Also, a shallow diving plug, using the same lead, can be just as effective off the downrigger.

The walleye hunter on Lake Erie can't go wrong by combining the Dipsy Diver with a crawler harness. The most popular size Dipsy is a No. 1. Set a No. 1 Dipsy at 3 1/2 and allow a 125 feet lead. To reach boat shy eyes, a smaller No. 0 Dipsy can be set at 0 and 150 feet off planer boards. Good crawler harness colors include: purple/black, watermelon, pink/chartreuse, and green/yellow. Anglers can target two areas from the Walnut Creek access. Straight north, approximately six miles, eye hunters will find the first trench. Work the depths of 60 to 75 feet. Also, just west of Walnut, towards the Ohio line, try the 60 to 75 feet depths. The PF&BC Marina at Walnut Creek is about 2 miles east of Route 98 off of Route 5. Exit I-79 at the Presque Isle, and minutes later turn left on Route 5. For bait or lake conditions call Poor Richards at (814) 474-5623.

Lake trout seem to have a fascination with spoons, top choice would be Northern King, and size should be the "mag" in colors of silver with a green stripe or silver with a blue stripe. Attach the line onto the release and allow a six-foot leader behind the cannonball. Lower the downrigger until the weight hits the bottom. Start trolling at water depths of 120 feet. Keep trolling speeds at 1.8 to 2.2 and continue north to the depth of 140 feet. North East, Pennsylvania is located 13 miles from the city of Erie. Follow I-90, and exit to 89 north. Turn right on Route 5. The marina is 2 1/2 miles on the left. For additional information and weather conditions call Tim Truitt at, (814) 725-8244.

Steelhead can be caught anywhere on Lake Erie, but the deeper waters of North East may be best. Use a size No. 1 Dipsy Diver set at is 1 1/2 with a lead of 155 feet. Two spoons generally work well. The first is a Michigan Stinger Scorpion spoon in the colors of white/purple or a blueberry muffin. The next is a NK 28 in the colors of green/silver or purple/silver. When using a downrigger, the best spoon is the NK28. Set the downrigger for 50 or 80 feet and run the spoon 20 feet of the ball. In August, concentrate trolling efforts in the depths of 100 to 120 feet.

When boating from Presque Isle, wire line will consistently score walleye. Whether using planer boards or flatlining behind the boat, the amount of wire line trolled behind the boat combined with plugs or harnesses will provide some exciting moments. Use firetiger Long A Bomber behind a four-foot leader of 20-pound test monofilament line. The plug will reach the depth of 35 feet when trolled behind 320 feet of 12 pound stainless wire. To get to Presque Isle State Park, exit I-79 at Erie and follow 832 into the park. The West Pier Launch is at the first road past the administration building.

Dave Adams
2005 Victoria Ave.
Arnold, Pa. 15068
(724) 339-8614
fisherie@bellatlantic.net