Samuel Forbes' Previous Tips

• Any bait that you use should be tuned every time you put it in the water. With crankbaits, you want the lure to run "true", or in other words, to track straight. Hold them in the water at the side of the boat while moving at the approximate rate you will be trolling or retrieving. Use pliers to bend the fixed ring on the plug right or left until it achieves the desired action. You should also drop jigs or any other bait that you will be using, in the water and watch to see if the action you are imparting to it, is actually what you want it to be. Taking the time to "true" the action on your presentations will put you one step closer to bent rods and bigger photo albums!
  
  
• Having sharp hooks is imperative to making sure that once you feel a bite, it will be hooked. Get yourself a good quality sharpening device and carry it with you whenever you are on the water. Hooks get dull from bouncing around in tackle boxes, being drug through rocky bottoms, and just every day wear and tear that we fishermen put them through. Even new hooks can have a less than desirable point. A walleye's bite is often very light and hard to detect. When you do feel one, don't let a dull hook come between you and him.
  
  
• As an avid walleye fisherman, trolling is a big part of my arsenal. Having said that, nothing can be more frustrating to a troller than weeds and other debris floating in the water. A good method for making life a little easier in these conditions, is to place a small split shot several feet up the line from your lure. Most of the debris will catch the split shot and allow your bait to wobble freely and hopefully put a few nice walleyes in the boat.
  
  
• Bottom bouncers are one of the deadliest tools a walleye fisherman can use. They are my fail safe presentation when nothing else will work. There is nothing like putting your bait right in the face of those "belly to the bottom" walleyes and covering a lot of territory relatively snag free. Here are a few simple tips to help you get the most out of this deadly device:
  
  From the tip of your rod, down to the water, keep your line at no less than a 45 degree angle. The more upright a bottom bouncer is, the less likely you are to get it snagged.
  
  Let the bottom structure of the area you are fishing determine the length of your snell. For sand or gravel bottoms, I prefer a longer snell, anywhere from 3 to 6 feet. For rocky or stump infested areas, try a shorter length of 18 to 24 inches.
  
  Although live bait can often bring dynamite results, it also brings a lot of smaller fish around and they can be a headache by constantly pulling off the bait. To avoid this, try using Berkley Power Baits. The little fish can't pull them off as easily and this will allow you to keep fishing until that big one decides it's his turn to bite!
  

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