Mille Lacs Lake - Fishing For Walleyes

TECHNIQUE
Technique according to Webster means The manner in which technical details are treated, or basic physical movements are used. Also: ability to treat such details or use such movements.

RIGS
For this particular purpose rigging is a system for presenting live bait, typically with a leader attached to a barrel swivel, some sort of sliding (slip) sinker and related accessories ( beads, floaters, spinners, and adjustable stop ).

Rigging presents live bait in the most natural way possible, forcing your bait to stay on or near the bottom. On Mille Lacs Lake the walleyes that relate to midlake mud flats and humps seem to hover near edges anywhere from 3 to 6 feet off bottom, thus requiring a long snell. Walleye will rise to hit a bait but they will rarely drop down to hit a bait.

Two ways exist to get a bait to ride high enough of the bottom on a long snell. One is to inflate a night crawler, by injecting them with a worm blower or hypodermic needle. The second is to use a floaters or floating jig heads. No matter how buoyant the floater is, water resistance against your rig at moderate speeds will drive you rig close the bottom.

To properly float a rig, a slow crawl with lots of pauses is necessary. I like to use 6 pound test on my reel and 10 to 12 pound test for my snell.

SLIP BOBBER RIGS
There are few who will dispute that a slip bobber rig is one of the most deadly live bait rigs ever devised.

Let’s say your fishing over rocks and getting hung up only to lose your live bait rig, or jig, you can switch to a slip bobber rig and your problems are over. Slip bobbers can be used in any depth of water. If you can not fish productively from the bottom up, why not fish from the top down.

The actual operation of a sliding bobber rig is nothing new. The hollow tube in the bobber permits even the lightest of monofilament lines to run through it without restriction. The line is stopped at the desired depth by using a bobber stop.

I prefer the nail knot-type stops for launch fishing. They come in a wide variety of sizes and types. I like to place Split shoot about 18 inches above the hook , how many depends on depth of water and the wind. I keep the split shoot 18 inches above the hook to give the bait the freedom to swim about and do it’s thing.

We use various hook sizes, from #4 down to #8 depending on the type of bait being used. With leeches I use a #6 hook or if I want the bait tight to the bottom I use a small jig.

When rigging with a slip-bobber rig, I use a depth finder to set the bobber at the correct depth. I like to start by setting the depth a 6" off the bottom and adjust the depth as a pattern develops.

I like to balance the bobber with enough weight so it rides almost ¾ under water. This seem the ideal weight needed for the walleye to swim of with the bait.

When setting the hook with a bobber rig, it’s difficult to know exactly how long a fish has had the bait.

That’s who so many fish are gut-hooked. When a walleye grabs your bait, the bobber often responds with a slow and steady downward motion. A bouncing bobber often describes a perch bite.

When you see the bobber moving steadily away from you it is time the set the hook.

The best way to get a good hook set that I have found, is to wait for the fish to head away from you to get the proper angle. Before setting the hook you always make sure that you have your line tight, to much slack and you miss the fish.

Hope this helps you with your fishing on Mille lacs.

St. Albans Bay Resort
7579 U.S. Highway 169 Garrison, MN 56450
stalbans@frontiernet.net
320.692.4552
800.377.2443