Lips Lure Walleye

Crankbaits and Walleye – a Deadly Combo

Every spring, I load up my walleye fishing arsenal with crankbaits. Silver ones, green ones, ones that look like a rainbow and some that resemble, well, my idea of an alien creature from outer space.  I know that during the months of  April and May I will find my fishing Valhalla around one of the many shallow reefs in Lake Erie’s Western Basin.

  Shallow, jagged, rocky reefs offer a great fishing opportunity that begs for diving crankbaits. I’ve been using them for years, with a lot of success, to catch sneaky walleyes that are up on the reefs looking for bugs, crayfish and shiners. Forget about the notion that you won’t have any success on bright sunny days, ignore people who tell you that the skies must be cloudy gray for crankbaits, forget all of that nonsense. Any day is a good day to check it out.

  Last May, on a beautiful sunny day, I nosed the bow of Mega Bites around Mouse Island and headed west with my charter group. The first stop was in the waters around “D” can, so-called because there is a yellow buoy there that marks the northern most boundary of the Camp Perry firing range. It had been productive the day before.

  We had a light west wind,  and the water was fairly clear at 26 feet of depth. We fished there all morning and by 11 a.m. we had about half our limit of 42 walleyes. Then the action shut down as it normally does that time of day. We had nailed our fish on worm harnesses and weight forward lures. After a short while without a hookup I moved farther southwest to the shallower areas around Toussaint and Crib reefs. As I moved into the shallows the water became increasingly clear to the point that when the sounder flashed 10-feet I could see bottom structure.

  That’s when I shut off the engine and allowed the boat to drift. I rigged everyone with diving crankbaits, mixing them up to determine the best colors and shapes. In the first 15 minutes of casting and retrieving we didn’t catch a single fish. But we were now in six feet of water so I moved off the reef and shut down at 17 feet on the west side of the reef. As Mega Bites drifted toward shallower water we had our first walleye hook up. Then another and another. I kept repeating this drift and by 1:30 p.m. we were done and ready to go home.

  Meanwhile, the other boats which remained around “D” can were just starting to experience an afternoon bite. I knew most of them would be there for another two hours before getting their limits. I love that feeling when I limit early. Most of the time I will alert other captains I work with when I’m into fish. However, on this day I didn’t because I knew that more boats on that reef would have spooked fish and thus spoiled the day for my group.

Coincidently, another skipper limited with cranks on Round Reef about two miles away.

  The type of crankbaits that I look for are the ones with large lips (divers) that will take it down to 12 feet or so. I really can’t recommend any one particular brand, but look for shad and minnow imitators. Now, some of these lures will cost upwards of $4, but Wal-mart sells its own brand for $2. Flea markets often have bargains, too. Where you buy them is up to you.

  Cranks are pretty easy to master. I always try to get the lure as far away from the boat as possible. Once you begin a slow retrieve the lure will dive. Retrieve faster and it will dive deeper. But there becomes a point where—in your effort to get it to the bottom —the retrieve is just too fast and that usually means no fish. Keep the boat deep enough for the lure to bump along the bottom at an easy retrieve.

  As with all types of fishing, there is always time for experimentation. As an example, toss your lure into the wind but don’t start a retrieve. Let line out until the lure is well away from the drifting boat. You’ll find that the lure will dive deeper with a slow crank and stay in the strike zone longer.

  I don’t like to add weight but sometimes it’s necessary. When I do I’ll use large size split shot about 36 inches  ahead of the lure. Add one shot at a time. Too much weight will usually find a rock and losing that $4 lure is not cool.

  One of the extra benefits of using cranks is that other fish are also attracted. I’m talking about husky smallmouth bass. When fishing around rocky structure, especially in Lake Erie, you can be sure that smallies are in there mixing it up with the walleyes. It’s an exciting experience when a four-pound bass slams that crankbait and shatters the glassy surface water.

About the Author

I am a retired news journalist who now operates a sportfishing charter business on Lake Erie.

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