Our first viewers choice submission article came from walleye addict Mark Pavlak of Sullivan County. Mark is a diehard fisherman who speaks walleye wisdom with his narrative. We hope you enjoy and if you would like to have one of your stories published on the next viewers choice post, please contact our information below.
Post Spawn River Walleye’s
By Mark Pavlak
The sun begins to fall on an early May night, a cold north wind blows and I have one thing on my mind, catching some big old walleye’s. I grab my gear and head to a nearby hydroelectric reservoir. At this time of year, the walleye have just finished spawning, which most of them do in rivers that feed the lake. After spawning, many of the big females return to the rivers to feed and put weight back on lost during spawning. This makes it prime time to land some trophy walleyes. As the sun sinks below the trees, I arrive at a public fishing spot located at the top end of the lake where the main river enters. I grab my rod and trusty jerk bait and head down to the river. The water is just off color and the dam is open allowing for a good current. I look up to the overcast sky and know its going to be a good night. At about 8pm, I start casting. Not ten casts into my night at about 8:20pm I get my first bite; a nice 24” walleye about 4 pounds with a belly filled to the brim with saw bellies.
Image courtesy of Rapala
I quickly get him unhooked, snap a quick photo and get back to fishing. In many cases the walleye will move up in small schools and it is not uncommon to catch 2 or 3 within a short amount of time, which was just what happened this night. Three casts later I hook up with another walleye, this one not quite as big but still a nice 3 pounder about 20”. I quickly get back to fishing. As I’m casting I look up and see a pair of geese with four chicks swimming by. Just as they pass in front of me my rod doubles over and the drag starts screaming. My first thought “it’s a big one”, and as I fight the fish in the current I feel the telltale headshakes of a big old walleye. I turn on my head lamp and see the big white glowing eyes coming up from the depths. I quickly grab my net and slide her in. A beautiful 26 ¼” walleye about 7 pounds, swallowed the bait whole.
Image courtesy of Rapala
After the shaking subsided I snapped a quick picture and got back to fishing. In all I caught 5 this night, all of which were over 3 pounds, not bad for fishing only an hour and a half.
My lure of choice this time of year is an HJ 12 Husky Jerk by Rapala in silver blue, or black and silver. In muddy water the fire tiger and chartreuse bait also works well. What makes the husky jerk perfect for this situation is its long slender shape. This perfectly mimics the length and shape of saw bellies. Its also suspends at a depth of 4’ to 6’ making it ideal for fishing the shallow rivers. Equally important to the lure size and color, is the retrieve. Walleye are notorious for being very particular in what kind of retrieve will trigger bites. On this night I found that a slow a steady retrieve was producing fish, all the fish I caught inhaled the bait completely. However, always be ready to stop the lure, often time walleye will swipe at it and miss only bumping the lure. If you feel any kind of bump stop the lure and 9 times out of 10 they will come back and crush it, nearly ripping the rod from your hands.
I’ve found that in warmer water, short pauses and mid retrieve will produce as the lure drifts in the current, however, I’ve had the best success catching monster 6 pound females with longer 6 to 10 second pauses. During low water conditions a Rapala Flat Rap also produces well. Keep in mind that as the fish moves up the river, the bite may die down; a quick fix to this is to simply move up the river with the fish. If the bite dies down, walk a couple dozen yards up stream and keep casting. Many times you will catch more fish that passed you earlier. Continue up stream until you hit riffles. Cast just below them and any current breaks. You may find that walleye will sit here waiting for a tasty lure to drift by. In this shallow fast moving water the Flat Rap works well with a slow steady retrieve. It is best letting the lure drift as freely as possible. Don’t let the shallow fast water fool you. There are big walleye waiting down there. A buddy of mine found that letting his Husky jerk drift in the current often rewarded him with a monster. After doing so, he found himself being pulled into the water. Several minutes later he landed a 9 pound, 30 ½” walleye. So be sure to head out on the water one night and give it a try, be sure to remember the camera…you’re going to need it!
Gear Used:
- 7ft medium action rod Gander Mountain guides series
- 10 pound Spiderwire Stealth line
- Gander Mountain Guide series Spinning reel
- Rapala Husky jerk HJ12 Silver Blue
- Princeton Tec Fuel Headlamp
Thanks Mark for the helpful tips and personal narrative! If you would like to know more information regarding this post or would like to contact Mark personally for more advice, contact our information below. Thanks for reading and good luck on your next outing adventure.
Michael Patrick
Email: theoutdoorrevo@gmail.com
Twitter: @outdoorrevo
