Anyone can fish walleye in a river system, but only a select group of anglers are routinely successful in flowing water. Rivers comes with a complete set of fishing issues. Namely, maintaining boat control in moving water comes with some challenges. Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 TV holds a typical river walleye caught vertical jigging in the upper St. Clair River. In part, boat control when fishing is rivers is challenging because the variables are constantly changing. In the

At Fishing 411 we believe that little things make a big difference in fishing success. It’s the refinements associated with fishing that often separate the average fisherman from those who are consistently successful. The author believes firmly in tackle matching his rods and reels to enjoy the best balance and function from his gear. Tackle matching is one of those refinements I have been preaching for decades. When trolling and even for jigging and casting applications, I s

The times, they are a changing. When I first started taking a serious look at developing my trolling skills, there wasn’t much in the way of trolling reels on the market to pick from. Most of the reels we did have to choose from were sloppy handled bushing reels. The silky smooth continuous anti-reverse and ball bearing reels we have today were only pipe dreams in those days. The times have certainly changed since the author purchased his first Daiwa trolling reels more than

For those anglers who spend a lot of time chasing walleye in the winter months, it’s the jigging spoon that does the heavy lifting. Ironically, during the rest of the year the jigging spoon gets little love from walleye enthusiasts. Thankfully, in the winter months this oversight is more than made up for. For winter walleye jigging, it’s the jigging spoon that does the heavy lifting. The jigging spoon is so effective on winter walleye, nearly every tackle manufacturer has a w

A growing number of anglers who fish in-line planer boards are asking questions about how best to release the board when a fish is hooked or just for switching out unproductive lures. Perhaps the first question we should attack is why is it important to rig in-line board so it can be tripped? Once the line is released from the tow arm, the Off Shore Tackle Side Planer simply spins around in the water and stops planing to the side. The board remains fixed to the line thanks to

Based on the number of e-mails and other communications I’m getting about the DeTour Passage Atlantic Salmon show that aired recently, it appears guys are more than a little interested in this fishery. The good news is that the DeTour Passage fishery is largely overlooked and has great potential. The bad news is that collectively the number of Atlantic salmon that are raised and released into Lake Huron and the St. Mary’s River is modest enough that these impressive fish are

When it comes to crankbaits suitable for catching walleye, most of the love goes to a handful of noteworthy baits. The fact that these baits work is testament enough to explain why anglers rely on them day in and day out to catch walleye. My short list of “must have” walleye crankbaits includes the iconic Reef Runner 800 series, Bandit 5/8 Walleye, Rapala Deep Husky Jerk 12, Smithwick Perfect 10 and the Rapala Husky Jerk 14. Each one of these lures have taken countless walley

It is safe to say that most fishermen these days are using four stroke outboards. Since Yamaha and Mercury both stopped producing two stroke outboards, it seems as if anglers don’t have a choice anymore. It may seem to the casual onlooker that two stroke is yesterday’s news, but there is more to the story. Evinrude’s G1 and G2 outboards are two stroke, but these engines are not the outboards of your youth. Mention two stroke technology and most anglers conjure up images of th

What if I told you it was possible to catch twice as many fish, with the same number of trolling lines? I’m betting that every serious troller out there would “double down” on that deal! A simple rig fished on an Off Shore Tackle Tadpole Diver is becoming very popular among crappie fishermen and this set up can be easily modified to catch walleye as well. Let’s call it the Tadpole Double Down Rig. The Double Down Rig is ideal for slow trolling applications commonly used to ta

Anyone who has ice fished for walleye or other larger fish species knows that the moment of truth comes when the fish is at the bottom of the ice hole. Getting that fish’s nose into the hole may seem simple, but it’s amazing how often fish get off at this critical moment. What makes this situation even more frustrating is the fish comes unbuckled right before your eyes! A number of years ago I got so frustrated at losing hard fought fish at the hole, I started rigging my ice