[oucorry]

Brumbaugh Aims High When Trolling Pre-Spawn Walleyes
Friday, 14 March 2008
PWT pro Mark Brumbaugh has developed a reputation as an open-water trolling guru. He admits it's his favorite method of catching walleyes. Not surprising, since his home fishery is Lake Erie, which is arguably the 'eye-trolling center of the universe.
However, he knows there are a number of elements that go into an effective trolling approach, from bait choice to line selection to speed, among others. It's a challenging game of mix-and-match to find the right combination.

For a pre-spawn trolling run on the big waters of Lake Erie, when the water's still chilly (sub-50 degrees), he suggests WalleyeFans target the upper portion of the water column.

"I'm going to concentrate on the top 15 feet of the water column," he said. "Even if I'm out in 35 feet of water, I'm going to fish high in the water column."

While fish are still available in greater depths, the ones he's after will be closer to the surface.

"I feel, from (experience) over the years, that the most active fish are up there," he said. "It's been my best success. Year in and year out, you mark fish down deep, but I just don't seem to have much luck with them. You catch some, but the numbers of fish will come up high. You see a lot of bait up there and that's where the warmer water will be."

No Meat Until 50

It's one thing to identify a quality spawning area, around which walleyes tend to gather in the pre-spawn days and weeks. It's another to engage them, Brumbaugh said. To do that, he'll troll along the edge of the spawning structure, "where it turns from hard to soft bottom."

When focused on the upper reaches of the water column, he opts for "slow, wobbly baits," especially in the cold water. Among his favorite slow wobblers are Reef Runners – wild thing and bubble gum are his preferred colors – along with Smithwick Rattlin' Rogues and Rapala Husky Jerks. If it's an overcast day, the best bets are gold- and copper-colored baits. On sunny days, chromes, silvers and natural-looking appearances can help.


"Those type of baits, in this cold water, seem to produce the best," he noted. "I start with (Reef Runner) Little Rippers up high, some of the little baits or shallow-running Husky Jerks (4 to 8 feet down) or Storm Jr. Thundersticks up high and I'll just vary it. I'll use a Ripstick or deep-diving Reef Runner on real short leads – 20 to 30 feet behind (planer) boards."

While crawlers can sometimes generate pre-spawn action, they factor much more heavily after the water temperature climbs above 50 degrees. That's why Brumbaugh mostly uses hardbaits in the early season.

"I might tip them with crawlers," he noted. "Once the water gets closer to 50 degrees, then I might start playing with some crawlers. Not to say you can't catch them on nightcrawlers earlier, but 50-degree water? Any colder than that and I have better luck with cranks."

Trial And Error

As most WalleyeFans probably know, rare are the times when a trolling spread yields immediate results. Refinement and repetition are the keys to success in all angling, trolling included.

The first thing Brumbaugh will gauge when he sets his spread is the water clarity, and clear water is the key to his early season trolling.

"How I judge the water clarity in the spring is, if I can't see the propeller on the back of my Mercury Verado, I'll look for cleaner water," he said. "You can catch them (in dirtier water), but it really cuts your catch rate down."

When he finds the water clarity he's looking for, he'll set his trolling speed to 0.8 mph then start his search.

"Real early, I'll start at 0.8 mph and as the water warms up, maybe I'll speed up a little bit," he noted. "I'll run in 'S' curves to let them tell me what they want. I'll slow down, speed up and vary things a lot until I let the fish tell me what they want. Once I start catching them, I zone in and start switching over to that presentation."

His equipment starts with an 8 1/2-foot Berkley Tactix trolling rod and an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500 LC reel. The rod is key, he noted, in order to handle the planer boards.

The conditions and the number of anglers in the boat will determine how wide he'll run a spread and how many lines he can run - Ohio allows two rigs per person.

"The calmer it is, the farther out I'll run them," he said of the boards. "On a calm day, I might run them out 100 feet from the side of the boat – 150 sometimes. The rougher it is, the closer I'll run them."

Since he's targeting the upper area of the water column, lead core isn't necessary. He'll run 20- to 30-foot leads behind his Off Shore planer boards using 10-pound Berkley Trilene Sensation, with the hardbaits outlined above.

Another tip about planer boards is be certain to adjust the spring on the tattle flag. Tighten the spring for deep-divers, lighten it for stickbaits, and go even lighter for crawler harnesses, he said.

[birdman]

Interesting find Corry. I'll have to incorporate the water column advice into my fishing patterns. We don't troll crankbaits much in our area. Eye4, do you ever use leadcore when trolling? I use leadcore for kokes and lake trout, but never for eyes. What's your thought? Would you use flashers or dodgers if fishing for eyes with leadcore?

[walleye4]

Originally Posted by birdman

Interesting find Corry. I'll have to incorporate the water column advice into my fishing patterns. We don't troll crankbaits much in our area. Eye4, do you ever use leadcore when trolling? I use leadcore for kokes and lake trout, but never for eyes. What's your thought? Would you use flashers or dodgers if fishing for eyes with leadcore?

I do use lead for walleye when I need to get deep or when I run planner boards in water less than 10'. Haven't used it a whole lot but know the basics and have caught some fish this way. Now that I have 2 trolling rods with it spooled up, I won't have a choice but to use it more now if I have another guy with me. Not really sure what you are talking about on the flashers or dodgers!

[birdman]

Flashers and/or dodgers are used as attractors. They're run inline several feet above your bait. When moving through the water, they flash, dodge and add action to your bait or lure. It's basically like running cowbells or christmas trees for cold water species. We've caught walleye on them when trolling for trout many times.

[walleye4]

Thanks for sharing that with me man! I had no idea what you were talking about.