Where are the BIGGER fish Q & A.

[Walleye Express]

Heres the scoop. I fish a river, the stretch of river where I fish is only 100 yards wide in or about. water temp is 38.8 mostly rock,river stone and sand composition some holes 15' to 17' deep. went out everyday for the last 2 weeks walleye have been on the edge of the main channel right where it dips into deeper water caught 19 today lost 4 majority have been 16" 17" 18" some a tiny bit bigger. all have been caught on suspending baits trolled .25 to .75 mph what I am getting at is where the he#$ are the bigger ones!! should I be targeting outer edges of holes? are the big ones where the smaller ones are? the water I am fishing doesn't have alot of current I am also fishing the slack water line. any suggestions on tactics would be great, thanks in advance!

Merry Christmas!!

Chris.

Chris.

If these are migrating fish from a bigger main body of water, the male to female ratio can be a many as 100 to one right now. These smaller males are very opportunistic during their day time feeding hours. Try doing what your doing but at night versus the day time. Don't be afraid to troll near or along long stretches of shallower flats areas, where those bigger fish squeeze the water column to easier catch baitfish. You didn't mention it, but always try to use your trolling motor versus the main motor when trolling at night. Pump the rod as you troll. 90% of the fish I catch at night hit on the stall.

If you isolate a pocket of bigger fish when trolling, stall or anchor nearby and cast to that spot from different angles for a while. This just may be one of the key spots the big ones prowl and find suited for their foraging needs. Pump and stall even while casting but try to use a suspending lure like a #14 Husky Jerk when targeting specific spots. Many fish will hit the lure after the pump, while it sits suspended and motionless. I've even custom weighted some of my Shad Raps to make them suspending for this application. Fish near lighted areas on this river if there is any. Go up a size or two with the cranks if you can. My personal favorites on my river is the #8 and #9 Shad Raps. Hope this helps you out. Capt. Dan.