There seems to be a move by walleye fishermen
to buy bigger boats and motors with console steering.
To achieve good boat control with this type of rig we
use bow and transom-mount electrics in combination with
kicker motors. There are also a lot of great walleye
anglers out there who are running bigger boats and motors
and are still sitting in the back of the boat with a
tiller handle. Which way is better? It doesn't matter
as long as you work hard and get good at controlling
the boat using the methods you are comfortable with.
I prefer the 9.9 four-stroke along with a 72-pound thrust
transom-mount. Up front I use the autopilot 42-pound
thrust bow-mount, it works well on larger boats.
On many bodies of water, walleye will relate to structure.
They don't just hover around reefs, sunken islands and
points, they hug that structure. These walleye will
be tight to the bottom, laying in the dips between rocks
and cuts in the bottom. They may be feeding, or more
likely, they may be sitting there, moving only when
an easy meal comes by.
When fishing structure you have to be able to stay
tight to the fish -- holding on bottom. Moving off,
just a few feet, could put you outside the fish.
The object is to use your depth finder to locate the
structure, the best spots on that structure, and the
fish that are holding there.
Techniques vary. I like jigging as well as live-bait
rigging whenever I'm working a piece of structure. Both
techniques allow you to keep your bait right on the
spot you're looking at on the depth finder.
When backtrolling, always set up on the structure with
your back to the wind. This prevents you from being
blown sideways. There are times the shape of the structures
or the direction of the contours make that impossible,
but the best situation for backtrolling is when you
have the wind blowing right up the back of the boat.
Backtrolling slows you down and lets you slow walk
that jig or rig right along the contour. When the depth
finder shows you're dropping off, turn the motor so
you move right back up. If you start going shallower,
get right back out. What you're trying to do is stay
on a particular depth, or contour, where it looks like
the walleye are holding. Walleye will prefer certain
bottom types and will often be at a particular depth.
If it's very windy I use my 9.9 Mariner motor. I prefer
this approach since I put a Nautimatic Marine System
Autopilot on it. With the autopilot I can set the control
to keep the boat moving right along the contour. When
it changes I just use the hand control to make an adjustment
and I'm right back on the spot. If it's extremely windy
I'll set my Minn Kota autopilot and use it in conjunction
with my bow-mount 9.9 kicker.
If I hook a fish and I'm using the kicker with the
autopilot I like to set the control to push the boat
out into deeper water to fight the fish. One, I don't
spook any other fish and two, I can fight the fish without
worrying about getting into snag-infested water.
The makes backtrolling with my 9.9 simple and effective.
You can stay on the contour of the structure and you're
not stuck holding on to the tiller handle. You can move
around in the boat and work a fish from anywhere you
need to.
Remember, the reason you backtroll is to maintain a
tight position on the structure. That means you should
keep the jig or rig you're using almost vertical. If
you have too much angle on the line you won't know where
the bait is as you twist and turn on the contour. The
best situation is a small amount of angle on the line.
I use an Oddball jig with my SJR721 6 -foot one -piece
with 6 lb Fireline on a MITCHELL 308. If I'm rigging,
I like to use a long noodle rod, the STR1082S 9-foot
with 6 lb Fireline on a MITCHELLl 308. These rod and
reel combinations provide exceptional sensitivity and
balance, especially with GLX models.
When a fish bites, toss out a marker buoy or punch
in an icon on your GPS. The object here is to get right
on that spot again after you land the fish. Where there's
one walleye there may be 10, and with all the commotion
of landing a fish, you can't always get back on a spot
if it's not marked. With a marked location you can get
right back over the spot and catch more fish.
Backtrolling is a very precise way to present a bait
and many anglers are finding that it is one of the most
productive ways to catch walleye.
