July means Weedbed Walleyes!

[brennan.chapman]

Lots of Mississippi River Walleye fell victim to the 3.5" Swim Shad this past Saturday. After a huge front had passed through, we were greeted with 5-25mph gusts out of every direction, making boat control tough at best. Pool 9 had received over two inches of rain in a two day time frame, and much more in the pools above, so finding clean water was not easy. When the wind subsided, a 3/32oz Round Head rigged with a Swim Shad pitched to the edge of eel grass was the ticket. The lightweight jig was light enough that I wasn't getting snagged up in weeds each cast, and the Swim Shad offered enough tail action that I was able to get away with such a light jig without sacrificing action of the bait. When pitching weedbeds on the Mississippi, I am often greeted with funny looks from bass boats, as I am the only guy with spinning gear in my hand. Pitching weedbeds scattered throughout the main channel is often a tactic overlooked by Walleye anglers. When looking for clean water, the main channel is probably the furthest thing from most people's minds. However, even in the dirtiest of water, the weeds act as a filter and leave behind plenty of fishable water between small cuts. If you happen to be strolling through a cut and begin to pickup a weedline on your side imaging, kill the motor and pickup a plastic. 

https://player.vimeo.com/video/349455998

[ctom]

Just had to let that little tid-bit out, didn't ya. I have found a lot of walleyes in the big river's backwaters in the heat of summer.

A buddy and I were catching nice crappies in a chute one summer day when the actual temp was 98 degrees. The chute was only 8 feet deep but the crappies were tucked back in the weeds a ways so doing exactly what you describe got our hits. We were going to move and while pulling up the electric we saw a large school of walleyes casually swim right under us. We put the motor back down and tried casting to them but they didn't seem to be interested and in fact started to break the school apart by going into the weeds.  That got re-interested in the spot and we did pop walleyes by fishing right up tight to those weeds. I always had assumed that in summer heat, especially with high skies, that waldos sunk to the bottom out on channel water.  Not so and I've been back to prove it to myself.

[brennan.chapman]

Interesting. I think it is most people's perception that they all go deep in the summer months. One thing that I look for on these weedlines, is access to deeper water. At least in my experience, the weedlines along the channel with little current and less deep water access, hold a lot of fish in the summer months, but less Walleye. If you can find a weedline right off the channel with easy access to deep water, they are there waiting for you this time of year. I've probably already said too much. 

[WALLEYE WACKER]

Been the ticket on the lake I fish the most for years

[Lamar]

  There's a fine line between fishing in the weeds and fishing the edge of the weeds. If you can figure out and keep that bait on the edge then you will normally find fish. One of my friends has the Humminbird 360 and that thing is the ticket for finding the edge. It's my next purchase.

[basscatlildave]

Nice. I would love love to catch some of those.

[brennan.chapman]

  There's a fine line between fishing in the weeds and fishing the edge of the weeds. If you can figure out and keep that bait on the edge then you will normally find fish. One of my friends has the Humminbird 360 and that thing is the ticket for finding the edge. It's my next purchase.

I haven't fished out of a rig equipped with the 360, YET. It looks like a game changer, though.