Walleye Fishing Tactics: A Northern Pike Discovery

Last summer I stumbled upon a fantastic tactic for catching walleye. Believe it or not, I uncovered the technique while targeting northern pike... but I'm not picky about the results.

 It was a hot afternoon in July ? the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. I had just finished splitting a pile of wood and decided the hard work was to be rewarded with some time on the lake. With the water being warm, my thoughts were that the big northerns would have a heated bite. At the very least, I figured the nice weather was sure to generate a feeding frenzy amongst the largemouth bass. With a plan in mind, I gathered up my gear, loaded up the canoe and set out into the bay.

My strategy was this: I stationed myself in approximately 18ft of water and about 40ft away from a large weed-bed with the intent of casting toward the shallower water. Considering big pike will eat about anything, my choice of lure was not exactly limited; however, without live bait and a depleted stock of soft-plastics, I decided to turn to a good ole crankbait.

My pick was Reef Runner's Rip Stick. The bait of choice is 4-5 inches long with a curved, minnow-like body that sports a dark, purple-flecked design. It also comes in varying colours and sizes, but currently I only have two in my arsenal (figure 1). The Rip Stick dives between six to ten feet deep and will slowly rise to the surface during a pause. Also, this lure has AMAZING action, but I find its true calling lies within the Rip and Retrieve method. Oh, and did I mention it rattles?

Knowing that pike are driven into a beserker's rage by erratic movements, I casted toward the weed-bed and put my thoughts to the test. Once the lure hit the surface, I gave three quick jerks of my rod causing the bait to dart down into the water. I then began to reel in my line normally for a few feet before initiating another three or four rapid rips - for added presentation I would add a pause sporadically before retrieving the lure.

Within five casts I had my first fish on. And to my surprise, it wasn't the small pike that I had suspected it to be. It was a 3lb walleye! After a few more casts, I caught another one, only this 'eye was slightly smaller; in fact, this beauty was the perfect eating size. Needless-to-say, I continued to fish with the Rip Stick in the aforementioned style for a couple of hours. Before succumbing to hunger, I reluctantly packed it in but felt elated by the success of the outing. I had caught five walleye, the biggest being 4lb and the smallest being 1.5lb, and a dozen or so largemouth which were of a decent size and offered a good fight.

For the rest of the season I proceeded to utilize this lure and the Rip and Retrieve technique - every time I was rewarded with spectacular results. Funny enough, though, I only managed to catch one pike which came off the Hot Tamale versioned Rip Stick. Regardless, I wanted to share this tactic with you so that you could benefit from its glorious results.

Before I leave you, here are a couple of things I would like to make note of:

1. I caught walleye ANYTIME of the day - whether it was morning, mid-afternoon, or night, Rippin' and Retrievin' the Rip Stick produced fish. 
2. These fish were HAMMERING the lure - it was not your typical walleye nibble, it was a full-out strike every time. 
3. The hit would more often than not come directly AFTER the rip sequence ? the fish attacked the lure either during a pause or right before normal retrieval. 
4. The Rip Stick has THREE triple-pronged hooks ? having a set of forceps handy is highly recommended.
5. This tactic and lure works well for a VARIETY of fish - I caught Walleye, Pike, Smallmouth and Largemouth bass 

Thanks for reading and happy angling folks!

Remember, always follow the laws set forth in your area of fishing. This means keeping fish within their allotted slot size, proper quantities, and so on. Let's make it possible to fish for life!