Nice video, thanks for posting it and actually explaining the technique and showing examples of the cast, the reeling speed, etc. Too many guys just show the end of the fight and landing them and that doesn't really tell anyone anything. That's my favorite way to catch walleyes. Nothing like having a 7-8 lb'er hit a weapon on a long cast and fight it on light tackle.
Agreed man, I live in NY now on Lake Ontario, so I mostly fish salmon nowadays. But I grew up on Erie, and really look forward to getting back there once a year so I can weapon fish. Definitely one of my favorite things in the world.
@@MudSharkZ I actually came up with a hybrid method that I use when I have newbies with me that can't seem to get the hang of casting and reeling. I aim the boat downwind and put the TM on a speed that will push me around 1.7-1.8 mph. I use 1/2 oz to 5/8 oz egg sinkers. If you have 3 guys in the boat, the two on the sides cast out on an angle behind the boat as far as you can. And the 3rd guy casts straight behind the motor. As soon as the lines are all in, I kill the TM and let the boat drift. I start counting as soon as I kill the motor and when I feel the sinker hit the bottom, I stop counting and turn the TM back on. As the boat speeds back up, that's usually when the fish hit. Sometimes on the fall right before it hits bottom. If I get back to full speed with no bites, I kill the TM again and this time I turn it back on one count shorter. I keep stopping one count shorter each cycle until we figure out what works best. This only works when holding the rod. It also works best with a light breeze. If it is dead calm, I have found that the boat slows too fast and if it is blowing too hard, the boat doesn't ever slow down enough. It is essentially the same effect as what you were showing in your video, but with the boat creating the action instead of doing it yourself.
I know you use 15 lb flouro for tying your weapon lures, but what kind of line do you use for your reel when casting? Braid or mono or doesn't matter and what lb test? Thanks
@MudSharkZ ok thanks, just one last question. You said in video, you were doing an 8 count. When you do a count, I know you go by when lure hits the water but right when lure hits the water, do you close the bail as soon as lure hits the water or keep bail open till 8 count is finished?
Great video, i know you said once the line poles tight and it is directly upwind of you, you stop reeling and let it flutter and wait for a bite but what if you dont get a bite at that point? Do you just continue a slow retrieve all the way back to the boat?
It really depends on the day so you have to mix it up and see what they like that day. Generally if it's light wind and a slow drift I slowly retrieve it back to the boat. On windy days with a fast drift, a lot of times you can just drag it straight up wind not reeling at all and they will bite it. We always called that a "long line" bite. I can remember lots of days with a fast drift when we would just make a long cast and not retrieve at all, just put the rod in a rod holder and just let it drag until a fish ate it.
Hey great video, sorry for this dumb question but when you say "up wind" are you saying "into the wind" and when you "down wind" is that the same with "with the wind"? Making sure I am understanding that correctly. Thanks a lot!
Great explanation & demo of the swing. What speed do you prefer when drifting?...I don't see any socks out in the video, so guessing you like to move at a pretty good clip. Looks like a blast!
No sock needed that day, that was the perfect chop for that Ranger, and Ronny was nice enough to let me fish the stern. That boat drifts a little bow-forward, so I had the perfect pull in the back. Usually you can adapt to about any drift speed by adjusting your weight and technique as long as you're moving. The no wind days are the worst. On really fast drift days, you can use a sock, or just cast out and don't even bother retrieving. Just let the drift speed pull it around the swing until it's straight upwind. Drag it there for a couple of minutes, then reel in and cast again. Thanks for watching 👍
I'd say 1.5 to 2 ft. per second, but remember that with a slow retrieve, even if you start reeling at a 5 count, you may still touch bottom in 30' at a point in your retrieve if you have a slow drift.
On the western end, once the jig bite dies off (usually may) until the fish thin out in the fall. Basically all summer it's very effective. I was born and raised in Maumee. I live in NY now, but my hearts still on the muddy maumee.
Great explanation and demo I have a trip coming up soon do you prefer braid or fluorocarbon line as a main line to your harness! I usually use fluorocarbon but I thought about switching to braid! Any thoughts on whether or not the fish pay any attention to the line color? Thanks
Awesome, good luck on your trip 👍 I've always used regular monofilament for my main line. I tried braid and didn't like it. As long as you have a good sensitive graphite rod, you don't need braid in my opinion. I use Berkley Trilene XL 8 lb. clear mono for mainline and 15 to 20 lb. Seaguar Fluorocarbon for my spinner rig.
please explain what you are talking about when you say "the swing" ... never heard that specific phrase before and you don't explain in your video, which otherwise was really nice esp. when you were considerate enough to slow down your cast. please explain the swing
The technique I show you in the video is called "fishing the swing" So, basically you are drifting and casting parallel to the waves and slowly working your lure until it ends up directly upwind. That is called fishing the swing on Lake Erie.
@@MudSharkZ thanks mudshark... i walleye fish out of dunkirk and barcelona (westfield)ny. things are going well except 4 days of sm craft advisory which went from thursday(6-16) until sunday. nice eyes out from 15-50 ' so we are just starting to troll harnesses, renoskys, rapalas and even erie dearies once in awhile. have used the weapon several years now and as we all know walleye caught rod in hand is a ton more fun as compared to trolling. thanks for the quick response and blessings to you !!!
@@dennisarmes3473 Same to you and good luck. I'm actually in New Jersey fishing this week. Just got off a 20 hour tuna trip. We lucked out, the wind has been decent here the last couple of days. Take care 👍
Depends how big the boat is, but usually no. Everyone just kinda finds a spot and figures out how to swing it. But...if your buddy has the good spot and he's catching fish and he goes to get a beer, steal his spot lol. Seriously though, you can swing it from anywhere on the boat, but the bow and stern are best. The key is to just hang it there with the blade barely spinning. It drives the wallys crazy. Most people don't have the patience for it.
Nice! Looks great. Seems similar to an Erie dearie. Or just fishing a worm harness with an added weight. What do u see as the main difference Do you get more bites on this rig? Or is it just a cheaper alternative?
I still love fishing weight forward spinners like the old Erie Dearie, and they still catch fish. But... this rig definitely gets more bites. It's a more subtle presentation that even neutral fish have a tough time refusing.
Close the bail when it hits the water and count it down. Sometimes if the wind is really blowing and you have a fast drift, you don't even have to reel. Just hold it, and let the boat pull it around the swing and they'll grab it. Whatever it takes to get that blade to just flutter. The less wind you have, the more you have to retrieve.
Yeah, that's the general technique on Erie. Once you find a pocket of active fish, you keep drifting over them until the spot dries up. Sometimes it's a very short drift, other days you can just drift for miles and pick away at them.
I've fished the deeper waters off of Huron and Vermillion (Central Basin) 40 - 50 ft. down and caught them and I'm sure you could go deeper. Give it a try, if you can find a good school of fish I'm sure you can get them.
Nice video, thanks for posting it and actually explaining the technique and showing examples of the cast, the reeling speed, etc. Too many guys just show the end of the fight and landing them and that doesn't really tell anyone anything. That's my favorite way to catch walleyes. Nothing like having a 7-8 lb'er hit a weapon on a long cast and fight it on light tackle.
Agreed man, I live in NY now on Lake Ontario, so I mostly fish salmon nowadays. But I grew up on Erie, and really look forward to getting back there once a year so I can weapon fish. Definitely one of my favorite things in the world.
@@MudSharkZ I actually came up with a hybrid method that I use when I have newbies with me that can't seem to get the hang of casting and reeling. I aim the boat downwind and put the TM on a speed that will push me around 1.7-1.8 mph. I use 1/2 oz to 5/8 oz egg sinkers. If you have 3 guys in the boat, the two on the sides cast out on an angle behind the boat as far as you can. And the 3rd guy casts straight behind the motor. As soon as the lines are all in, I kill the TM and let the boat drift. I start counting as soon as I kill the motor and when I feel the sinker hit the bottom, I stop counting and turn the TM back on. As the boat speeds back up, that's usually when the fish hit. Sometimes on the fall right before it hits bottom. If I get back to full speed with no bites, I kill the TM again and this time I turn it back on one count shorter. I keep stopping one count shorter each cycle until we figure out what works best. This only works when holding the rod. It also works best with a light breeze. If it is dead calm, I have found that the boat slows too fast and if it is blowing too hard, the boat doesn't ever slow down enough. It is essentially the same effect as what you were showing in your video, but with the boat creating the action instead of doing it yourself.
@@slimshadycustoms That's a great technique. I'll pin your comment so other guys can try it as well.
Thanks for the details. Been wanting to try this technique.
Good luck, let me know how you do 👊 Way more fun than trolling.
Very well explained! Thank you.
Best tips i’ve found on worm harnesses….
Well done. Love the detail info. 👌
Nice net jobs and pics of those 16” walleye! Oh yea? 😮
Thanks.
Nice, I've always tied my blades the same way because I know the walleye hit the blades not just worms.
They definitely do 👍
I know you use 15 lb flouro for tying your weapon lures, but what kind of line do you use for your reel when casting? Braid or mono or doesn't matter and what lb test? Thanks
I've tried both but I personally prefer mono. I'm usually using 8 or 10 lb. test Trilene XL
@MudSharkZ ok thanks, just one last question. You said in video, you were doing an 8 count. When you do a count, I know you go by when lure hits the water but right when lure hits the water, do you close the bail as soon as lure hits the water or keep bail open till 8 count is finished?
@@craigwagner327 I close my bale when it hits the water but then don't start to retrieve until the count is finished.
@MudSharkZ ok thanks for all the help
Great video, i know you said once the line poles tight and it is directly upwind of you, you stop reeling and let it flutter and wait for a bite but what if you dont get a bite at that point? Do you just continue a slow retrieve all the way back to the boat?
It really depends on the day so you have to mix it up and see what they like that day. Generally if it's light wind and a slow drift I slowly retrieve it back to the boat. On windy days with a fast drift, a lot of times you can just drag it straight up wind not reeling at all and they will bite it. We always called that a "long line" bite. I can remember lots of days with a fast drift when we would just make a long cast and not retrieve at all, just put the rod in a rod holder and just let it drag until a fish ate it.
@@MudSharkZ thanks for the great tips
Hey great video, sorry for this dumb question but when you say "up wind" are you saying "into the wind" and when you "down wind" is that the same with "with the wind"? Making sure I am understanding that correctly. Thanks a lot!
Yep, you got it 👊
Great video. Do you thread half crawler on hook or just hook it in middle?
I've always preferred threading half a crawler up. Thanks for watching 👍
Great info, thanks!
You bet! Thx for watching 👊
Good video
Nice work.
Nice video man and sorda wanna try this in my kayak what you think??
And what pound test do you use
Yes, you could definitely do it in a kayak and I use 8 lb. test Trilene XL or Big Game.
Yes you could do definitely do it in a kayak. I use 8 lb. test Trilene XL.
Good info!
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Great explanation & demo of the swing. What speed do you prefer when drifting?...I don't see any socks out in the video, so guessing you like to move at a pretty good clip.
Looks like a blast!
No sock needed that day, that was the perfect chop for that Ranger, and Ronny was nice enough to let me fish the stern. That boat drifts a little bow-forward, so I had the perfect pull in the back. Usually you can adapt to about any drift speed by adjusting your weight and technique as long as you're moving. The no wind days are the worst. On really fast drift days, you can use a sock, or just cast out and don't even bother retrieving. Just let the drift speed pull it around the swing until it's straight upwind. Drag it there for a couple of minutes, then reel in and cast again. Thanks for watching 👍
This is a great video. Are you on the Canadian or US side? And what month is this?
I'm fishing Ohio waters, northwest of West Sister Island. Video was shot in June. Thanks for watching 👍
awesome vid
Just curious, do you know the rate of drop per second of counting when using a 3/4 oz egg sinker?
I'd say 1.5 to 2 ft. per second, but remember that with a slow retrieve, even if you start reeling at a 5 count, you may still touch bottom in 30' at a point in your retrieve if you have a slow drift.
Good point, thanks
What time of year is the technique the most successful?
On the western end, once the jig bite dies off (usually may) until the fish thin out in the fall. Basically all summer it's very effective. I was born and raised in Maumee. I live in NY now, but my hearts still on the muddy maumee.
Great explanation and demo I have a trip coming up soon do you prefer braid or fluorocarbon line as a main line to your harness! I usually use fluorocarbon but I thought about switching to braid! Any thoughts on whether or not the fish pay any attention to the line color? Thanks
Awesome, good luck on your trip 👍 I've always used regular monofilament for my main line. I tried braid and didn't like it. As long as you have a good sensitive graphite rod, you don't need braid in my opinion. I use Berkley Trilene XL 8 lb. clear mono for mainline and 15 to 20 lb. Seaguar Fluorocarbon for my spinner rig.
@@MudSharkZ I use braid for my main line and prefer it for the castability. It doesn't get all twisted and you can cast it a mile.
Really sweet video bud… just wondering how often does it get tangled up
Do you have a video on how to tie this rig?
No, I don't as of yet. But maybe I will make one.
@@MudSharkZ I’d really love to try this out in Saginaw bay/river. Great video by the way I learned a lot!
How deep of water can you use that technique in
I've fished it as deep as 40 to 50 ft. I think you could go deeper though.
Thanks. Iv always wanted to try something like this. They seem to be in about 70 fet now. Might be worth a try.
@@randykeech3557 I would try it, it's a really fun way to catch them.
please explain what you are talking about when you say "the swing" ... never heard that specific phrase before and you don't explain in your video, which otherwise was really nice esp. when you were considerate enough to slow down your cast. please explain the swing
The technique I show you in the video is called "fishing the swing" So, basically you are drifting and casting parallel to the waves and slowly working your lure until it ends up directly upwind. That is called fishing the swing on Lake Erie.
@@MudSharkZ thanks mudshark... i walleye fish out of dunkirk and barcelona (westfield)ny. things are going well except 4 days of sm craft advisory which went from thursday(6-16) until sunday. nice eyes out from 15-50 ' so we are just starting to troll harnesses, renoskys, rapalas and even erie dearies once in awhile. have used the weapon several years now and as we all know walleye caught rod in hand is a ton more fun as compared to trolling. thanks for the quick response and blessings to you !!!
@@dennisarmes3473 Same to you and good luck. I'm actually in New Jersey fishing this week. Just got off a 20 hour tuna trip. We lucked out, the wind has been decent here the last couple of days. Take care 👍
So when there are 3 or 4 people on the boat do u just take turns casting
Depends how big the boat is, but usually no. Everyone just kinda finds a spot and figures out how to swing it. But...if your buddy has the good spot and he's catching fish and he goes to get a beer, steal his spot lol. Seriously though, you can swing it from anywhere on the boat, but the bow and stern are best. The key is to just hang it there with the blade barely spinning. It drives the wallys crazy. Most people don't have the patience for it.
Nice! Looks great. Seems similar to an Erie dearie. Or just fishing a worm harness with an added weight. What do u see as the main difference Do you get more bites on this rig? Or is it just a cheaper alternative?
I still love fishing weight forward spinners like the old Erie Dearie, and they still catch fish. But... this rig definitely gets more bites. It's a more subtle presentation that even neutral fish have a tough time refusing.
So do you close the bail as soon as bait hits water or let it sink open?
Close the bail when it hits the water and count it down. Sometimes if the wind is really blowing and you have a fast drift, you don't even have to reel. Just hold it, and let the boat pull it around the swing and they'll grab it. Whatever it takes to get that blade to just flutter. The less wind you have, the more you have to retrieve.
Dreaded Sheephead Plague!
Can you use a plastic leech?
Probably gulp would work, never tried it though. Nothing seems to beat a piece of crawler for this rig.
Did you fire up the boat & go to the top of the school & drift it over n over ????
Yeah, that's the general technique on Erie. Once you find a pocket of active fish, you keep drifting over them until the spot dries up. Sometimes it's a very short drift, other days you can just drift for miles and pick away at them.
HOW DEEP CAN YOU FISH THIS RIG PLEASE AS I FISH THE EASTERN END OF ERIE MUCH DEEPER FOR EYES.
I've fished the deeper waters off of Huron and Vermillion (Central Basin) 40 - 50 ft. down and caught them and I'm sure you could go deeper. Give it a try, if you can find a good school of fish I'm sure you can get them.
@@MudSharkZ thx
my son and I caught between 75 to 100 walleye a [piece casting weapons tipped with a crawler. Every cast all day long.
You had an awesome day, great job!