Catch More Columbia River Walleye
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
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The Columbia River supports one of the best Walleye fisheries in the world. However, many anglers struggle to connect with these fish. A number of factors make Walleye difficult to catch but with the right equipment, skills, and knowledge you can greatly improve your catch rates. Here I discuss some skills, tactics, and tackle suggestions to improve your odds as well as provide some underwater video to add context to discussion of where to find Columbia River Walleye.
Tackle featured in this video:
- Berkley Lightning Med Rod 7' - amzn.to/3jFBEva
- RUNCL Titan II Spinning Reel - amzn.to/3H0ucDO
- 10 lb PowerPro line - amzn.to/3CkKrdk
- VMC Mooneye 3/4 oz Jigs - amzn.to/3L2u4Gh
- Blade bait 1 oz: amzn.to/3sAV3Ck
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That underwater video was awesome!
I totally agree with fishing structure, not chasing marks.
I didn't know walleye bed low like that. That is amazing I thought they were on the move constantly. 😮I've never seen that thank you.
That underwater video was pretty awesome. I'm always blown away by how many fish are down there.
Yeah, and none in my cooler
"I love it when the fish make it look like I know what I'm talking about." Haha! That might be one of the greatest things I've heard you say! You do seem to have that gift!
Hey Split Milt! This is long overdue and completely unrelated to this video but I wanted to say a massive thank you to you for the wealth of knowledge in your Kokanee fishing videos. My buddy and I have been watching you religiously since early 2021. Neither of us had ever kokanee fished but we applied your kayak tactics to Whiskeytown Lake in Northern California using an old bass tracker and a trolling motor. The first time out we caught limits and had two different guide boats ask us about depth and scent on our corn (bloody tuna water based). It's been lights out ever since. Kokanee fishing went from something we thought would be cool to get into one day to literally a blast whenever we want to go. I can't say thanks enough for all you've done and the willingness with which you share your information.
P.S. Kokanee Poke is my new favorite way to enjoy them.
That's awesome. Just goes to show that Kokanee don't care about what boat you are in only tactics and tackle matter. I might be fishing Whiskeytown in early June. I am looking forward to it.
@@spiltmilt Exactly!! The bite has turned on really well in the last month out on Whiskeytown if you can sneak out. Lake Shasta up the McCloud arm is also amazing for big bows and browns right now as well. I highly recommend hitting both if you're down here.
I too have been fishing Whiskeytown lately. I've fished for and caught Kokanee over the years and took friends along. I was not overly thrilled with catching them because I was not thrilled with the way they cooked. I tried BBQ, frying, etc. Everytime, they were just too dry. People I took fishing had the same feedback with the fish they took home. This year I tried an experiment with the first limit. I filleted them skin on, deboned them, and them made a dry mixture of light brown sugar and salt (salt to taste - dip a wet finger into the mixture to test). I pack the fish generously with the dry brine and refrigerate it for about 24 hours in a covered glass bowl. By the next morning the mixture has leeched the moisture out of the fish and they are in a brine soup. I then throughly rinse the fish with fresh water and put the in a dehydrator for 5 hours at 165 degrees. I got the idea from early days of smoking salmon. The result is absolutely unbelievable. My wife and daughter-in-law ate the first 10 filets in one day. That second batch lasted exactly as long. I have two limits brining in the refrigerator right now and will dry them tomorrow. I highly recommend this method of preparing Kokanee. The fish is extremely oily when done and the taste is incredible. FYI, I caught a 3.6 lb. Kokanee at Shasta last September. There is definitely a good Kokanee fishery in Shasta too.
Your insight and information is invaluable and I just wanted to thank you for that.
Thank you Ryan 👍
Loved that underwater footage!
"I love it when the fish make it look like I know what I'm talking about" 😂😂👌
How do you not have more subscribers?? Awesome content as per usual! Keep it up! I'll keep sharing your videos!
Thank You for sharing, excellent underwater footage.
Good stuff. On another topic, how about an educational video on the life cycle of the kokanee? Particularly diploid vs triploid and spawning habits on planted lakes - like ones with no access to stream spawning areas. Is there any point in releasing egg bearing fish in such situations? Do triploids even produce eggs? Etc. thanks.
This is very interesting... I've always wondered where and how Kokanee in lakes spawn.
I've never seen or caught in the lake one of those red, hook mouthed, Kokanee like seen on Google
Some spawn in streams feeding into lakes and others shore spawn with varying degrees of success. th-cam.com/video/7EuCdZG1PKw/w-d-xo.html
Wow, those fish are just chillin down there. They dont appear to be moving around much.
Always appreciate your content!
What fish bag do you own? So many of them are way too big for a kayak.
Currently I use a bag from Columbia that has removable inserts but unfortunately they don't make them anymore and I've not found a suitable replacement.
Great video, and great info on tactics, keep them coming. Tyler, I wanted to know if you have any other underwater camera suggestions as the one you currently have is a bit over my budget. Thanks again.
Check out the Eyoyo 7" that I compare in this video. th-cam.com/video/MfYM6Bwt6-c/w-d-xo.html
DAng, those are some monster suckers... Love catching those when euro nymphing.
Tough to euro nymph in 50' of water LOL
Cool video Tyler. I didn’t realize how many suckers were down there around those walleye, you ever catch those incidentally? Definitely want to try this walleye fishery some day.
Yes I do catch those suckers and you know it immediately because they fight like champs whereas Walleye fight like a sack of potatoes 😂
@@spiltmilt Haha, yeah they are fun. Will we be seeing out there chasing springers soon?
Not for a while. Not a legal springer run within 250 miles of me. Trout, Kokanee, and Walleye for the foreseeable future.
To your point, it's always funny to watch how many people follow guideboats while out fishing. That being said, if I ever saw you on the water, I would be right behind you in the yak! Haha
I carry smoke bombs 😂 That way you can't see me.
Some years back I did follow Tyler & I swear I saw a couple trout jump into his yak entirely on their own --- he cussed at them & tossed them back in the water !
Thanks for the videos. I just subscribed. Awesome channel.
That video was amazing!
I did really like your underwater video. Can learn habits of those critters. What I think I learned, They like open light boulder bottom. That Sucker fish and Walleye can live in the same area. Brothers from another Mother. They are tight to the bottom. Lazy and Stubborn.
Here is a challenge for you, try to get a video of a bite/strike of a walleye on your Jig/worm.
Thanks for making these videos.
Love the underwater footage! I always laugh seeing suckers down there. They just don't get any respect!
Have you ever fallen out of that kayak. In spring like this the water temp must be your enemy. You must have a plan as well if you do fall. Great vid always man. Cool to see the eyes and suckers down there, plus the structure. Show us how you bleed those eyes.
As you can see in the video I do wear a full body dry suit and PFD. I also know I can flip my kayak over and get back in it in under 3 minutes.
I make it a point to not give any reason from someone to flag my channel so I never show the "bonk" or "bleeding" so as to avoid any strikes on my TH-cam account.
I’m a shore fisherman, I live on the Columbia in southern B.C. I’ve all but given up on targeting the walleye. Our bottom is so rocky the snags and break offs are not only frustrating but make me feel guilty about the amount of lead that ends up in the water. I’ve had success with swimbaits for them but that method equates to, maybe, 3 catches a year… guess I’ll have to be happy with the kickass rainbows :)
I fish about thirty miles south of Kettle Falls. I haven’t made it out for spring walleye yet (that damned work thing), but I have caught many of the large triploid rainbow off the banks. I wonder why I even bought a boat. The white sturgeon that B.C. Planted are also an awesome fish to catch from the bank. Not sure of the B.C. Regs. Watch Samong Outdoors for some great sturgeon bank fishing.
@@shockcoach you are a good friend to have, you know.... the one with the boat 😉
Thanks for posting. No wonder fish finder doesn't pick up walleye. They are belly to the bottom with the rocks
Awesome underwater video I thought they where carp lol
At first I did too…😎😄
There are a number of suckers mixed in with the Walleye
@@spiltmilt Well good. My eyes are not playing tricks on me. My eye immediately went on the lookout for big SM. I’ve hooked into a number of Columbia River Walleye by accident…
@@spiltmilt thanks I have to rewatch video a few times on big tv.
Great and informative video, especially the opening scenes. Do you have some Walleye recipes we can try either on the grill or in the oven?
We use them in a variety of dishes but simply breaded and fried is how I enjoy Walleye the most.
Walleye turning out to be just a fantasy for me...
Make it happen! Keep at it. I felt that way when I was just starting out with them too. A frustrating fish at times.
@@spiltmilt they are indeed very localized like you said. I know some jigging spots, but they're not there anymore.
So I've been trolling further south, but this has been just shooting in the dark
Walleye is on the bucket list. Planning a burbot and walleye trip to Roosevelt. Can I assume this was filmed upstream of Wells Dam?
Great video! Thank you!
What jigs are you using? I thought I heard you say, that one tore up my worm
Everything is linked in the description
I wonder what the ecological situation is that makes the walleye and the suckerfish seek out the same habitat. Use areas with suckers to fond walleye haha
Good question. I think they are both highly dependent on drift to provide food. In that regard it makes sense.
I usually don't have any problems catching them. I catch them often in a lake in the Eugene, Or. area.
I'll be curious if they survived the draw down in any kind of numbers.
@@spiltmilt yeah sucks that they do that. They killed off thousands of trout and Kokanee from Green Peter lake and Foster Lake. Luckily the lake I fish they don’t draw down at all. It’s called Dexter Res just outside of Eugene if your interested.
I saw your video from there a while ago. Ever catch more than just the one?
@@spiltmilt lol Yeah suck at making videos.. I’ve caught probably 6-8 total from that lake. I started using the bottom bouncer weight rig seems to work well. Lookout Res right above Dexter also has them. I do enjoy your Kokanee videos. Lots of good tips. I really struggle to catch them.
Can you also share which underwater camera was used for this video? Thanks for posting awesome videos.
Marcum Pursuit HD Camera: bassproshops.vzck.net/XxGPMg
Hey would you recommend the old town sportsman PDL or the salty for fishing lakes with possibly some boat traffic causing waves such as lake sammamish and lake Washington?
Thanks!
Both will take boat wake very well but the Sportsman's PDL 120 will keep you drier than the Salty but you will lose a little bit of speed.
The underwater footage was fantastic! More fish down there than I realized. Would it be fair to say that if I'm hooking suckers, I should be into walleye as well?
They do seem associated here. Not sure if that holds up elsewhere.
@@spiltmilt hey maybe I missed it but what action of rod do you use?
Can you please explain what a seam is? Love the underwater footage! Such a variety of species! It really helps understand just how tightly Walleye are, to the bottom. No wonder electronics don't see them.
A seam is where slowing moving water meets faster moving water.
Thank you!
I’ve got to try this. Thanks for the helpful tips. Probably not, but do you find having the transducer/arm hanging in the water creates noticeable drag? The Salty is pretty speedy and sleek as it is, just curious.
Its noticeable and reduces my speed by 0.1 to 0.2 mph.
I fish for walleyes in trail bc area, i get very frustrated by the bottom landscape. I loose al lot of gears every time to get even one fish, extremes rocky bottom, how would you address this issues?
Single hooks will reduce snags
I've never caught a non "eater" walleye. I've eaten them from a 1/2lb to 15lb and all are great.
We have size restrictions
@@spiltmilt we can keep one over 22" in places that have limits. The Columbia has no limits.
I love the underwater video. A couple of questions, what month was that? I'm learning the river down here by Tri-Cities, and I've seen other fisherman say that the Walleye stick right on the bottom in between ripples in bottom. I thing I'm having trouble with seasonal movements and where in the reservoir system I should be fishing. Back east, this was pretty straight forward, up toward dam in the winter, back down as the summer goes on. But I haven't seemed to lock in that pattern here. Any thoughts on that?
Filmed in March.
Yes Walleye generally stick tight to the bottom. I for years thought they primarily associated with rock and gravel structure but this video pretty clearly shows they will sit in the sand dunes on the bottom.
Like eastern Walleye ours will move up in the tail races of dams to spawn in the late winter and early spring and spread out in the fall summer. Current speed largely predicts depth. Slow current means deeper, high current shallow.
im down below longview clatskanie area any suggestions on where to look for them? met you once at sportmans
Closest reliable place is the Multnomah Channel downstream of Coon Island
Is this above the dam on the British Columbia side ?
no
Do you use a leader at all? Or is the jig tied straight to the braid? Thanks for sharing. I don't live near the Columbia, but I am always interested in learning new techniques.
I use fluorocarbon leader
what lure are you using?
Really nice technic, I wonder what jig do you use 🤔
Link in the description 😉
Where are you on the Columbia. I’m above Mcnary. Tricities area
Upper Columbia near Brewster
Are you using a stinger hook on your jig?
Not this time but it would have certainly helped this day. I missed several short strikes.
Hi Great video what part of the Columbia are you fishing thanks randy
Above Chief Joseph Dam
Nice video. But isn´t 60 to 80 feet to deep to release them?
Definitely unless you use a descending device
@@spiltmilt Ok, thanks. I was not aware of that.
Can you catch walleye from the shore or a canoe in the columbia river?
Bank fishing options are limited but I do all my walleye fishing from a kayak with no issue.
@@spiltmilt thanks
What is the spec on the Berkley Lighting rod? I would like to pick up a couple of these rods. I see Berkley Lightning rods that are 7’ long and 2-6lb line rating. Is this the right spec?
Model is linked in the description: amzn.to/3jFBEva
Med, 8-14 lb
@@spiltmilt Thank you so much!
Do you jig in Banks also or mainly troll.
75% troll, 25% jigging
What month do Walleye usually spawn on the upper Columbia? Early June?
More typically April sometimes May depending on water flows and temperatures
Walleyes and suckers together on the bottom I see. Yeah, in river situations with heavy current like the Detroit River they use up to one ounce (and greater) jigs to get to the bottom and are quite successful with the walleyes, but the Detroit River is not anywhere near as deep as the Columbia. I've never fish the Detroit so that's something I have to experience.
Do you use a fluorocarbon leader with your braid?
Yes 8 lb
Do you ever use a bottom bouncer and slow troll?
Yes I do th-cam.com/video/FaGUYuVrGeE/w-d-xo.html
Are you in the upper or lower Columbia
upper
Is that Rufus woods
What was the water depths in this video?
40-50’
Bro I don’t have a boat and I got 0 access to any boats and I don’t know how to target and catch them from the bank
My first time Kayaking and this Kayak held strong. th-cam.com/users/postUgkx4k5UrhC3v_Y4hIEaXLGvHcN5a5aBmZNB The water got pretty rough as a speed boat zipped by me, and the Kayak withstood it (I expected to be capsized). The Ores are very easy to put together, the pump worked beautifully. the seats are a bit hard to sit in after a while (I recommend sitting on the floor). after reading the reviews I was very scared it'd get a hole in it, the material is very strong and durable. The Air valve may need a small Phillips head screwdriver to adjust, other than that, it's well worth the money!(update)I've gone Kayaking in 3 Lakes and 2 rivers totaling about 40 miles. the kayak had two holes and they patched easily and no other problems can't wait for kayaking season this year!
Not it’s not the same kayak
What section of the river do you fish for walleye?
Rufus Woods and below Wells Dam.
@@spiltmilt I new there should be some good walleye fishing around entiat. I need to get out and try it
@@spiltmilt I’ve heard good things about Rufus woods, when I google maps it shows me a lake, do you fish the lake or the stretch of the Columbia near that lake, by the frontier ministries off Columbia river rd? Thanks in advance
Lake roosevelt :)
I do think any walleye should be removed from the Columbia same for pike minnows etc....
Good thing you aren’t a fisheries biologist
@@spiltmilt why is that? I am a very strict catch and release fisherman, but i am also a very strick invasive species fisherman how many smoults do walleye eat a year? I live on the clearwater river i live to catch salmon springers summers, falls, sockeye we send 10, million smoults down the big C every year we are lucky to get back 0.063 percent as adults if it eats smoults i am for whacking it, that in includes smallies in the rivers as well ,but I always release big females in lakes and other waters if i was a biologist i would crack down on big C predators more that they do now for sure.
There are plenty of places that are walleye fisheries they are in no danger.
@@magwamagwa45110 I would say that walleye don't eat as many smolts as you think. Most of the walleye are hanging out in deeper water on the bottom. I think that small mouth bass and pike minnow pose more of a threat.
@@chrismehl9842 that may or may not be the case but i know they move into shallow water at night and gorge on them in the spring .... Either way they are invasive and there are plenty of places dedicated to walleye.
@@magwamagwa45110 The northern pike minnow are not an invasive species to the Columbia River, it is their native waters.
There's no limit on rivers for walleye, bass and catfish. There's no shortage of walleye in Washington and a reason for no limit. They are non native species. No reason to release larger female. I know bucket biologists know everything and will do what they do there's a reason why the state removed the limits. Now it needs to happen state wide.
In fact you are wrong. There are limits imposted on Walleye above Chief Joseph dam where these species are important gamefish species.
@@spiltmilt non native species are not important to native species.
Hate the music
Thanks for sharing your hate Steve. 😂
I was seeing a large netting operation on Lake Roosevelt in September. Any info ? Lots of rumors about reducing walleye population to establish a chinook fishery.
They are netting pike. They release the walleye
I would assume you were around 40-50 feet? What camera allows you to do that footage that deep?
Yes around 40’ using the Marcum Pursuit HD Underwater Camera: amzn.to/3GE483a