Ask the Walleye Pro: Troy Morris
Q: What kind of fishing do you expect at this year’s championship? What types of presentations will the anglers be using? Do you expect the bite to be slow like last year?
Craig Gunder, Williston, N.D.
A: Craig, the Mississippi River at the 2004 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Championship had unexpected high-water conditions that simply changed where the fish were located. In addition, there was also a stringent slot limit on the river. A slot-limit tournament is very difficult to fish, as the fish must be the right size and be caught in the right sequence. Most anglers are accustomed to locating the larger fish, which resulted in a large number of fish caught outside the slot limit and very few “winning” smaller fish.
As to your question on the types of presentations, this will be a secret that unravels during the prefishing and tournament days. I would expect it could be any one of the following:
• a three-way rig set up while slowly moving upstream
• trolling crankbaits
• handlining (this is a reel with a retractable cable, a large weight attached to the end and a clevis leader to attach lines)
• casting wing dams with jigs or Rapalas
• using willow cats on the wing dam
The Quad Cities are well known for their world-class fishery; I do believe it will be a great championship this year.
Q: What is the best way to locate walleyes if you don’t have electronics? I like to fish remote lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and bringing portable electronics just isn’t worth the hassle. Before there were fish finders, there were some pretty darn good walleye anglers. How did they find the big ones?
John, Grand Rapids, Minn.
A: John, let me first tell you that this is a great question. Many people believe that being a professional angler is all about the technology that is rigged on our boats. As you indicated, that is not the case. The first step to becoming a really great angler is being able to identify the best shorelines and to understand weather conditions. A shoreline has to “look good” before I even consider dropping a line. Depending on the body of water, many things need to be considered:
• water temperature
• river current conditions
• possible eddies you are fishing
• water levels
• current weather patterns
• time of the year
These things will tell you if you need to concentrate on shallow-water flats, steep rock points, structure or deeper water break lines.
The bottom line is that, before you can decide if a shoreline “looks good,” you need to spend time on that body of water. When you do catch fish, note what makes that area hold fish. If what you are fishing is not working, look for something else, and until you locate an area that does work, then repeat what you have just learned at the next spot. Only then will you be able to start understanding what makes a spot “look good.”
Q: How do you decide where your first run will be on a tournament morning? Do you always go to your best prefishing spot first, or do you save some fish for later in the tournament? How do you know if someone else will be fishing your spots, and does that change your mind about fishing there?
Tim, Battle Lake, Minn.
A: Tim, what prefishing does is it helps you prepare for the tournament, as locating prime fishing locations in certain weather conditions is the key to success. Not always is your best spot going to be your first spot, because weather conditions play a great factor on tournament day. I identify the time of day the fish were biting, wind conditions, sunny or cloudy skies, water temperature, air temperature, water clarity and water levels for each prefishing location.
When fishing a multiple-day tournament, you need to be very versatile and be able to change with the ever-changing conditions; your best spot today may not be your best spot tomorrow or even within the next couple hours. Catch the fish when you can, and don’t worry about someone else fishing in the area you are. Rather, make sure you know that area better than the next person. The fisherman that can adapt to these situations and make the right decisions every day is the winner.