2013 Episode Synopsis
by Charlie Wray

Episode 234: Live Target Walleye, Floats & Divers

Today, the Mercury Marine Destination starts us in the Bay of Quinte for monster Walleye, over to the Fraser River for Chum Salmon on floats, then a substitute for downriggers when downriggers are not practical. First is time to hitch the 2050 Crestliner Raptor to the RAM, and head off to the Bay of Quinte. This has been another tough season for Quinte anglers, the fish didn't show up early and were not in the usual areas. Charlie joins friend Jim Johnston today, not only is Jim a good friend, but a guide for many years on Quinte. Between Charlie and Jim, the fish will be in trouble today, Jim's spots and Charlie's can't miss lures gave them a very successful day! If you are looking for one of the most experienced guides for Quinte Walleye, contact Jim at 1-613-393-3767

Good thing the RAM has four wheel drive, the ramp is slippery this morning. This is early December and winter has shown that it is here to stay. RAM BOX to the rescue, Charlie has a pail of salt handy for the ramp. The RAM BOX keeps everything contained and handy without having to crawl around the back bed of the truck. The RAM BOX is a hinged storage area on the outside of the back bed, above the back tires on each side of the truck, perfect for frequently used items. Not only is the RAM BOX easily accessed, it is washable, complete with drain holes, and lights up as soon as you open it. Perfect for this early morning!! Now that the boat is safely launched, time to deal with ice. There is at least 300 yards of ice that has formed at the Picton launch from the cold calm night, and there is only one way to open water, and that is to break through. Charlie has been using Crestliner boats for many years now, and once in a while, there is still something that amazes him at the quality of these boats. After breaking that much ice, he was sure there would be some paint damage when checked at the end of the day, the surprise was not even a scratch, just another testimonial to the quality of even the paint finish of these boats.

Many very good anglers have struck out this year, clear waters and attention to details, are a must at all times, but especially here. With the fish scattered, it was time to search, and it was the Humminbird Side Imaging that came to the rescue today showing bait to the sides of the boat, that keep them in the area longer to explore in greater detail. Most Walleye are suspended over deeper waters at this time of year, but the Walleye might only be 15 - 20 feet down and easily spooked by the boat, and will move out to the sides and away from the approaching vessel. This is definitely a situation where the clip on side planers, are a must to take the bait out and away from the boat. Using a slow trolling speed of between 1.7 and 1.9 mph, the baits must still have great action at this speed, and the very realistic Live Target Perch was outstanding. Not only is it a dead ringer for a real Perch, the action is perfect and the shallow running YP115M 4 3/4 inch size started to hit fish immediately. After so many folks having a poor season at Quinte for large Walleye, this was just a reminder that these Live Target Perch are truly a go to lure for this situation and has been productive for Charlie year after year!

In cold waters, the Walleye want a consistent lure action, not one that is pulled and jerked that looks to difficult to catch. For this reason, Charlie does not use a braided line on the boards when there is any wave action, but the Seaguar Abrazx Fluorocarbon line. Not only is this line abrasion resistant, low memory, and invisible in the water, it has a slight stretch to it, so when waves are pulling and bouncing your boat and boards, the lures run more consistently than they would with a no stretch braided line. Many hits are simply noticing your board has changed its angle of pull. The slightly more aggressive Walleye will be more obvious as your boards are pulled backwards. With light hits, you need all the help you can get, so keep the hooks as sharp as possible. The new incredible Mustad Ultra Point KVD treble hooks are perfect for this. The KVD treble has the same Ultra Point features that have made Ultra Point a leader in hook technology, but also incorporated the Triple Grip configuration. Once in, this triple grip is extremely hard to shake and twist out by even the most determined lunker.

This is another situation when the Okuma line counters more than pay for themselves. Once you start hitting fish, repeat the exact lead of line out, and even keep track of the amount of line to the planer board. If it is working, you sure want to repeat everything exactly the same, over and over again. This is also an opportunity to use the new Okuma reels with the TSC knob (tension spool control). This is an independent drag setting for your reel when it is in free spool, so you can have various amounts of tension when you are letting your lines out.

Ideal when you are setting planer boards, Dipsy Divers, lowering your downrigger weights, etc. As soon as you snap your reel back into gear, you are back to your original drag setting, simply awesome! Everyone has different ideas on where your rod holders should be, and every technique can be different, but with the Cannon track system and adjustable rod holders, you can have the perfect set up, no matter what species you are fishing for.

Designed for serious fishing the Crestliner 2050 Raptor was ideal today and helped make the fishing even easier. Calm water or rough, this is a well designed boat that is sure to help you fish better. Powered by the 300 hp dependable Mercury Verado, once out of the ice, it was a quick fuel efficient run to the fishing grounds. When you are no longer worried about gas sucking outboards, it sure does make it easier to cover more water. With temperatures never getting much above freezing today, and only a few boats in the distance, it is also nice to have the dependable performance of the Verado on your side. To stay with the slower trolling speeds required today, the 9.9 Mercury Pro Kicker was quick to find the proper trolling speed and kept a whisper quiet approach for these spooky lunker Walleye.

Then it is off to B.C for Chum Salmon and Charlie meets up with buddy Len Ames. Drifting jigs in the current under slip floats is a time tested successful technique, and it doesn't have to be difficult. This simple technique works but like everything "fishy" pay attention to details. Adjust your floats so you are about 2 feet off the bottom, too high and the Salmon won't touch it, too low, and you are snagging up every few seconds.

Braided line makes a lightning fast hook set easier, and the Seaguar Kanzen is ideal. This thin braid cuts the current easier and makes hooksets faster with the no stretch characteristics. Even in murky waters, use the invisible Seaguar Fluorocarbon Leader material. All braids are very visible in the water and the added abrasion resistant qualities of the Seaguar 100% Fluorocarbon Leader Material will save many break offs from sharp rocks and the dagger like teeth of mature male Chum Salmon. Jigs are perfect under the float to track in the current, and one of the best is the Worden's Maxi Jig! Pink or anything with Pink in it are top colours.

Then for the last part of the show, it is Lake Trout from Northern Saskatchewan. Waters are snag infested and downriggers are not an option, but one lightweight technique that is a must to bring is a Jet Diver on a dropper line. Jet divers roll and swim to the surface when rigged in line with the resistance of most lures behind, but if you use them on a dropper line so your lure is not pulling from the back of the Jet, but the 3 way swivel a foot above, they pull and track at normal trolling speeds and never roll. They can bump and dig into the bottom taking the abuse, and once snagged, a little slack line has them floating up and out of the snag on most occasions. One lure that doesn't get the attention it should is the Hot Spot APEX. This lightweight dart plastic spoon has incredible action and is instantly hammered by the Lake Trout.

Continue to Episode 235

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