This time of the year I like pulling weight, lots of weight. What’s that mean in fishing terms? Heavy bottom bouncers and heavy inline weights. It follows my old philosophy when it comes to walleye fishing on the big lakes, go as big as you can, whenever you can.
The problem is this, most boards cannot run true and level while pulling this much weight. While I love the TX-22 I picked up last year because they stay upright while trolling cranks and divers, they tend to ride low in the rear while pulling lead heavier than 1 oz.
Not that 1 oz weights are a bad thing, but lets face it, the dive charts available for the BPS weights I like to run are still unproven for their running depths. Even though this week has been a pie in the face of the global warming alarmists and the temps have been running colder than normal, if you want big fish, you still need to go deep. 25 to 30+ feet of water is where the big gals and boys hang out.
To combat the unproven depth charts, I will put on the 2 oz Bass Pro Keel Weights. They will be the first rods out so I can get an idea of how much line to let out to run near the bottom. Release your line with the rod tip pointed towards the front of the boat, and with the rod follow the line towards the back of the boat until the weight hits bottom. To get an accurate reading on the counter, keep the tip near the water as you do this.
Once the line goes slack, engage the reel and lift your rod to place your inline board on your line. In order to have my boards run true while dragging the heavier weights, I switch from the TX-22’s to Church Tackle Walleye Boards. The reason is that they have a sliding weight on the keel of the board, which helps the board’s run true. Normally with the 2 oz weights I will slide the weight +.5 or in heavier seas, then +1 on the scale provided on the bottom of the board.
If you like to run the heavy 4 oz bottom bouncers of your boards, then slide the weight forward some more, and play with it until your boards run even keel in the water.
I found that Frank’s Great Outdoorshas everything I need for my boards. If you are up on Saginaw Bay stop by in Linwood and pick a couple of pairs up. Au Gres is hopping right now, and it is not a far ride to be fishing 40 fow where the walleyes are.
If you want to shop on the internet, I recently found a Michigan store on Lake Michigan, who also happens to be selling on Ebay. Called Brett’s Place on the Bay, they are located in Benton Harbor. Shipping is usually two days to the Monroe area. They have good prices, with shipping often inlcuded.
2 Pack of Walleye Boards for $54.99, includes shipping
4 pack of Walleye Boards for $104.99, includes shipping