When fishing for walleyes in the heat of summer, Joe Henry finds success trolling crankbaits down near the bottom depths of Lake of the Woods.

There is a well-known pattern of catching big numbers of walleyes that takes place each year during late summer on Lake of the Woods. Massive numbers of walleyes make their way to the big, open expanses of the basin of the lake. These huge expanses are 30 to 35 feet deep and full of walleye-attracting forage. There are no weeds—just flat structure and miles and miles of nothing but walleyes. These walleyes can be caught in a variety of ways; however, one of the most effective is covering water by trolling crankbaits.

Big Traverse Bay

No man’s land this time of year is a prolific aquarium full of life. As the water warms, many of the walleyes slide to the deepest depths of this basin (30 to 35 feet) in search of cooler water and less light penetration. Most importantly, though, there is a smorgasbord of bait in this part of the lake. Roaming schools of emerald shiners, tulibees, perch and trout perch minnows (a minnow that lives in the deeper depths) are in abundance.

There are also a variety of critters walleyes eat that call the mud their home. Bloodworms, a variety of invertebrates, and nymphs of aquatic insects (before they reach the surface to shed their skin, reaching adult stage) are just a few.

So, here’s the scenario: Tens of thousands of walleyes, all living in a big expanse of open water. In most cases, there are very few “spot on a spot” areas that group walleyes tightly. It simply makes sense to cover water, and trolling crankbaits is an effective way to do so.

The trick is to present the right crankbait at the walleye’s desired speed, in front of or a few feet above the walleyes, in the relatively deeper waters. The right crankbait takes into consideration size, shape, wobble, color, speed and where in the water column to present it.

With technology and ever-developing products, getting a crankbait down to 35 feet has become much easier, and anglers don’t have to invest a lot to do so.

Downriggers

Getting cranks down to the bottom foot or two of the lake in 30 to 35 feet of water, where the majority of the walleyes are living, is key. Downriggers are extremely effective in consistently positioning lures in the strike zone, even when the boat surges in waves.

In other bodies of water, some may argue that downriggers spook walleyes. Perhaps they do, but not on Lake of the Woods. Maybe it is the stained color of the water, but year in and year out, ‘riggers catch a ton of walleyes.

Leadcore line

Leadcore line is exactly that—line with lead as its core which causes it to sink. The more line you let out, the deeper your crankbait will reach.

Leadcore line has a different color every 10 yards. For every color of leadcore let out, your lure will go down an additional 5 feet. I really encourage anglers who may be intimidated by formulas and dive charts to keep it simple. Estimate how deep your crankbait dives. Figure out how much deeper you want your lure to run and let out what you believe is the amount of leadcore to get you there. Then, troll and watch your rod tip.

If your rod tip starts to bounce, the crankbait is hitting the mud; reel line in 10-foot increments until it stops. If your rod tip does not bounce, let out more line until it does; you’ve found bottom. Again, reel up line in 10-foot increments until you are not hitting bottom. This will get you in that bottom two feet of the water column, right where you need to be.

One disadvantage to using leadcore is it takes a long time to reel in fish and let the lure back out. Because of this, there is a leadcore product I use that has been helpful. Suffix 832 Advanced Lead Core dives 30 percent deeper than traditional leadcore, which allows you to reach your desired depth with less line.

Braided line / deep-billed crankbait

When looking to reach depths in excess of 30 feet, some of the deeper-diving crankbaits teamed up with a thin-diameter braided or superline will get down deep. If the fish are hitting bigger-billed cranks, you are in business. If by chance you want to use smaller baits, it is tougher to get down deep with just the crank. When the walleyes show a liking for larger-billed crankbaits, this method is effective.

Bouncers and three-way rigs

When trolling the deep mud on Lake of the Woods, you don’t need fancy equipment. A 4-ounce bottom bouncer with a 6- to 8-foot leader and a shallow-diving crank will help you catch all the walleyes you want. Make sure to lower your bouncer slowly to avoid tangling.

A three-way rig is similar to a bouncer, but instead a wire with a piece of lead, uses a 6- to 12-inch piece of line from the lower rung of the swivel down to the sinker. The third part of the three-way swivel has a leader to the crankbait. Believe it or not, there are days when three-ways are the ticket and will greatly out-fish a bouncer setup.

Crankbait selection

The water is stained, meaning it is stained a light brown color from natural tannins. As a rule, gold or bright colors dominate. Gold is a staple color on Lake of the Woods. My go-to colors are gold, blue/chrome, pink and UV pink, firetiger and black. Yes, black. By raising the black crank up a bit, walleyes see that dark silhouette against the sunlight above. Just like night fishing, dark-colored lures can rule against the shine of the moon.

When fishing with a partner, I start us out with two different colors and wobbles. When pulling through fish I can see on the electronics, if the fish aren’t responding, we rotate lures, speeds and nuances until something clicks, and then we hone in. Every day can be different. It’s just a matter of going fishing.

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