As we get into the dog days of summer, water temperatures start to heat up and we start to transition from live bait, jigs, and plastics, to more of a reaction style bait for walleye. Tournament Pro Max Wilson covers his favorite presentations for targeting midsummer walleye not only on Green Bay, but also all over the country.
Come midsummer, one of the major forages on a lake like Green Bay are gobies. To mimic that forage, Max’s favorite options include a Moonshine Lures Shiver Minnow, Rapala Jigging Rap, or a jigging spoon. These three baits have different actions and different applications.
When he’s casting at individual fish, Max likes to throw the jigging rap for a faster cadence. Jigging raps tend to dart side to side in the water and are just a bit faster and more erratic than other baits. When you get into the Moonshine Shiver Minnows, those have more of a pause with a barrel roll action. These baits are nice if you’re blind casting or bomb casting and using a smooth yo-yo retrieve back to the boat.
Sizes are also important to consider when choosing these baits. If he’s using his forward facing sonar and casting straight out at individual fish, Max opts for a bit lighter bait for a bit less fatigue on the snap and more action and with a longer hang time. For deeper water, he’ll use a larger profile for a faster fall rate. Also if the fish are eating right on the initial drop instead of chasing the bait, a larger profile with a faster fall rate can make bomb casting more efficient.
If the bite is a bit more slow and finicky, that’s when Max makes the switch to a jigging spoon. You can snap these lures aggressively and let them flutter side to side like a wounded bait fish or just pull them through the water and let them fall. There’s a lot of different applications and ways to fish jigging spoons. This summer on Green Bay, there’s been an alewife invasion and when these bait fish started dying off, walleye fishing became very difficult. Jigging spoons strongly mimic a dying bait fish which matches that situation well.
When you’re targeting midsummer walleye, there’s a lot of great options out there. Max’s best advice is to have these 3 different lures tied up, watch your forward facing sonar closely, try faster and slower cadences, and let the fish tell you exactly what they want.
