Lindy Rigging For Walleye
Brent Jakobson, Winnipeg
You catch more fish if you can place - and keep - your bait where the fish are. Whether you’re using sophisticated electronics or Uncle Ralph’s map to that secret fishing spot, angling is about catching fish and not just finding them.
Lindy rigging is a tried and true method of getting your bait in front of fish and enticing them to bite. The particular style of weight that is used in Lindy Rigging allows the angler to let the fish take off with the bait without feeling any resistance.
When setting up this rig use a Walker style or No Snag Sinker which allows you to run the fishing line through an “eye” in the weight attached to a snap swivel at the terminal end of the line. The swivel is used to connect to a snelled type of rig anywhere from 2 to 4 feet in length.
There are many types of snelled rigs that can be used - from a simple slow death hook with half a night crawler to elaborate spinners with beads and floats. I prefer to use a Mack’s Wally Pop which is a crawler harness rig with a float and a “smiley blade”. The Wally Pops are very effective when presented at a slow troll speed. I aim for about 0.7 mile per hour.
I prefer to use a 7 to 7.5 foot medium light rod with a fast action. If I am fishing in 15-20- feet of water I use about a 3/8 ounce Lindy No Snag sinker. If deeper than 20 feet I increase the weight to 3/4 ounce. I bait my Wally Pop with a nice fat night Crawler. I let out line until I hit the bottom and troll keeping the sinker in contact with the bottom allowing the bait to run just above.
When I feel the light tap of a bottom hugging Walleye touching my bait I point the rod towards the fish and let the line loose. This allows the line to run through the sinker when the walleye swims away with the bait. I give the fish a few seconds to run, close the bail and sweep the rod forward to feel the fish and then set the hook.
Lindy rigging gets the bait in the fish’s mouth and with a little technique the hook will stay in place until you land your prize.