The spring river walleye run is on. People come in droves to the dams with the hopes of catching the walleyes and saugers that stack up there in the spring for their annual spawning season. Of course the favorite method is the jig and minnow. Whether slipping the current, drifting or anchoring, a jig and minnow can be extremely effective. It will catch many fish and fill many a limit in the spring time. But what works best when the fish are nearing the end of their spawning ritual and are headed back down river on to their summer holding areas?           

Not all walleyes spawn at the same time or in the same place so just isolating yourself to the dam limits you from the fish that are potentially available. Some walleyes prefer to spawn in the shallow weed flats and lay their eggs in the weeds. Some prefer timber while others prefer rocks. Most walleyes do not go all the way to the dam either. The larger females will often stage in areas adjacent to their preferred spawning area and then move up to the spawn site when they are ready to drop their eggs and then move back down again.

One of the main staging areas is actually not in the deep holes but on the edge of them with current still available but out from the main current. Walleyes and saugers like current but they don’t necessarily want to be in the heaviest current in the system; especially if the water levels are up with a heavy current. If the current is really fast they will even hang below fallen timber. One of my favorite areas when the water is high is flooded timber adjacent to some deeper water with some current.           

I will cast jigs into these areas but my favorite technique is to troll them. Trolling can be difficult on the river because of snags. But the rewards can be impressive.           

I will try several different techniques for rigging them as well. I will use an inline weight, a three way swivel, lead core, or planer boards.           

If I use an inline weight I will use short leaders if the river is dirty, sometimes only 2-3 feet. In clearer water I will go to 4-6 feet. I will hook the inline weight directly to my trolling line or a snap if one is already on and tie the leader to the other end. I do like to use a snap for changing setups quickly. I will use a quick snap on the leader end as well to change baits quickly.           

With a three way system I will tie a three way swivel onto the line and run my two leaders off of it. The lower one I will use a 1-2 foot leader with a bell sinker or even a barrel sinker with a split shot so if the sinker gets snagged you only have to replace the sinkers and not the whole rig. Then I will run usually a 2-4 foot leader off of the other eye of the three-way back to a quick snap for changing lures.

Lead core trolling is for precise depth changes because your speed will determine the depth your lure is running. It is great for working depth changes because of the no stretch in lead core; you will be able to see if the lure is ticking the bottom and even if you pick up debris.  You just need to change your trolling speeds when working contours.           

Planer boards allow you to cover a wider range of water and spread your baits out. Planer board fishing is simply running your lures out and clipping on a planer board to spread them out to cover a wider range of possible depths. The length of your leader from the planer board to the lure will depend on the lure, speed, and depth that is desired. 

When trolling in the river there are a few things that you can do to help reduce snagging. If you are going to use planer boards on the river you may want to remove the front treble hook so the bait doesn’t snag on the timber as often. I prefer to use smaller number 4-5 Original Rapala’s, Thundersticks, and Dave’s Lures Nitro Shiners. Another tip that can be useful in the river for trolling is the use of no stretch lines like PowerPro. I will run PowerPro to a small 2 foot mono leader. If it gets snagged and the lure can’t be retrieved, then you only have to break off a piece of the mono instead of trying to break the PowerPro. You must be careful in doing this and wear a glove, because it will slice your hand with its small diameter and superior strength.So if you want to get away from the crowd and try something different and have a chance to land a lot of larger fish give river trolling a try. If you are not an avid troller start with only a couple of lines until you feel comfortable with it and then add more as you go. Sometimes one or two rods are all you will be able to handle if the fish are really biting.Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed.

Good luck and good fishing. Remember to take a kid fishing and promote our great heritage.