How many have tried handlining? It is a very efficient way to work walleyes and is a huge thing on rivers like the Detroit River. It will probably be the jig if the water gets muddy. If it is, then watch a handlining master like Jason Przekurat. I learned it from him at a Walleye University class on the river. It was a very cool thing. Basically you have a huge spring controlled reel mounted near you so you can run the big motor and use one hand to bounce a heavy weight on the bottom. Just above the weight a foot is a lead to a floating rapala or bomber, then another foot up the lead is another clevis with another lead, normally twice as long with another floating rapala. What this does is keep two minnow baits within a foot or two of bottom all the time and sweeping with the current. One lead will be 8 feet and the other 16 feet, or 10 and 20 feet, 6 and 12 feet. Which ever you are most comfortable and have control with.
On the St. Louis River it works and catchs walleyes and pike. Since you are running two baits on one rod (the hand line) you can only run that one line. And be sure to know the piece of water, since two baits with trebles will grab wood very easily. So watch it.
My personal best on the St. Louis River came to a 3 way rig, that's a poor man's handline and sometimes the best way to spread the baits. I have had doubles with 4 pound fish doing this. So it's worth the time to learn. And not every spot is as good as the other, keep moving.
To read the rest of the story... click here..
I am glad to see everyone, like MMTS, reviews there rules and discusses them with the anglers before making changes, and they do not rush out to make changes. I think this is the right call. I think people will see some masters of polelining and handlining in one place and decide from what really happens just how they compare. I always go back to our database of fish caught before making recommendations. That's a huge advantage for MMTS over many leagues. We do have a huge database and 6 years behind us, plus thousands of fish scored. Now if I can get the FlyMaster to finish one more page on the record book, everyone will see more information about what we have caught per lake, per member, etc. Those will be interesting reports.
If you are asking what is polelining and what's handlining, they are basically presenting the bait very similar and precisely near bottom. The difference is that with polelining, you use a fishing pole with a heavy weight and with handlining the reel is spring loaded and is not on a pole, and it normally has wire to the weight.
Well. I like what the FLW is doing and maybe we can get some events in our area. Like the St. Louis River. Come on guys lets make it happen.