Deer Creek walleye tips?

[Watershadow]

Same experience Monday night 9 - 12. Not too sure on these DC walleye stories. Been out early and late at DC, lots of tried and true tactics...appears to me the good walleye fishing there is a thing of the past.
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[THESLAYER]

Your wrong I assure you these are no stories guys crossineyes you are the reason I am so efficient at dc you taught me years ago
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[Watershadow]

Hey, I'd love to be wrong about this; but my experience and discussions with other anglers at the lake lead me to believe otherwise. Utah has a few good walleye fisheries, IMO, DC is not one of them - at least not currently.

Tight lines
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[wiperhunter2]

It is funny you mentioned this because I met a guy at Willard on Sunday that said the same thing to me. I assured him that when most of the members post reports that are truthful. Just because good fishermen can't repeat the success of others it does not mean that their report aren't real. There are so many things that go into making a fishing trip a successful, as far as catching big fish or high numbers of fish goes. One of the biggest IMO is location, you won't catch fish where there number are low or not at all. The only way most of us learn where the fish are is by experience, then remembering this info year in and year out. I think overall walleye numbers go up and down from year to year and that effects the catch rate but that does not mean that there are not good sized eyes in any body of water that has them. Keeping a journal really helps but reading articles about the fish you want to catch can give you good info on where to start.
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[SBennett]

Pm sent.
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[Blackellunge]

walleyes are so finicky and difficult to pattern they could be stacked up in DC and most wouldn't find them.

going back tonight but ill be draggin some trout lures
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[Watershadow]

Well Wiperhunter, your comments are good ones...thanks.

I do have a questions though and maybe its a whole other topic. Question is, how can you assure someone that most members posts are truthful? What is your basis for that?

thanks
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[curt69]

What would they have to gain by lieing ? Most of the people on the forum are here to help .
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[wiperhunter2]

Well for one thing, it is in the rules and members that post false reports are in danger of being banned from BFT but you are right there is always a chance a member will lie and post false reports. I choose to have faith in members, unless someone tells me different and believe what they post. I have been in the same place as some of these members that have caught fish or numbers of fish that most members have a hard time believing. The only proof I have is the person that was fishing with me but there are many members on BFT that can back up the claims that other members make even though they were not with these members that had good success. How would they know, you my ask, because they have had similar success but choose not to post about it. Years ago, when I felt the same as you do now, I contacted the members that were making these outrageous claims and they were willing to take me out and show me the ways of the walleye or other fish. It turned out great for me at least and I learned a lot of info that helps me to this day and I'm truly grateful these guys were willing to show me what they know. IMO, when you don't believe what others are posting, it is always better to ere on the side of caution and learn what they are doing that is different than you, instead of saying what they post is not true.
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[Gemcityslayer]

[quote Watershadow]Same experience Monday night 9 - 12. Not too sure on these DC walleye stories. Been out early and late at DC, lots of tried and true tactics...appears to me the good walleye fishing there is a thing of the past.[/quote]

Any good walleye fisherman will tell you... sometimes you get skunked.

These are not trout... no offense... but walleye can be tough to find and even when you do find them, they might be full. Walleyes eat big meals and often times they only feed for a short period each day and then go dormant. Sometimes they turn on after midnight... it is really tough to pattern them sometimes.

If you were out on Monday from 9-12... what lures were you using? How deep were you fishing? Deer Creek is a big lake... did you move around much or fish one spot?

I do best at night with big paddle-tail swimbaits. 4-6" is what I prefer to use on a darter head. Cast it out and let it hit bottom then slowly retrieve it in... if you are snagging too much then don't let it sink to bottom... try letting it sink for 5 seconds and then retrieve in steady. Or 10 seconds. Mix it up until you get a fish and then go from there. Swimbaits work amazing for walleye but most people are not patient enough and give up after a short period of time fishing them. Don't give up. Don't go back to small lures. Keep throwing that 4-6" swimbait and you'll catch a lot of nice walleyes... there is no trick to it.

I also do really well at night on lipless baits. My favorite is the rippin rap in the largest size they make. Clackin' raps and rattling rapalas work well too... as do any of the other dozen or more popular lipless lures. Same story. Cast it out, let it hit bottom and then steady retrieve it in. Slower is usually better but you want the bait to work properly so there is such a thing as too slow.

I've caught walleyes with paddletail swimbaits and lipless lures year round, on over a dozen different lakes. It is the easiest and most effective way I have personally found to catch walleyes. I don't own a boat and do all of my fishing from shore. At night eyes come in shallow at raid the shorelines for prey... casting more or less parallel to the shoreline is usually the best bet...and wading out into the lake can help you cast a long the shore. I am not really good at anything in life but catching walleyes - I'm pretty darn good at that. Night time is the right time. Don't give up.
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[Gemcityslayer]

It does take some dedication, patience and experience though to get good at this...

I would personally consider it a waste to go out for 3 hours. You are gambling that you'll show up and there will be fish in front of you and eager to eat. If you are serious about night fishing for walleyes... give it more than 3 hours. Move around. You are going to need to cover a lot of water. You are going to snag a lot of lures. You are going to have to explore the lake. I'm not trying to make it sound hard - it really isn't that hard... but most people give night fishing a half hearted effort and it does require more than that.

Each trip you will learn something new about walleyes or night fishing... and eventually you'll get a nack for it and be able to slay them on a consistent basis. I've had a lot of nights where I don't get hit for 5-6 hours and then in the next couple hours I'll catch over 20 fish....

I've got all sorts of walleye tackle and gear and these days the only thing I will use is a 4-6" paddletail swimbait.. I am convinced these lures outproduce everything else. So don't waste your time with anything else until you get comfortable with those... you'll see what I mean. A 15" walleye will swallow a 6" swimbait... I kid you not.

And one more tip... don't miss out on the light change bite. You want to be at a good spot an hour before the sun goes down... I cringe every time I show up to the lake and the sun has already set. I don't know what it is, but the first hour or so before and after the sun either sets or rises... is money!!!

And I'll throw in one more tip just because I'm feeling generous. Walleyes take advantage of being able to see when their prey can't. That is why night fishing is so good. It's also why a wind blown shoreline is good during the day. When the water clouds up and is stained... the eyes know they can go in there and find prey that cannot see them coming... It is the same reason people usually do better for walleyes on cloudy days when fishing during the day... it makes the water a little darker and they can hunt prey down easier. So use this knowledge to your advantage. If there is a hot summer day without a cloud in the sky... my guess is the walleyes won't be feeding much during the day. That would be an excellent day to try night fishing. They sit around all day and then go nuts at night.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Well said. It's simple but it ain't easy.

Any guy who claims to catch walleye on every trip...or who claims to understand women...will lie about other things too.
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[THESLAYER]

Very true whiperhunter2 location is key if we don't mark fish or catch one fairly quick we move to find active fish!!! I'm headed to starvation now and who knows how ill do? I have confidence in my presentation and keep a very detailed fishing journal and review it year after year!! If anyone is up at starvation this weekend give us a call let's put in some work be safe guys s Bennett I look forwards
To Monday
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[Watershadow]

Yep, plenty of good walleye in starvation and lots of methods mentioned above will work; not so much in DC.
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[Gemcityslayer]

I disagree with that completely. Those methods will work anywhere there are walleye.
And Deer Creek produces some very large walleyes, always has, always will..

You might not be able to go out and catch lots of numbers at Deer Creek compared to other lakes... but you can catch them there is no doubt.

With all the tiny bass and stocked trout, those walleyes have a lot of food.

Have you ever caught a walleye at night Watershadow? If not how can you even say if that method will work at night? You couldn't even answer my questions about whether or not you moved around, or what lures you used. There are walleyes in deer creek, and walleyes do primarily feed at night and on big meals. That is not an opinion but a fact.
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[SBennett]

Slayer,
I apologize if I misunderstood your invitation was for monday?
I should have been more clear, I am not able to go until thursday night.
Please pm me and we can work out the details.
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[stan55]

Just to followup on night fishing for walleyes. I grew up in the midwest fishing for walleyes and my favorite time is fall to iceup fishing an hour or so before sunset until very late at night. I fished Mille Lacs a prime Minnesota walleye lake from sundown to sunup many times in October thru November trolling Husky Jerks/Reef Runners/Shad Raps in depths of 7 to 12 ft. and we would boat 30 eyes on an average night. Those tactics will work on any lake. The paddletail swimbaits started catching on about 8 years ago. Casting them shallow at night has been productive for me and they will produce in the day time as well. The walleye in my avatar was caught at 4 in the afternoon in 20 ft of water working a swimbait along the bottom. Swimbaits are not as effective when trolling as hardbaits for some reason at least in my experience.
You will need to put some time in learning the prime walleye feeding areas and build an inventory of hot spots. Since THE spot can change every night keep moving from spot to spot until you start getting fish. Once you locate the particular spot for the night you'll catch fish for an hour or so.Then start moving again to locate the next batch of feeding fish. We once caught a total of 23 walleyes in 15 minutes between three people in one little area before the bite ended. Right place, right time and right bait - simple when you get the hang of it but it takes time.
And just when you think you've got it figured out walleyes will throw you a curveball. I was fishing on a bright cloudless day at high noon targeting bass and pike on a shallow slightly weedy sandbar - basic sight fishing - when I noticed pods of 6 to 8 lb walleyes cruising the area. I caught probably a dozen in the next 30 minutes and then they were gone. Not typical walleye conditions at all but they were there.
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[zman2]

there isn't many eyes in d,c you can thank the boys for that stop the gillnetting at the river,,,they say its for research bullshi,,,,they want them gone,,...when you take 12 pound hens and chuck em on the grass I think there is a problem ,,,,,ben there makes me ,
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[Gemcityslayer]

I have to agree with you, fall to ice-up is the magical time of year for night eyes. I do best that time of year. Spring can be tricky, the spawn has never been good to me. I'm familiar with Mille Lacs are you in Utah now?

Trolling at night is particularly effective. You can keep your lure in the "zone" and not have to spend so much time re-casting and walking the banks looking for active fish. Shorelines are money for night time walleyes... trolling something with a lot of vibration and flash (swimbaits, cranks, jerkbaits) will catch walleyes... They see it or feel it and once they get close their lateral line gets tickled and fish on!

To your point: I have also done well on walleyes during the day with a swimbait. Like you said, usually closer to the bottom and fished with a stop and go retrieve. Even "popping" it or "jigging" off the bottom can be very effective. Almost always in deeper water than I'd fish during the night shift... but walleyes will raid shallow areas to feed and often surprise me as well how shallow they'll go even when the water temps are hot in the summer. They especially like to raid weedbeds and weed edges during the day for panfish / perch. I prefer using keitech swing fat impacts in size 3.8" up to the size 5.8". On a darter style jighead. This swimbait is kind of under the radar but if you do a google search there are a couple places to buy them at. I'm convinced as I said, that nothing works better. Cheaper swimbaits work, but not as well.

I think if I had access to a boat I'd use cranks / jerkbaits more and troll over the right depth ranges using a GPS to stay in the zone. From shore, it is tough to know how deep you are fishing in new areas with a crank / jerkbait because they dive to a certain depth and that is it. With a swimbait I can "probe" the entire water column and figure out how deep it is, and whether or not the fish are cruising suspended or near the bottom. It depends on what they are eating usually.

As for spots, I agree completely. It doesn't matter if you are in a "good looking spot" fishing the "perfect lure/bait"... the walleyes will be near where the food is if they are biting... and just because you find a few balls of shad or other baitfish... doesn't mean you found the walleyes... the might be on a baitfish ball a half mile away.



[quote stan55]Just to followup on night fishing for walleyes. I grew up in the midwest fishing for walleyes and my favorite time is fall to iceup fishing an hour or so before sunset until very late at night. I fished Mille Lacs a prime Minnesota walleye lake from sundown to sunup many times in October thru November trolling Husky Jerks/Reef Runners/Shad Raps in depths of 7 to 12 ft. and we would boat 30 eyes on an average night. Those tactics will work on any lake. The paddletail swimbaits started catching on about 8 years ago. Casting them shallow at night has been productive for me and they will produce in the day time as well. The walleye in my avatar was caught at 4 in the afternoon in 20 ft of water working a swimbait along the bottom. Swimbaits are not as effective when trolling as hardbaits for some reason at least in my experience.
You will need to put some time in learning the prime walleye feeding areas and build an inventory of hot spots. Since THE spot can change every night keep moving from spot to spot until you start getting fish. Once you locate the particular spot for the night you'll catch fish for an hour or so.Then start moving again to locate the next batch of feeding fish. We once caught a total of 23 walleyes in 15 minutes between three people in one little area before the bite ended. Right place, right time and right bait - simple when you get the hang of it but it takes time.
And just when you think you've got it figured out walleyes will throw you a curveball. I was fishing on a bright cloudless day at high noon targeting bass and pike on a shallow slightly weedy sandbar - basic sight fishing - when I noticed pods of 6 to 8 lb walleyes cruising the area. I caught probably a dozen in the next 30 minutes and then they were gone. Not typical walleye conditions at all but they were there.[/quote]
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[stan55]

I moved out to Utah 4 years ago. Since I've been here I have focused on Kokanee and lakers. The Koke season is about over and lakers are going into prespawning mode so I will be targeting walleyes this fall. Starvation has been my destination to date. Looks like I should start learning Deer Creek. Likely after Labor Day when the power squadron goes into hibernation.
I have avoided DC to date because I have no desire to catch planter rainbows (exception for Starvy steelhead!) the smallies are dinks and the perch aren't much better.
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