Maumee River Walleye Run

[MasterKraft]

Oh yeah, as far as your tackle is concerned, don't take a cheapy reel down there . Whether you choose a baitcaster or spinner you want a reel that's in it for the long haul. I learned a long time ago the hard way, I've had bearings go out in an hour of fishing down there. Your reel takes a beating. The anti reverse gets put to the test on spinning reels. I like the baitcaster because I can use high gear ratio to keep from drifting into the guys downstream if the river is movin that fast.

[Hoytman86]

No cheap gear. Shimano spinning reels and baitcasters. Never have skimped on my equipment, better to buy one good one that never breaks than a dozen brag ones that make you stop fishing every other time you use them.

[Jawbreaker]

Depends on how high the river is. Yourbweight is gonna be in contact with the bottom so your gonna want your leader to he up off the bottom righr in they're facenso they get pissed off the strike at it. I usually use 16 to 24 inches all the time. The guys fishing near you for the most part are more than happy to share their rig setup. Theres definitely a feel and technique to gettinnlegal fish. After gettin a few it gets a little familiar. You most of the time are not gonna get a slam as much as feeling dead weight. Theres no tap tap involved add the current its like hooking into a mattress at first then they will realize they're hooked and let you know. Its a blast evev though last year there were a lot of huge cats and big carp being brought in. HANG ON, them carp like to see how much line you got spooled up.

Did someone say carp?

[MasterKraft]

That's a beauty

[Hoytman86]

That's a beauty

That's an understatement! Hell of a fish!

[MasterKraft]

I make these up to hang on my waders or vest.
They are tackle tamers made by northland.

[Hoytman86]

I got my order from Maumee Tackle today. I ordered 3 colors of "Medium" floating jig heads, several colors of grubs and a wading net. It all looks good but the net had an issue. The elastic cord was cut almost all the way through about 3/4" up from the handle. I sent several pictures of this with the tag showing it was purchased from them ASAP. Waiting on a response. The Frabill net itself is fantastic. Well made and certainly worth the extra $10 over the cheapie nets you can buy for the same purpose.

Also, if these are the "strong" hooks, I'd hate to see the weak ones. They're pretty stout, but still have a little wiggle when I was holding the jig head a twisted the end of the hook. I'd love to see a barb on the neck of the jig head to hold the grub up, but compared to some of the prices I've seen in stores I'll definitely keep these at the top of the list if I order again.

Thanks again to all that posted. I'll be up mid April for an afternoon before a weekend with Skipper9 and Eyehunter. Everyone please be safe and best of luck in the last few days of hardwater fishing!

[MasterKraft]

A lot of guys will put a dot of super glue on grub tail and jig head to keep from sliding off. I myself do not, because a lot of casts you are grabbing your tail to clean off moss or debris anyway so I just push the grub back in place. I think most floaters are made with the thinner wire hooks to add to the floating affect. Also, you are going to go through quite a few jig heads and it can keep the cost down buying bulk. You hook into a big carp and it will straighten your hook right out, or the flexible hooks can help you get out of a snag. You will find yourself squeezing the hook back into shape quite a bit , too. The river is rough on tackle so you never run out of little things to be messin with. Its a lot of work but its also a lot of fun. Its a great way to get rid of the cabin fever. I myself love the river run and can't wait. I'm usually down there every morning except saturdays and sundays. You meet a lot of good people that will answer any questions you may have. Good luck and be safe. Bring on the River Walleye Run, , lets get the soft water season started.

[Old Wheezer]

I bought a trolling sinker mold a couple years ago and pour my own weights. It gives me something to do on cold winter nights. I have more sinkers than I can ever use but for some reason I still like to go out in the garage and make more. Hopefully the ice will break up in the river soon.

[Defernaut]

Oldest trick in the book. Those big hawg walleyes will dress up in a carp suit thinking if they get caught they will just be thrown back. I hope you didn't fall for it.

Did someone say carp?