Part 1

There’s often more than one way to bamboozle the fish you’re after.  Sometimes it means using a lure in a different fashion from what its designer had in mind when it was created.

I find that to be especially true where certain sports fish are concerned.  One is largemouth bass and another is the elusive walleye.

My friend Paul Wright, of West Point, Indiana, will agree with the accuracy of those comments.  Paul, a nationally known figure in the bird hunting dog field, is also a cracking good walleye angler.  He’s made life miserable for them all the way from Devils Lake in North Dakota to big Lake Erie.  In recent years he has been competing in national walleye tournament competition all over the Mid-West.

Here's proof Paul Wright is a guy who knows how to put big walleyes in the boat.  These whoppers came out of Lake Erie.

One of the spots Paul favors for his walleye fishing is big Lake Erie.  Erie is one of the nation’s best bets for good sized walleyes.  “For anyone who has been to Lake Erie and caught big walleyes,” he says, “it can be life changing.  If you haven’t been there, it’s time to start making plans to do so.”

Wright picks fall as the best time for larger than average walleyes.  “Every fish,” he says, “will be loaded with rolls of fat.  They aren’t shy about hitting about any type of bait.”

Another reason he selects fall as a prime period is because the weather is usually more stable than at other times of the year.  If you’ve ever fished Lake Erie, chances are you don’t have to be told anything about the weather.  I’ve seen that lake when it looked more like the ocean than a lake.   It gets mean in a hurry and you need to be prepared for it or stay the heck away.

Paul told me about a recent Lake Erie trip he set up for a couple of close friends in late September and early October.  Wright’s friends were Mike Brummett and John Connelly, both of whom are Indiana residents.   The first couple of days they couldn’t even get on the water because conditions were just too bad.

“Don’t ever plan on a Lake Erie trip,” Paul says, “without taking the weather into consideration.   My rule of thumb where Lake Erie is concerned is that you should plan to stay for twice as long as you want to fish.  I say that because you’ll usually be kept off the lake half of the time due to rough and windy conditions.”

Though they had arrived early in the week, Paul wasn’t able to get his two pals on the water until late on Friday.  The water was still rough but the wind was dying.  They took what Paul regarded as a training session of sorts Friday afternoon.  His friends had done a limited amount of previous walleye fishing.

“The lake’s water was still dirty from three days of strong winds,” Paul says.  “Keep in mind that my two friends had never been to Lake Erie before.  They had no idea of what a trolling board, reel clicker or line counter reels were or how to set them up.  They turned out to be quick learners.”

The three were finally able to get serious about their search for Lake Erie walleyes on Saturday morning.  “We started out trolling large crankbaits,” Wright recalls.  “Both of my friend’s were really excited when they heard the reel’s clicker go off and saw the trolling board sink.  Our first fish turned out to be a 7-pounder.  That’s about average for Lake Erie walleye in the fall.”

They caught a couple more fish trolling and then things slowed down.  I could have guessed the lure Paul would select when he figured it was time to break out the bait.  I say that because he has told me about it before.

Paul Wright has developed a method of using a Mack's Lure product to help nail beauties like the one he's holding here.

“My favorite presentation when I fish with nightcrawlers on Lake Erie,” Paul says, “has always been Mack’s Lure Wally Pops.  We caught most of our fish with this presentation.”

But Paul also did something else that I touched on in the beginning.  He worked out a method of using a new Mack’s Lure to get those Erie walleyes to hit.  He and his pals wound up catching some of their best fish on the brand new technique he developed.

I’ll provide the details on what that new lure is and how Paul Wright and his pals used it in my next column.  Watch for it beginning Dec. 1.

-To be continued-