To effectively troll for walleye, teh depth of the bait must be controllable. The angler can manipulate the depth of the bait by using deep-diving Bandit lures. These type of lure have extended bills that allow them to dive to the depths the angler sets.
Factors that influences the depth of the lure include the size of the lure, the length of the line, the speed of boat, and the type of line used when trolling. Understanding how these variables interact allows anglers to make passes over the same portion of the water. The specific Bandit lure model that the angler uses will determine the depth of the lure.
How to Make Bandit Lures Reach the Right Depth
Smaller Bandit lures will allow the bait to remain more high in the water column. Therefore, anglers use smaller Bandit lures when the walleye is located in the upper half of the water column. Anglers use Bandit lure models in the medium range in the depths in the middle of the water column.
Larger Bandit lures are used to target walleye located in deeper portions of the water. Because larger Bandit lures carry more weight and have bigger lips, they can dive deeper into the water to target the lower portions of the water column that are occupied by walleye in the summer and winter months. The speed at which the boat is traveling will also impact the depth of the Bandit lure.
As the boat travels at higher speeds, the Bandit lure will tend to lift off the deepest portion of the water due to the water pressure on the bill of the lure. As the boat travels at slower speeds, the lure will remain in the deepest portion of the water. Anglers can use this to fine-tune the depth at which the Bandit lure travels through the water.
Adjusting the speed of the boat is more useful then adding or removing line from the fishing line. The strength of the current in the water in which the angler intends to troll for walleye will impact the depth of the Bandit lure. If trolling into a current, the effective depth of the Bandit lure will increase.
If trolling with the current, the effective depth will decrease. If using fluorocarbon line for the fishing line, the effective depth of the Bandit lure will also increase. Fluorocarbon line sinks more than monofilament line.
These variables can impact the depth at which the angler finds the Bandit lure. Therefore, two anglers using the same type of Bandit lures may not experience the same depth. Another method of reaching depths deeper than the range of a Bandit lure is to use snap weights.
Placing a snap weight on the fishing line partway between the rod and the lure will allow the Bandit lure to dive to deeper portions of the water. Additionally, using a snap weight will allow anglers to reach deeper areas without changing their rod setup. The deeper the snap weight, the more effective it will be to reach deeper portions of the water.
However, if the weight of the snap weight exceeds two ounce, the effect of the snap weight will slightly decrease. Snap weights allow anglers to use the same types of Bandit lures to target walleye that has moved into deeper portions of the water after a cold front. Walleye will move to different depths of the water depending on the time of year.
In the spring, walleye will move into shallow waters near the shorelines and areas with vegetation. In the summer, walleye will move into depths below the thermocline in the water column. In the fall, walleye will return to the depths in the middle of the water column.
During the winter months, walleye will remain in deeper portions of the water. Anglers must use smaller Bandit lures in the spring and fall and larger Bandit lures in the winter months. If the angler finds walleye at a shallower depth than they should of been located, the angler can increase the boat speed or shorten the length of the fishing line so that the Bandit lure can reach the walleye.
The color of the Bandit lures can also be a factor in the success of the anglers. In waters with good visibility, walleye will strike at Bandit lures with natural colors because they can easily see the details of these colors. However, in waters stained or containing high levels of mud, high-contrast colors are more likely to produce strikes from walleye because the high-contrast colors will create a silhouette in muddy water that the walleye will follow.
To prepare for different water conditions, some anglers may carry both natural and high-contrast colored Bandit lures. One of the main advantages of Bandit lures is the ability to repeat a presentation. If an angler determines the correct length of line and boat speed to reach the depth at which the walleye are located, they can repeat that exact presentation of line length and boat speed.
The repetition of that same combination will create the same pattern in the water. The Bandit lure chart allows anglers to remove the guesswork of where the walleye are in the water.