Walleye fishing require you to place the crawler harness into an specific depth in the water because walleye lives in specific band of water within a lake or reservoir. If you place the crawler on the wrong depth in the water, you wont find any walleye. You must adjust the weight of the sinkers on the crawler, the length of leader attached to the crawler, and the speed at which you troll the crawler to reach the depth where the walleye live.
Walleye change depths within the water based off the change of the season, the amount of light in the water, and the water temperature. The weights of the sinkers on the crawler will determine the depth at which the crawler travel in the water. If you are trolling in waters shallower than ten feet deep, use lighter slip sinker.
How to Set Crawler Depth for Walleye
If you are trolling in waters deeper than that, use heavier sinker weight to help the crawler reach the lake or reservoir bottom more quickly. If you are trolling in waters twenty feet deep or deeper, use a snap-weight in addition to the sinker weights. Additionally, you should change sinker weights according to the change in depth of the water.
The length of the leader attached to the crawler will affect the movement of the crawler in the water. A longer leader allow the nightcrawler to move with more freedom in the water. However, it also makes it more difficultly to control the crawler, particularly if you are trolling at a higher speed in deep waters.
A short leader will keep the nightcrawler close to the lake or reservoir bottom. A three foot length of leader is most common for trolling with night Crawlers but a five foot or six foot length may be required to allow the nightcrawler to move as required in specific situation. The trolling speed will allow you to control the depth of the crawler and the movement of the blade on the crawler.
If you troll at a slow speed of around one mile per hour, the crawler will travel to greater depths in the water. As you increase the speed at which you troll the crawler to 1.2 miles per hour, the crawler will travel to shallower depths in the water. The size of the hooks you use will change according to the water condition.
If you are trolling in water that stain easily, use larger hooks to hook the whole body of the nightcrawler. Use smaller hooks if you are trolling in clear water or if the walleye are finicky about what they eat. You should always match the size of the hook to the size of the nightcrawler because the nightcrawler must move natural through the water while hooked and must remain on the hook for longer period of time.
Walleye move to different area of the lake or reservoir according to the change of the season. Therefore, you must change your fishing equipment to accommodate the change in the seasonal habitat of the walleye. During the spring, walleye tend to congregate in shallow waters on the flats and gravel bars within the lakes or reservoirs.
Therefore, fishermen use lighter sinkers and slower trolling speed during this time of year. During the summer, the walleye move into deeper area of the lakes toward the thermocline. Heavier sinkers and different trolling speeds are used during the summer.
During the fall, the walleye begin to move back into shallow areas of the lakes as the water temperature drop. Therefore, you should of adjusted the sinker and trolling speed once again. You must adjust the crawler according to these change in the walleye habitat according to the changes of the season.