A lot of good things happen in May. The weatherman finally stops reporting frost warnings, wildlife babies start popping up everywhere, and the lilacs begin to bloom. At about the same time the sweet fragrance of lilacs fills the air, another milestone takes place in Michigan. May is when the worm harness bite kicks into high gear on inland lakes, Great Lakes waters and rivers statewide.
Truth be told, there are lots of ways to catch walleye in May, but worm harnesses are the safe money. Walleye simply can’t resist the natural action and earthy scent of a live crawler. It’s hard to beat nightcrawlers as bait and that goes double when a rotating and flashing blade is added to the presentation.
Inland Lake Tactics
Walleye thrive in a host of Michigan’s inland lakes. During May the iconic bottom bouncer and spinner combination is hands down the most efficient means of putting a limit of walleye in the boat. The magic of this classic presentation is found in the way a bottom bouncer presents live bait near bottom. The simple design of the bottom bouncer sinker allows anglers to drift or troll while keeping a crawler harness a few inches above bottom. As the bouncer ticks the bottom, the trailing nightcrawler harness wiggles, flashes and vibrates in a way no walleye can resist.
So long as the boat is moving fast enough to get the blade rotating and slow enough to maintain contact with the bottom, the trap has been set. The most common bouncer sizes for fishing inland waters include an assortment of 1, 1.5 and 2-ounce weights.
Harness fishing is one of the best ways to fill a live well when targeting walleye in May and June.
Because most of the walleye found on inland lakes are modest in size, a No. 1, 2 or 3-size Colorado or Indiana-style blade is typically the best option. Anglers will also have great success substituting the traditional metal spinner blade for a No. 8 or No. 6 Yakima Bait Spin n Glo bait float. The Spin n Glo setup can be fished fast or slow, and the natural buoyancy of this bait float works wonders for keeping the harness off the bottom and snag-free.
The perfect harness length for fishing a bottom bouncer rig is 36 to 42 inches. Anything longer will increase the risk of the harness dragging on the bottom and picking up debris. For those who tie their own worm harnesses, a 10-12 pound test fluorocarbon leader paired with No. 4 Octopus style hooks is the perfect setup for inland lake walleyes.
For those looking for factory-tied harnesses, the Yakima Bait HammerTime Walleye Harness and the Finesse Walleye Harness are excellent options.
Bottom Bouncing Great Lakes Walleye
When targeting walleye on Great Lakes waters such as Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, Little Bay de Noc or Munuscong Bay, the same bottom bouncer rig used on inland waters will catch lots of walleye. Making a few simple modifications to this rig will pay big dividends when targeting larger average-size fish.
Because Great Lakes walleye are larger and feed more commonly on bigger forage species, a No. 4 or No. 5 Colorado-style blade is the best option for most bottom bouncer fishing situations. Upgrading the harness from 10-12 pound test fluorocarbon to 15-20 pound test fluorocarbon leader material is also a wise choice. Instead of using No. 4 octopus-style hooks, a slightly larger No. 2 hook will put more fish in the boat.
Bouncers suitable for targeting Great Lakes walleye include 2, 3 and 4-ounce models. Because Great Lakes walleye are often found in deeper water and trolling speeds are a little faster, these larger size bouncers become essential to success.
Most days the boat will be moving 1.2 to 1.5 mph when fishing bottom bouncer and spinner rigs. Maintaining these precise trolling speeds is a job best done with an auto-pilot style bow mounted electric motor. The beauty of these motors is they do a great job of controlling speed and can also keep the boat moving on the desired course heading.
Trolling Spinners For Suspended Walleye
May is a transitional month for walleye. It’s at this time of year that walleye start to suspend in the water column, targeting gizzard shad, emerald shiners and other pelagic forage species. While the bottom bouncer does an excellent job of covering the bottom, a different approach is required to target suspended walleye.
Two trolling weights are commonly used to present crawler harnesses to suspended walleye, including the Off Shore Tackle Pro Weight System (aka Snap Weight) and the Off Shore Tackle Tadpole Diver. The Pro Weight System features an OR16 Snap Weight Clip attached to a Guppy Weight using a split ring. This weight system can be placed anywhere on the line in front of the harness the angler desires, helping to get the harness to depth while providing a separation between the weight and the lure.
The Pro Weight System is sold as a kit that contains an assortment of Guppy Weights, including .5, .75, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3-ounce weights designed for targeting different depths and at different trolling speeds. The Precision Trolling Data phone app provides Dive Curve data for the Pro Weight System in all the common sizes and trolling speeds, making it easy to present harnesses to any depth necessary.
Tadpole Divers are another very popular means for presenting worm harnesses for suspended walleye. The Tadpole comes by its name naturally, as it features a larger head that tapers down to a thinner tail. The head of the Tadpole functions as a diving surface, much like the lip of a crankbait. The tail functions as a convenient place to attach the harness.
Tadpole Divers come in four sizes, including a No. 1, 2, 3 and Magnum version. Anglers find the No. 1 and No. 2 sizes to be the most practical for targeting Great Lakes walleye.
The desired worm harness is attached to the tail of the Tadpole Diver, and the main line is attached to a snap that, in turn, fits over the tow arm of the Tadpole. When placed in the water, the snap slides to the elbow of the tow arm, causing the Tadpole to begin diving. When a fish is hooked, the snap slides to the front of the tow arm, causing the Tadpole to stop diving, making it easy to fight the fish without having to struggle with the resistance of the diver.
This simple but ingenious design works flawlessly. Tadpole Divers can be easily fished at all common depths by simply consulting the Precision Trolling Data app to determine lead lengths and trolling speed. Tadpole Divers are also commonly fished in combination with in-line planer boards to spread out lines and cover more water.
Harnesses In Rivers
Many of Michigan’s rivers offer a great harness bite for walleye. In May and June, after the spawn has wrapped up, walleye found in the Detroit, St. Clair and Saginaw Rivers are commonly caught trolling worm harnesses near bottom.
Fishing harnesses in rivers requires a little different approach than doing so in either natural lakes or Great Lakes waters. In general, heavier bottom bouncers are required to reach the bottom in fast-flowing water. The 3, 4, 5 and even 6-ounce bottom bouncers are required for harness fishing in current.
The secret is to troll downstream and to troll a little faster than the current is moving. This ensures the blade will rotate and flash properly. Once the blade is rotating properly, let out enough line that the bouncer and trailing harness make contact with the bottom.
An angler can hold the rod while fishing, but because the bouncers used for river fishing are fairly heavy, it’s usually more convenient to use a rod holder. Setting up a four-rod spread consisting of two rods straight out the back of the boat and two rods positioned with the tips perpendicular to the boat works best. This simple setup will keep two anglers very busy fighting fish, landing fish, rebating and resetting lines!
Rods/Reels/Lines
The rods, reels and lines used for fishing crawler harnesses vary depending on the situation. For fishing inland lakes and bottom bouncers, the rod should feature a very soft tip and slow action. The soft tip helps to telegraph strikes, and the slow action prevents putting too much pressure on the fish during the fight.
The new Eagle Claw Starfire-X Bottom Bouncer rods were designed especially for this presentation. These rods are 8 foot 6 inches long and feature a telescopic design, making it easy to stow these sticks in a rod locker.
The Starfire-X Rods can handle all bottom bouncer sizes from 1-6 ounces nicely, and they are very affordable. A premium 10 pound test monofilament is the ideal line for using bottom bouncer rigs in natural lakes. When using bottom bouncers in rivers, a premium super braid in 10 pound test will make it easier to maintain contact with bottom.
When using the Pro Weight System or Tadpole Divers that will, in turn, be fished in combination with in-line planer boards, a different rod option comes into play. The Eagle Claw Starfire-X lineup of trolling rods includes in-line planer board rods ideal for walleye trolling. Available in a 7 foot 6 inch and an 8 foot 6 inches telescopic model, these rods have enough backbone to handle the weight of heavy fish and the resistance of in-line boards but also offer a soft tip and slow action ideal for fighting fish.
Reels suitable for bottom bouncer fishing include both low profile baitcasting models and round frame trolling reels. When targeting suspended fish with Snap Weights and Tadpole Divers, a line counter-style reel is essential.
Adding Scent
While a nightcrawler has a naturally “earthy” scent, after only being in the water a few minutes, that scent is washed away. Adding scent to harnesses is easy thanks to natural scent products like Pro Cure Super Gel that are made from real nightcrawler. A dab or two on the blade is all it takes to restore the natural odor of the nightcrawler. Pro Cure lasts for about 30-40 minutes before it should be reapplied.
Summing It Up
The month of May is a special time for Michigan fishermen because it marks the natural transition from cold to warm weather fishing. As water temperatures naturally start to ramp up, walleye become more active and trolling worm harnesses evolve as the most efficient and consistent means of catching walleye.
The beauty of worm harnesses is they can be fished effectively in natural lakes, Great Lakes waters and also river systems. In short, worm harnesses work everywhere walleye are likely to be found!
