GEORGIAN BAY SPRING GIANTS

Hey, are you guys playing around with 'AI' here...lol.

That post was amazing. It almost makes me re-think my thoughts on Georgian Bay....haha.
I'm a transplanted Kawartha 'Walleye guy' now fishing for Walleye in Georgian Bay, rather unsuccessfully, I might add.
I'm trying to maintain the "I'm no quitter attitude", but it ain't easy...lol.

Congrats on an amazing trip.

Looking forward to your video. What an incredible trip you had.

Very impressive, the walleye in the last photo looks prehistoric. What was working for the walleye if you don’t mind me asking?

The walleye I will say were not feeding aggressively, but the ones I managed to convince decided to hit a gold rattle bait ripped off bottom. For the smaller mid 20” walleye feeding on bug hatches, a small black marabou jig seemed to do the trick! During the night I always pull out a 7” fluke, jig head weight will depend on how high they are suspending in the water column, this trip they were less than 5ft below the surface, so the lightest possible jig head with the longest hook shank I could find was the key. I have a video on working these large baits in the dark that shows what that technique entails if this is something youd be interested in trying!

Definitely had a fun trip, too bad the external mic gave out and I had to use the camera mic! Still very glad I got to capture all the footage, just will be a little windier than usual for the watchers!

Persistence pays big! Taking it back to the basics is crucial, think of spawning areas, once you find those you can follow their migrations throughout the year! Both research and time on the water will be important!

The walleye I will say were not feeding aggressively, but the ones I managed to convince decided to hit a gold rattle bait ripped off bottom. For the smaller mid 20” walleye feeding on bug hatches, a small black marabou jig seemed to do the trick! During the night I always pull out a 7” fluke, jig head weight will depend on how high they are suspending in the water column, this trip they were less than 5ft below the surface, so the lightest possible jig head with the longest hook shank I could find was the key. I have a video on working these large baits in the dark that shows what that technique entails if this is something youd be interested in trying!

Thanks for the info! I’ll check out your video. We were out yesterday trying to find the walleye and couldn’t buy one. Went up river and back down to the rivermouth that opened into the lake and worked that area as well. Haliburton region. Fished mostly around 6’-12’. Leeches, worms, jerkbaits and small 3.75” soft plastic minnows on neds.

It can be tough this time of the year, especially with this massive cold front we’ve had.

Agreed, cold front means slow down your bait. Size down your bait. And send down your bait. The walleye are not far from where anglers would normally think they should be. Favourite spots are a good place to start, but don't fish them. Move to the closest drop off to your favourite fishing spots. The walleye are hiding for lack of a better word. An angler must think like a fish. The fish want an easy, slow target. Anglers can jig a steep drop off or drag the bottom and up the side of the ridge. The walleye will follow that bait and hit it, but only if it is a slow retrieve. As soon as this thunderstorm passes over Fenelon, Cameron and Lindsay I am going out. Hopefully fishing Balsam by midnight tonight. No crankbaits tonight, just a slip bobber and pink and yellow Joker on a quarter ounce pink jig. And I will be fishing as slow as a turtle walks. The big walleye will be lazy tonight from Orrilia to Peterborough, but always catchable.

Amazing stuff as usual. I would be interested in what type of structure you are fishing over. I'm assuming rocky shoals knowing that you were in the GB. Any tips for fishing for GB walleye in the summer? I will be venturing there this summer. Thanks

Amazing stuff as usual. I would be interested in what type of structure you are fishing over. I'm assuming rocky shoals knowing that you were in the GB. Any tips for fishing for GB walleye in the summer? I will be venturing there this summer. Thanks

Thanks peter! In the spring I find the pike and walleye can be found in various areas, from super shallow near spawning areas, to far out into the open of gbay in deeper waters positioned to feed on pelagic bait. I prefer moving out to the walleye that have transitioned away from those shallower spawning areas as these are often the largest ones and are more so willing to bite a baitfish style presentation rather than just being keyed in on bugs, at least during the midge fly hatch. So rocky shoals near large mud bottom flats is the ticket this time of the year, as these midges rise to the surface the ciscos congregate heavily to feed on them. On a calm day it is not uncommon to see massive schools of cisco busting on the surface to feed on these midges. Behind these ciscos you will find the largest pike, lake trout, musky, and walleye. So to answer your question, I would say bait is the structure to be fishing! Lots of driving around but where theres bait you will very likely find fish especially if this bait is found near other fishy looking structures like large shoal complexes. The walleye can be tough in the summer, as this is a massive body of water, if theres one thing for certain though its most of the largest predators will be out in the open of georgian bay feeding on ciscos, so fishing in areas with a substantial population of this baitfish is crucial, that means access to deep waters!!