Fishing Tips From the Pros

Lead-Lining Grappler Shads

By STEVE BISSETT

As a member of the Mr. Walleye Specialties Team I had the opportunity to be one of the first anglers to test Cotton Cordell’s new Grappler Shad.

What a lure!

We tested the Grappler on my home water of Mille Lacs Lake, Minn. in June of 2003. We caught and released 25 walleyes from 20 to 29-inches. Not a bad first day on the water.

One of my favorite ways to fish the Grappler Shad is to troll it with leadcore line. On Mille Lacs, this means heading to its famous mud flats that have traditionally held walleyes year after year. I use three and four colors of segmented lead-core. On our test day I used three colors (30-yards 18 lb test) to catch suspended walleyes at 24 feet in 36 feet of water. We also caught fish at 32 feet with four colors (40 yards).

Each color of leadcore (10 yards) trolled at 2 mph will take your lure down eight feet. The best way to spool your reel when using segmented leadcore is to put 150 to 200 feet of 10 lb. monofilament on your spool before adding the leadcore. Attach 30 to 50 feet of 10 lb. monofilament to the leadcore to act as your leader.

I use Mr. Walleye planer boards, which I attach 2 feet after the leadcore and spread to both sides of the boat.

I’ve caught plenty of walleye on Grappler Shads since that first day – with White Perch, Gold Perch, Chrome/Black, Fire Tiger, Rainbow and Crawfish as my best colors. However, I’ll always remember how impressed I was that day in June when I got to witness first hand how productive the Grappler Shad is going to be for Cotton Cordell’s walleye lineup.

Steve Bissett, of Garrison, Minn., is a professional walleye angler on the PWT and RCL circuits. Steve is known as one of the best trollers on the circuits.