Fishing Tips From the Pros

Wally Divers in Rivers

By STEVE DEZURIK

Fishing the upper Mississippi River in the early summer months can mean higher than average water levels and lots of roaming walleyes to be caught. With higher current flows this time of year, walleyes will retreat from the main flow of water and roam large shallow sand flats that are located on the inside turns of the main channel of the river.

These large shallow sand flats with less current are perfect for trolling small crankbaits at faster than average trolling speeds to cover water effectively. The Cotton Cordell CD5 and CD6 Walleye Diver models are my go to crankbaits for these types of conditions.

These smaller crankbaits have a definite attracting appeal that walleyes have a hard time passing up. I like to troll the CD5 model in depths of 4-7 feet depths and dig out the CD6 model for depths a bit deeper at 7-11 feet regions. In both depth ranges, I like to run my lures inches off the bottom to actually make bottom contact periodically to provoke strikes and help the fish detect your lure.

In almost all situations on the river in the early summer months, I will turn to the chartreuse colored lures for my main starting patterns. The brighter colors such as the chartreuse perch or the chartreuse/orange tend to stand out a bit more in these often-stained water conditions.

Steve Dezurik guides for walleyes and smallmouth bass in Minnesota. Steve also competes as a professional walleye angler in the PWT. For more information on Steve log onto www.stevedezurik.com.