As the fall season approaches us, many of us gear up for the best fishing of the year. A fish’s metabolism starts to slow down and the feeding frenzy begins. As the water temps begin to drop fish become more active feeding on schools of bait fish to bulk up and prepare for the long winter months ahead. With fish becoming more active a vibrating blade bait can be an effective lure. These flashy metal lures will resemble a wounded or fleeing bait fish making the reaction strikes of a walleye more intense.
So blade baits what are they? Hard metal bait about 2”-3” in length with two hooks on each end, typically painted to resemble a baitfish. These baits also have a thicker belly section molded to a thinner body profile. The top of the bait also has three different holes to allow you to choose which way to fish these baits. Typically hooking the bait in the middle hole with a snap swivel will provide the bait with best action and most vibration. However the closer the snap is to the head the greater the wobble will be. A snap swivel is a must to help eliminate line twists, as this bait has a lot of action sometimes causing the line to twist. It will also allow the bait to swim more freely and life like.
You can vertical jig a blade, cast and retrieve, and even lift and hop the blade back to the boat. Depending on what time of the year it is and what ever presentation the fish tell you will ultimately choose the presentation. Fall fishing in lakes I like to use a vertical presentation. This is a lift and drop technique, or some variations of this. Simply position your boat over the fish and drop the blade to the bottom, take in the slack line and begin to repeatedly lift and lower the tip. The blade will vibrate on the lift which cause curiosity for walleyes and flutter on the way down giving the fish an easy meal. Most often the strike will come on the fall, so it’s important to keep a tight line to feel the “thump” of a walleye inhaling the bait. The cast and retrieve technique is used when you have fish suspended over open water. Simply cast the blade out and count down using the rule that the blade will sink 1 foot per second. Then simply lift and fall the bait back to the boat, once again most strikes will occur on the fall. For river fishing using blade baits with the current can flat out be deadly for fall feeding walleyes. I have found that the most successful way to fish a blade in the current is to cast down stream and work the bait back to the boat, using the current to maximize the vibration/wobble of the bait.
I like to use a medium action rod with an extra fast tip such as the St. Croix legend elite EC68MXF or the St. Croix Avid AS63MXF spooled with yellow braided line typically 15lb test with 6lb diameter. The reason for the yellow line is to have the ability to watch your line more effectively noticing light bites. With the fast tip rods also enabling you to feel the light bites, and the backbone of these rods to drive the hooks home.
For your entire blade bait needs check out http://www.bfishntackle.com for different sizes and colors. Give these blades a try and I think you will be amazed and just how hard and often walleyes will hit these lures.
Not only fall fishing with these blade baits but as the “spring run” hits full swing don’t be afraid to pull out the blades and HOLD ON!!
