Guest article by Daniel Eggertsen - There are four basic fishing tips for catching big walleye. 1.) If you are looking for the big walleye, you have look at the water depth. 2.) Then you have to consider the bait you are going to use. 3.) If you are going to use boards while trolling, you have to have them positioned correctly, and 4.) you have to have the right boat speed.

After considering these four tips, you will be ready to set out on your fishing trip and come back with the trophy size walleye. Of course, not all waters have large walleye, so you’ll have to consider the location where you’ll fish. You will need to know how to find waters that have some trophy size fish

Water Depth

The water depth that you fish in is an important consideration. The big walleye can be found in deeper waters, but some will venture into the shallow waters at night. You have to find the right water depth for any given day, and time of day. This is determined by the water temperatures and the overall weather conditions. Try to drop the bait right into the middle of the school or the area where the walleye are located. If the big ones are there, they are going to rush for the bait.

Walleye Bait

The bait you use must be presented in a way that attracts the big walleye. The bait should represent the size of the walleye you want to catch. If you use a small minnow, you are not going to attract the larger walleyes. If you want to catch a big walleye, use a larger minnow than you would for a smaller walleye. The bait makes all the difference when fishing for different size walleye. If you are using artificial bait, it must be similar to the baitfish that walleyes like.

Board and Line Placement

When you use boards, you can use multiple lines on both sides of the boat. The boards help keep the lines spread out so they do not catch on each other. The boards also allow you to have lines at different distances. By using these boards, you have more chances of hooking a big walleye after you have found the right area.

Look at the boards and the placement. Place the lines at different lengths to cover the largest area. If you are running two lines on one side, you would have a setup like this, one at one hundred feet and the middle at fifty feet. This keeps each line away from the other.

Boat Speed

Controlling the speed of the boat is important when trolling with crankbaits. You have to have a quiet motor and have the slowest speed possible. It should be a slight crawl if anything. You do not want to move fast or you will be out of the strike zone more often. If you are right on the weeds, you want to keep your line right at the edge of the weed beds. If you are fishing by underwater rock structures, you will want to keep your bait moving slightly to attract the big walleye.

Dan Eggertsen is a fishing researcher and enthusiast who is committed to providing the best walleye fishing information possible. Get more information on walleye fishing here: www.askwalleyefishing.com