How to pick the right rod and bait combo for every walleye presentation, all season long

BAIT BASICS

Every year, I trap hundreds of leeches and purchase dozens of nightcrawlers, which I store in a dedicated bait fridge for use all season long. Healthy and lively baits are key to fishing success, so I make great effort to ensure they remain in perfect condition—both on and off the water. The same goes for minnows. Here’s are some key pointers on how I make sure that happens.

Visit www.outdoorcanada.ca/fishingregs to check for bait restrictions in your area.

• When refrigerating leeches for a long period of time, change the water regularly. Be sure to use clean, non-chlorinated water that’s the same temperature as the water you’re swapping out.
• At home, keep worms refrigerated in Styrofoam boxes filled with commercial worm bedding material, which provides an odourless source of food for your crawlers. Periodically check the material to ensure it remains damp.
• While out fishing, store all your crawlers or leeches for the day in a container kept in a large, ice-filled cooler. Try to keep the cooler out of direct sunlight. On really hot days, place a damp towel over the storage container, and the ice. As needed throughout the day, take bait out of the storage container and place it in a smaller container for immediate use.
• When fishing with worms, keep the smaller container in a cooler that can be easily accessed by everyone in the boat. When fishing with leeches, on the other hand, I like to put the smaller container in the livewell. That allows the leeches to warm up and become more active, while still keeping them out of the sun.
• After a day of fishing, return all unused leeches and crawlers to the refrigerator. Keep the baits in the same storage container and smaller immediate-use container you had in the boat. Don’t mx them together, and don’t mix them with the other bait still in the fridge. Mixing live baits that have been exposed to different conditions may contaminate and kill otherwise healthy bait.
• When fishing with live minnows, attach an aerator to the bucket and keep it surrounded by ice in a cooler, out of the sun. Use a small net rather than your hand to retrieve a minnow for your presentation. That way, the minnow remains lively while keeping the bucket water clean.
• Between fishing trips, store minnows in an unheated aquarium in a cool, dark place, or place the bucket in a refrigerator. In either case, periodically swap in fresh chlorine-free water, making sure it’s the same temperature as the old water.