How to Tie a Stinger Hook

a chartreuse walleye jig with a stinger hook

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There are many different ways of attaching a stinger hook to your line. Some contain a single hook, others use a treble hook. Some use crimps, others use knots. But I have found a way to make a stinger hook that works very well and it has an advantage that many do not. And the best part is that they are super cheap to make at home. (Note that the stingers in this post are sized specifically for walleye jigs, but they can be adjusted to fit just about any fishing application that requires a stinger hook!)

The Materials

In order to make these stinger hooks, you need a few cheap supplies. The good news is that they supplies will produce the stinger hooks for less than $0.60 each!

First you will need some hooks. I prefer treble hooks and you can purchese these for about $0.5 each. Next you will need some line. I prefer Berkeley big game in 20 lb. test for walleye, you can adjust as necessary to fit your application. Line can be purchased in large quantities and if you use a foot (including waste), the line cost will be less than a penny per rig. The last thing you will need is some craft beads in whatever color you’d like. I like metallic colors like copper and silver but you can also choose colors that blend with your bait colors. The hole in these beads needs to be just big enough to allow the line to pass through it twice. These can be purchased at any craft store and will cost just a few cents each.

A Tying Jig

The next thing you will need is a jig to tie up your stinger hooks. The commonly used jig for this is simply a scrap piece of wood with two nails driven through it about 2 1/2 inches apart (or whatever distance is required for your bait to put the stinger near the tail of your presentation). This ensures a consistent length for all of your hooks.

Making the Stinger Hook

Here is the process for making the stinger.

Step 1: Cut a 1′ length of line.

You can reduce this once you get used to tying the leader, but I would start with 1 foot to give yourself plenty of extra line to handle it easier.

Step 2: Tie the line to a treble hook.

I prefer to use a palomar knot, but feel free to use the knot of you feel is the strongest.

Step 3: Slip a bead on the line and then back through.

Slip the bead onto the end of the line and then back through the same end it came out of. This will result in a loop in the line on one side of the bead and the hook and tag end on the other side of the bead.

Step 4: Place the loop on one nail and the hook on the other nail.

Now place the loop of line on one of the nails and the hook on the other. Being right-handed, I prefer the hook on the right nail and the loop on the left nail, but whatever works best for you is what you should do.

Step 5: Pull the tag end of the line tight.

Now pull the tag end of the line tight so that the bead is cinched down to the nail.

Step 6: Start an overhand knot in the tag end of the line.

Now start an overhand knot in the tag end of the line but don’t tighten it (leave an open loop).

Step 7: Cinch the line tight to the bead, while keeping the entire rig taught.

Insert a pin, nail or some other smooth, thin object into the loop and then cinch the knot down towards the bead, keeping the entire rig tight while you do so.

Step 8: Clip the tag end of the line and remove the completed stinger hook from the jig tool.

You are done. It’s that easy! If that was hard to follow, here is a video on how to do it.

Advantages of this Stinger Hook

The biggest advantage of tying this stinger hook is the ability to easily add it to you line or remove it. To add it to your jig hook, simply slip the loop over the ond of the jig hook and then pull on the treble hook to cinch it down. To remove the stinger hook from the jig, grab the bead and gently pull back toward the treble hook to open the stinger loop and remove it from your jig hook.

One of the biggest advantages of this is to be able to quickly remove the stinger when tipping your jig with a minnow. By putting the minnow on the jig first and then adding the stinger afterwards, the stinger acts as a sort of retainer, keeping the minnow on the jig and not allowing it to slip off. Not only does this ensure that the minnow stays in the strike zone longer, but it also saves money on minnows!

Detroit River Walleye

fishing boats on detroit river with power plant in background

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Detroit River walleye fishing is a staple for many that live in the Detroit area. But believe it or not, folks come from all around the region and even remote parts of the country to take advantage of this incredible fishery. When the spring spawning runs begin, it can be fast action with many folks limiting out in an hour or two. Of course, this is no guarantee and it takes some know-how to make the proper adjustments to be successful. Here, we will discuss how to catch Detroit River walleye during the spring spawning run.

Timing

As with most types of fishing, timing is everything. Walleye begin their spring migrations into the river when the water temps reach the mid-30’s. Spawning peaks when temps reach the mid-40’s. For the Detroit River, this typically happens in early to mid April, but can vary from year to year. The general rule of thumb is, when April arrives, so do the walleye!

Where to Fish

During the spring runs, fish can be found just about anywhere in the river current. Water clarity can have a large impact on where the fish will be and what they can be caught on. If you are new to the region, a good starting place is to fish where you find concentrations of boats. This may be intimidating at first as the boats can be jammed up pretty close together. But don’t let this stop you! Simply start out just outside the pack until you get more comfortable with the program and then slowly start integrating. If you just don’t like fishing near the crowds, there are fish to be found throughout the river, it may just take a little more trial and error to find them.

Vertical Jigging

The main method used to catch Detroit River walleye is vertical jigging. This method can be used anytime of year on the river, but is particularly effective during the spring spawning run. First, let’s talk about the jigging setup.

The Rod/Reel

The ideal rod for walleye jigging should be a medium action graphite rod with a fast action tip. The fast action allows for a wider range of speed on the upstroke of the jig cycle. Most folks prefer a rod that is 6-7.5′ in length. Simply pair this with a good spinning reel and you have what you need.

Main Line

While monofilament will work, most experienced fisherman on the Detroit River use braid for their main line. The low-stretch property of braid allows you to feel the bottom better and detect the lighter bites, especially on the fall of the jig stroke. In addition, the braid will help provide a better hook-set. This is important as walleye have tough mouths.

The Leader

When using mono, leaders are not a must, but a lighter leader line will help break off your jig easier when you find a stubborn snag. The Detroit River is full of rocks, and snags are inevitable. You should expect to lose a few jigs every time out.

If you use a high-strength braid for your main line, a leader is a must. A 4 foot piece of 6-8 lb. flourocarbon line is recommended, due to its low-visibility properties but copolymer or monofilament will work as well. This lighter leader will break more easily when you find a snag, rather than having to cut your braid and losing a bunch of line.

The Jig

Most fishermen tend to use jig weights that range from 5/8 oz. to 1 oz. The idea is that you want the lightest jig that will keep your line veritcal and feeling the river bottom.

As far as jig color goes, it will depend on the day. If the water is cloudy and visibility is very low, start with a bright-colored jighead like chartruese, pink or red. On days when the water is clear, try a jig head color that matches your bait. More natural color patterns tend to work better on these clear-water days (blue-ice is good one to try).

And keeping your jigs sharp is important. The conditions at the river bottom will be hard on your tackle. Your jig hooks should be checked for sharpness periodically. A few strokes of a simple hook file is all you need to keep them sharp.

The Bait

Bait tends to fall into 3 categories, plastics, live bait, or both. The best advice is to attach a plastic bait with the color pattern you think will be most appealing (blue ice and emerald ice are common colors), but it never hurts to tip it with a live offering. Tipping your plastic bait with a minnow or nightcrawler can make a difference.

The Stinger Hook

Adding a stinger hook to your jigging setup only helps. It never hurts. Stinger hooks can be easily made at home and added to the jig to help get those short strikes. It can’t be overstated how important this is on the Detroit River.

a chartreuse walleye jig with wonderbread minnow

Jigging Tactics

When it comes to jigging for Detroit River walleye, there are some tricks that make all the difference between success and failure.

Staying Vertical

Keeping your line perfectly vertical between your rod tip and the boat is the key to catching more fish. It allows you to feel the bottom and know exactly where your jig is. If you come into contact with the bottom on an angle, you may be scraping your jig across the rocks as you jig. Not only does this not impart a consistent jigging action on the bait, it greatly increases the chances of a snag and will wear the paint off of your jigs much quicker.

While keeping your line vertical may sound straightforward, it is easier said than done. This is because there are two main factors that will be working against you: the river current and the wind.

The river current is pulling your boat downstream. The problem is that the current at the surface isn’t the same as the current further down in the water column. Furthermore, different parts of the river have differing amounts of current flow. This means that no matter where you are, even with no wind, it is likely that your line will not be vertical.

Now consider the wind direction. The wind will be pushing the boat in the direction from which it is blowing. To make matters worse, the wind may gust which means that the forces acting against you will change continously while you are on the water.

All of this means that each day you go out, you will need to compensate for these differences by using your boat’s trolling motor to ensure that your line is as vertical as possible. This cannot be understated. Whomever is responsible for the trolling motor will have a large responsibility for the the success of the rest of the boat.

Staying vertical may sound overwhelming, but with a little bit if practice, making these adjustments will become second nature.

jig profile in river

The Jig Stroke

The Upstroke

Now that you are vertical, let’s talk a bit about the jig stroke. The rythym and height of the jig cycle will vary with the conditions. In general, the fish will be less agressive in colder water than they are in warmer water. For spawning fish in the cold spring water, this means, shorter strokes are usually better than long. So the snap on the upstroke should be only about a foot. Remember that what seems like a little movement to you translates to a lot more at your rod tip, and thus to the jig. It doesn’t take much movement at the rod handle to get a foot at the jig.

The Fall

After snapping the jig off of the bottom, the jig will want to fall back down. It is not remmended to let the jig free fall for a couple of reasons. First, it doesn’t look as natural to the predator fish as the jig is mimmicking injured baitfish, which tend to run out of energy and flutter back to the bottom. Second, if you do get a bite on the fall, you likely won’t feel it if there is slack in your line.

Instead, control the fall by keeping the line tight as the jig falls. This will allow any bite on the fall to be easliy telegraphed to you, especially if you are using braided line. I never realized how many bites I was missing on the downstroke until I switched from monofilament to braid.

a Michigan limit of 12 walleye

Now all that’s left to do is catch fish. Good luck out there!

Managing Lake Erie Walleye

man holding 2 walleye in boat

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In case you didn’t know, Lake Erie walleye fishing is the best in the world.  I may be a bit biased though.  Growing up in southeast Michigan, I had the luxury of fishing the lake from the time that I was a young boy.  Nonetheless, I have never caught walleye with the size & in the numbers that I have on Lake Erie, anywhere else. It has everything a walleye loves: plenty of forage, dark water, and massive tributaries that provide them with some of the most ideal spawning grounds found anywhere on earth.

Walleye are native to the Great Lakes and are found in fishable numbers in all of them.  But a combination of factors has led to immense numbers of them in Lake Erie.  Lake Erie receives considerably more fishing pressure than the other Great Lakes and despite this, it continues to produce many more fish per angler-hour.  And walleye are the top attraction.

But managing Lake Erie walleye is no easy task.  The reputation the lake has developed over the years has resulted in visitors from all over the country flocking to the lake every year to get a piece of this phenomenal fishery.  The industry that the lake supports runs in the hundreds of millions of dollars.  This has led to immense pressure on state and federal agencies whose task it has become to manage the fish in this lake.  And with walleye being the most popular, there is a lot of focus on this key species.

Q & A with Jim Francis of the Michigan DNR

profile pic of Jim Francis
Jim Francis

To better understand what goes into the task of managing Lake Erie walleye, The Great Lakes Fisherman caught up with Jim Francis of the Michigan DNR to discuss the coordination with other agencies and some of the factors that they consider and study in the process. 

GLF: What is your name, title, and organization?

Jim Francis,  Lake Erie Basin Coordinator,  Michigan Department of Natural Resources – Fisheries Division

GLF: Which state, provincial and federal agencies are involved of the efforts to manage the Lake Erie walleye population?

The state and provincial agencies have jurisdictional authority over the management of their respective fisheries resources – so for Lake Erie, that includes Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario. But because we are managing a shared resource, we coordinate management through the Lake Erie Committee under the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. But management is broader and includes many state environmental agencies, federal agencies like the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, and finally, university, research partners, and conservation organizations.

man holding walleye on a boat

GLF: How long has the Lake Erie walleye population been actively managed?

The first inter-jurisdictional fishery quota management program was implemented in 1976. This established a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for walleye from commercial and recreational harvesters in Lake Erie. The goal was to maintain a sustainable walleye fishery.

GLF: If possible, please outline the annual calendar for the walleye management plan (or provide links to similar info).

The TAC’s are announced annually at the annual Lake Erie Committee meeting that takes place at the end March. But there is a huge amount of work that goes into establishing the TAC, prior to the annual meeting. A large amount of data is collected across the lake from spring through fall to evaluate the number of walleye present, age structure of the population, growth rates, reproduction rates, and fishery results. During the winter is when the Walleye Task Group (technical staff from the Lake Erie Committee) processes all the survey and assessment data and use a computer model to generate a range of safe harvest levels to maintain a sustainable fishery. While the purpose of the committee is to look at the total body of survey data, each state makes adjustments based on info from the local surveys that are completed in each jurisdiction, when setting their respective creel limits.

GLF: How often are Lake Erie walleye stocking levels evaluated?

Walleye are not stocked in Lake Erie; it is managed as a self-sustaining fishery.

GLF: If the fishery is self-sustaining,  what “levers” are used to manage the population?

There are 2 primary areas we can impact to help regulate the population.
The first is that we can regulate harvest. As mentioned above, setting the TAC is one of the main tasks of the Lake Erie Committee and by setting appropriate TACs, we can help control the number of mature walleye that are taken out of the population each year.

The second area that we can impact is habitat quality. Most fish in the Great Lakes utilize marshes at one point or another during their lifecycle.  For walleye, the fish rely heavily on marshes during the fry stage of their development. The marshes provide food and shelter from predators until the fish are large enough to survive in the open lake. By maintaining and improving marsh habitat, we can have a direct impact on the survivability of young-of-year (fry that that were born that same year).

GLF: How has the cleanup of lake water pollution over the years impacted the Lake Erie walleye population?

Pollution during the early part of the 1900’s was certainly a contributor to the walleye fishery collapse in the 1960’s. The highly-publicized fire on the Cuyahoga River in 1969 prompted key legislative action in both the US and Canada, including the creation of water quality management agencies, environmental regulations, and the signing of the binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972. These actions reduced pollutants from industrial, municipal, and agricultural point sources through the regulation of discharges. The resulting improvements in water quality contributed to a recovery of the walleye population.

GLF: How has the introduction of zebra and quagga mussels had an impact on the Lake Erie walleye population?

It is difficult to determine cause and effect of zebra and quagga mussels on the walleye population in Lake Erie. Zebra mussels were first found in the Great Lakes in the late 1980s. While mussels have been known to affect water clarity due to their filtering, it does not appear to be having an impact in Lake Erie. Another potential concern was that mussels would strip the water column of plankton that are especially important to young walleye. But again, there does not seem to be a reduction in the number of young walleye being produced in Lake Erie.

GLF: How has the introduction of the Round Goby had an impact on the Lake Erie walleye population?

There does not appear to be a direct connection between round gobies and walleye in Lake Erie. Gobies are an important part of the diet of some fish, for example smallmouth bass. They are eaten extensively by smallmouth bass and have improved growth rates of bass. Whereas gobies will occasionally be found in walleye stomachs, but they are not an important food item.

GLF: Are there any impacts (positive or negative) that climate change is having on the Lake Erie walleye population?

The jury is still out. All the data seems to indicate that Lake Erie is warming and there is a pattern of less ice cover in the winter. But it is unclear how these changes will affect walleye numbers.

GLF: What is magnitude of the walleye population gradient from the east end of Lake Erie to the west end?

There are a number of walleye stocks from Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron, all the way to the east end of Lake Erie. But walleye migrate and mix throughout the system. There is no question that the stocks in the western basin are the primary drivers of walleye abundance. But after spawning is completed, these fish distribute north up the Detroit River, as well as to the east end of Lake Erie. One study estimated that 90% of the walleye harvested in the East Basin were seasonal migrants from the western basin.

GLF: What are some of the challenges that the agencies will be facing in managing the Lake Erie walleye population over the next decade?

Invasive species continue to be high on the threat list. Although I mentioned earlier that zebra mussels and round gobies do not appear to have affected walleye – there is always the concern that the next one could be a game-changer. Think of bighead and silver carp. And there are examples of other invasive species, that have impacted walleye – like sea lamprey. Sea lamprey devastated native fish species in the Great Lakes, fortunately a control program was developed – but at a cost. A recent estimate is that $10 million is spent annually to control sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. As with any invasive species – the key is prevention.

GLF: Is there anything else you would want anglers to know about the management of the walleye population in Lake Erie?

I think it is important to highlight that today’s walleye fishery is at historic levels. It is not uncommon to have one strong year class carry a fishery for up to a decade. But we have now had five consecutive years of exceptional production, with the 2021-year class being the highest ever recorded. This is unprecedented to have a string of year classes like we have seen from 2018-2022. Targeted harvest rates for walleye in Michigan waters of Lake Erie have been ranging from 0.5-0.6 walleye per hour. These harvest rates are comparable to the mid-1980s during the peak of the walleye fishery.

A Final Word

The Great Lakes Fisherman would like to thank Jim for taking the time to answer our questions and layout all of the work that goes into managing such a massive fishery.

If you see a natural resources worker at the boat ramp or out on the water, please remember to thank them for the work they do.  This work is essential to a quality fishery and is what makes our Great Lakes the best inland fishery in the world.

Finally, if there are other lake management topics that you would like to hear about, please drop us a comment below and let us know about it.  We are always looking to provide you with the content your are interested in hearing about!

Bottom-Bouncing for Walleye on Lake Erie

man fishing

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Bottom-bouncing for walleye can be one of the most productive way to catch these tasty fish.  It can also be one of the most fun.  This is because you need not worry about boat direction or running into other boats.  Once everything is set up, it’s simply a matter of keeping the rods clear of weeds and catching fish!  But it wasn’t always this way.

Having fished the Michigan waters of  Lake Erie from the time I was 10, I have seen many changes to the lake.  At one time, the lake was very murky with a visibility of only a foot or so.  This low-light environment was perfect for holding walleye in the western basin.  Trolling Hot-N-Tots, especially chartreuse,  was the method of choice back then and spreading them out on planer boards almost assured success.

Since then, zebra and quaga mussels have cleaned up the lake water tremendously.  This has changed the low-light environment under the water, driving the fish deeper in the shallow waters of the western basin.  Because of this, newer tactics have been tested over the years and one of them, bottom-bouncing, has become a new favorite of many.

What is Bottom-Bouncing?

Bottom-bouncing is exactly what it sounds like – bouncing a moving bait off the bottom of the lake bed to attract bottom-dwelling walleye.  In order for this to work properly, the wind and waves need to be high enough to depart action to the bait. If the waves are at least a foot in height, this tactic should work just fine. The technique is similar to jigging, in that the rig bounces up and down off of the lake bottom.  The main difference is that in bottom-bouncing, the rods are typically placed in rod holders and you are letting boat and wave action do the work for you.

The basic set-up for bottom-bouncing consists of a bottom-bouncer tied to the main line, with a bait trailing behind it.  

Profile of Bottom-Bouncer Rig on Lake Bottom

The weight is let down to the lake or river bottom and the line is adjusted so that the weight bounces off of the bottom with the wave action.  The key to bottom bouncing is getting the right speed and action on the bait by adjusting the boat movement, weight of the bottom bounder and line angle to the water. 

The Rods

The rods used for bottom bouncing need to have a stiff enough tip to handle the weight.    The tip of the rod will tell you whether or not you are bouncing on the bottom.  When a wave crest hits the boat, you want to see the rod tip load up and then abruptly unload as it lifts the weight/bait off of the bottom.  Likewise as the boat falls into the wave trough, the rod tip should abruptly straighten, indicating that the weight has hit bottom.  You can take in or let out more line to get this action just right.  I have found that medium-action trolling rods for walleye work just fine for bottom bouncing.  Ideally, the rods are placed in rod holders to keep the action consistent.  This also allows you to use as many rods as you legally can, as long as your boat can accommodate them all.

The Bait

When it comes to the bait, most trolling baits will work.  The bait of choice on the western basin of Lake Erie, however, is a nightcrawler harness rigged with a live nightcrawler.  The bait can trail anywhere from 2-10 feet behind the bottom bouncer.  This distance depends on how much action you want the harness to have.  The shorter the lead is, the more action the bouncer will depart to the weight.

Bottom Bouncer
A Night Crawler Harness
Night Crawler Harness

Walleye tend to school so once you’ve found some fish you can experiment with bait styles and colors until you find the combination of choice. This can vary day to day and sometimes even within the same day so don’t be afraid to change things up when the fish stop biting. 

Speed

The best days are when the wind is blowing your boat in the 1-2 mph range. When this is the case, you likely won’t need any help from your boats motors or drift socks to dial in your speed because mother nature has done that work for you.  However, not everyday is perfect and you may need a drift sock to slow you down a bit.  If your drift speed is on the higher end, you also may need to use a heavier bottom bouncer to get the bait down to maintain good action.   Likewise, if your rod bends too much prior to lifting the rig off of the bottom, you may want to go to a lighter bottom bouncer. A bit of wind and waves is essential and if the wind isn’t very strong (a rare day on Lake Erie) and you’re not going fast enough, it may be time to give up on bottom bouncing and start trolling. 

Rod Placement

Each boat is different in terms of how it reacts to the waves and wind and how it is setup with rod holders.    What works for one boat, might not be the winning recipe for another.  The bottom line is that you want the baits to get the action you are looking for, while maximizing the number of lines in the water.  For my 18′ boat, I like to turn the engine to one side.  This will ensure that the boat turns  to one side, allowing me to place rod holders along one side of the boat and off the back corners.  With this setup, I can bounce 6-8 rods at a time.  

Boat Orientation to Wind While Bottom-Bouncing
Boat Orientation

One of the best things about bottom bouncing is that once you get your lines set, it can be quite a relaxing way to fish.  No boat to steer, no engine noise and no worries about line tangles.  Just grab your favorite drink, sit back and wait for the bite!