Summer Crankbait Trolling Breakdown for Walleye

Joel Nelson explains the finer points of trolling crankbaits for summertime walleyes. He talks about key locations and situations for trolling, as well as down-and-dirty components and gear for both long-line and lead-core trolling systems.

Joel talks about how he breaks down lakes to find his starting spots whether it’s a mud transition, weed lines, or even just contours off the shoreline there are always specific spots that will hold fish throughout the summer months.

When it comes to profile and color Joel almost always starts with a shad profile in a natural color like The Rumble Shad in Blue Tiger because it imitates many species of minnows. He says size is a more important factor and in most natural lakes the size 5 will excel but if he needs to get down deeper he will step up to a size 7 Rumble Shad and base his color off forage and water clarity.

Another favorite bait for Joel thanks to its erratic hunting action is the Rumble B the rocking motion and side flash are key in triggering walleyes to eat.

The biggest thing potentially is to allow yourself to keep changing baits and rotating through sizes, colors, and depth ranges until you’re able to out together a pattern you can replicate throughout the fishery. Using a snap makes this process easier as you don’t have to cut your line and re-tie every time you want to try something new.

Make sure to check out the entire new Rumble Series line of baits and try them all out when trolling crankbaits to see what works best for you.