Walleye are usually at the top of any Saskatchewan anglers list of favorite fish to catch. The techniques and gear used to catch walleye can be a full aisle at any tackle shop. From my own experience of fishing Saskatchewan waters for Walleye over the past 30 years, you really only need 3 lures. These three lures have consistently produced walleye in good numbers and in good size:
- perch colored Walley Diver
- Len Thompson 5 of Diamonds
- Bright green, yellow, or white jig head
That’s a pretty short list, but long on fishing stories. I have bought and trialed a number of of the “next best thing” for catching walleye and have yet to be convinced that anything works as well as the above. The reason Len Thompson sells thousands of the 5 of Diamonds spoon is that it has continued to catch fish for a hundred years, consistently, both Pike and Walleye.
If I had to add a forth, it would be a bottom bouncing rig with a trailing spinner, either yellow or bright green/yellow combination. But give me a rod and only what i can tie onto it and you will find me with one of the three. They are all versatile enough to cast or troll and the jig head is the clear winner in any jigging situation.
While this is only a sample of one, look at the next two pictures below. Here’s the story. Fishing at Dead Lake (a fly in camp), Larry cast out his Walley Diver and hooked a nice walleye which pulled deep and got the line snagged. In attempting to free the line, it broke. Larry tied on another lure, a Len Thompson 5 of Diamonds. Casting from the same spot and catching both Pike and Walleye, an hour later, Larry catches the same fish, and gets his Walley Diver back!
The pictures above were all walleye caught the same day, using one of the 3 lures listed. The top photo was a Walley Diver. Second photo was a yellow jig head and white plastic worm. Third and forth was both the Walleye Diver and 5 of Diamonds. My best walleye of the trip (below) was bright green jig head and white plastic worm.
