You don't need a ponderous array of rods, reels, lures and other gear to catch walleyes. Here's a simple system recommended by walleye pros Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz. The entire arsenal costs under $275 -- less than $125 if you leave off the bottom bouncer outfit -- and will catch marble-eyes wherever they swim:

• Rod -- Bass Pro Walleye Angler Signature Series, Model WA 60MS 6-foot medium-action spinning rod. "It's so versatile, you can use it for jigging or live-bait rigging. It's got a good backbone but the upper third has just the right flex for fishing jigs or other finesse presentations."
• Reel -- Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier XPS spinning reel, Model PQ10XPS. Line: Six- or 8-pound monofilament or Berkley FireLine. "For beginners we feel that FireLine is a better choice. It increases sensitivity so you'll feel more bites."
• Jigs -- An assortment of Northland Buck-Shot Rattle jigs from 1/8 ounce up to 3/8 or 1/2 ounce, depending on depth and wind conditions. "Typically these are used for vertical jigging over deeper structure. Allow the jig to reach the desired depth, then lift, pause and let it slowly drop down. Orange, chartreuse and green are the most popular colors."
• Northland Roach Rigs -- Slow-troll these slip-sinker live-bait rigs with your electric trolling motor, working deeper structure -- drop-offs, sunken islands, humps. In spring and fall, a minnow is effective. You want to match your hook size to the size of the minnow you're using. In summer, you might want to go to a leech if they're available, or a nightcrawler. However, you'll still want to keep a few minnows around because you might have to try a variety of baits to find out what the fish want. Use this rig when walleyes are in a neutral or negative feeding mode and in deeper water.
• Bottom Bouncer Rig -- This type of presentation requires a different rod and reel. We recommend a baitcasting rod, and one of the best is the Walleye Angler Model WA 70BBT. It's a 7-foot medium-action trigger-style rod made for bottom bouncing. Match that with a Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier PQ 1000XPS baitcasting reel. Spool 10- to 14-pound mono on the reel. Again, FireLine is nice for beginners since it increases sensitivity. With that rod, you can effectively use an assortment of 3/4- to 1 1/2-ounce bottom bouncers. We like trolling Northland Rainbow Spinners with this method. Use the single-hook model for rigging minnows, and a tandem hook spinner with nightcrawlers. Troll this rig very slowly -- no more than 1/2 to 3/4 miles per hour. You want the boat to move just fast enough that the blade spins. A lot of times, if you've got decent wind and it's blowing the right way, you can just set up a controlled drift. Bottom bouncers work well in the summertime on flats in 10 to 25 feet of water, where walleyes are spread out.

The article is courtesy of Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Site. For great fishing gear, shop our co-branded store today

Bass Pro Shops ® Walleye Angler ® Signature Series Spinning Rods
Berkley® FireLine™
Northland® Roach Rig® Kit