A Big-River Walleye Bonanza
The Detroit and St. Clair Rivers offer a gold mine of walleye, if you can handle the challenge of fast currents, wind, and shipping traffic

The bass boat slipped off the trailer and Dave Drulliard fired up the engine to break the morning silence across the Detroit River. He barely had the boat up on plane before slowing and settling on his first fishing hole, where the backwash wave shoved the boat into a little niche along a small island.

"They should be here," said Drulliard. "They're almost always here, all the time, all year long."

As I inspected the 7-foot medium-action rod and spinning reel Drulliard handed me, paying close attention to the dangling round jig head and 4-inch brown rubber worm, he quickly lowered the bow-mounted electric motor and swung the boat into the current. Immediately, his rod was popping and hopping his jig off bottom.

Drulliard is a tournament angler and the owner of D & D Lures in Windsor, which manufacturers more than 85 styles of jigs.

"The water is a bit murky today," he said. "But that doesn't matter. We will just move along slowly and let the fish find the jig."

Traffic Central
The Detroit and St. Clair Rivers drain Lake Huron through Lake St. Clair and into Lake Erie. These big flows are important corridors for commercial shipping. They're just as important routes for migrating fish, such as walleye.

Fishing these great rivers presents challenges, though. They can turn muddy along shorelines and drop-offs, due to heavy commercial and recreational boat traffic and gusty winds. When wind batters the shorelines of Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, murky water drains quickly into these rivers.

The Detroit River is about 32 miles long with an average current speed of about 2 mph, while the St. Clair is about 39 miles long with an average current speed of about 5 mph. Subsequently, they do drain and clear quickly.

Windy weather also chases anglers off the open waters. Wind is not a problem to structure anglers on the Detroit River, though, as there are many sheltered shorelines or riverbanks to fish from. The Detroit is only about one mile wide (a half-mile at its narrowest point) and is dotted with more than 21 islands to tuck in behind, while the St. Clair has only a couple of islands.

Both rivers separate the State of Michigan and Ontario. So, to take advantage of the rivers' full potential, local walleye anglers generally hold both Ontario and Michigan fishing licences.

A Quick Start
As I started firing questions at Drulliard, he interrupted our conversation with a hard hook-set and a short battle with a chunky 2.5-pound walleye. "Well, that didn't take long", I remarked.

"No, it usually doesn't", he responded.

We spent the rest of the morning moving from one location to the next, with Drulliard repeating his fishing performance. He loves to fish a jig vertically for structure-oriented walleye, and the Detroit River is a structure-angler's dream. The many islands, drop-offs, and weedbeds make for perfect use of a boat that can be controlled easily with a quiet electric motor.

The St. Clair offers less visible structure, but is full of underwater islands, humps, bumps, and shipwrecks, all of which hold fish. An angler with a good working knowledge of fish finders can quickly find these spots. Marking them on a GPS gets you back to them again and again.

"Keeping on the edge of drop-offs or weedlines is the second most important key to catching these fish," Drulliard said. "The first is keeping your drift at a pace that allows the jig to hang straight up and down. If you let the jig drag, the fish just don't hit or, worse, you will get hung up.

"You just can't get proper boat control without an electric motor," he continued. "Anglers often use drift socks to slow their speeds, but these devices do absolutely nothing to keep you in proper position on structure where fish are holding."

Drulliard has fished the Detroit system for more than 50 years, and he settled long ago on vertical jigging as the best way to catch walleye. "Boat drifters, shore casters, and trollers all have their day, but I can find the fish and put the bait right on top of them and keep it there," he said.

A Long Season
The walleye season is open year-round in this area, so Drulliard starts fishing pre-spawn fish as soon as the ice goes out in March. He continues taking walleye off points and structure through the spawn and into summer.

"Summer sees a slow down here in the Detroit River," he said. "In past years, silver bass and white perch moved in so thickly, they seemed to drive walleye into other waters." He says anglers wanting loads of silvers and whities can catch 1,000 a day in summer.

There's a huge movement of Lake Erie walleye into the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair River during non-spawning seasons, notes Ministry of Natural Resources Assessment Biologist Megan Belore. They return to spawning locations in Lake Erie each year. Much of the data substantiating this has been collected through genetic tissue sampling and various tagging studies.

"The majority of this system's walleye, including the St. Clair River, return to Lake Erie to spawn in April, primarily in American-based rivers and shoals," said Belore. "A recent survey by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service documented different genetic strains of walleye spawning in the Detroit River, but unknown at this time is the actual overall contribution of adult walleye to the system."

The Thames River once contributed another huge walleye population to the system. It fell off dramatically throughout the 1990s, with zebra mussels and their filter-feeding habits of clearing the water being suspected culprits.

The walleye feed primarily on soft-rayed prey such as smelt, emerald shiners, alewife, gizzard shad, and various minnows, but they also eat round gobies and yellow and white perch. Still, despite this huge selection of baitfish to choose from, "I only have to tip my jigs with minnows when the water is cold in spring and late fall," said Drulliard.

Early fall is his favourite time to fish the river. "There are hoards of walleye and, depending on the year-class, these fish are at their heaviest weights then, often approaching 10 pounds."

Big and Plentiful
The long-term average Lake Erie walleye population is estimated to be about 35 million fish, of which about 5 million move north into the Detroit River. These estimates are based on tag recoveries and genetic sampling. In a 30-year period on Lake Erie, there have been total estimates as low as 17 million walleye and as high as 85 million.

Some of the fish entering the Detroit River remain and others move into and stay in Lake St. Clair. Others move north to the St. Clair River, while more move into and spend summer in lower Lake Huron. When considering the quality of the fishery in the St. Clair River based on Lake Erie walleye alone, note that lower Lake Huron and St. Clair also host walleye from the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw Bay on the U.S. side.

"Walleye are everywhere in spring and fall," said Drulliard. "You will see packs of boats on fish, but try to get away from the crowds. The channel edges in the entire system hold fish. Just concentrate on a certain depth. Fish can hold in as much as 40 feet of water and as little as 12 in other places. Check out community fishing spots such as Peche Island, the Steel Mills and Salt Mine, along the flats in Amherstburg, and all down the Trenton Channel along Mud Island."

St. Clair River walleye are also structure oriented and move up on channel edges and flats to feed in late evening and after dark. This is when anglers, with minimal effort, can cash in on these fish. The St. Clair also holds walleye from early spring through late fall and into winter.

On Firm Ground
Casting from shore is also a great way to intercept these fish. Stephen Vankerkhoven, from Wallaceburg, has also fished the St. Clair the better part of half a century. "I've fished walleye just about every way imaginable, and I like casting best," he said. "Putting on a pair of waders and walking out into the shallows in the evening for a couple hours is quick and easy."

The St. Clair Parkway manages a great portion of shoreline along the river and it's dotted with parklands. "Access is easy at a number of spots all along the river, from Port Lambton to Sarnia," said Vankerkhoven. "There are spots where you need a pair of waders to walk out to be able to cast to the channel edge, while other locations where the channel swings in close to shore are accessible from breakwalls and grassy parks."

Put waders and tackle in your vehicle and drive the scenic parkland corridor to find where anglers are fishing. Then, do as the Romans do!

Simple Gear, too
A medium-action 7 1⁄2- to 10-foot spinning rod and reel with 8-pound line are all you need to cast the distance to channel drops and weedbeds. The longer rod is required to cast 1⁄4-ounce round jigs with 3- to 6-inch twister-tail grubs.

"I use white or yellow 4-inch twister tails," said Vankerkhoven. "I bite off half the body and get a better response from the fish to the larger tail action." He also adds a stinger hook when walleye are hitting short. "There are times, especially in periods of colder water, when a stinger hook accounts for half my fish," he said.

Try different casting positions. Cast upstream at a 45-degree angle and then at a more acute angle to cover different depths. Let your jig fall a bit before starting the retrieve, as well. When you catch a fish, pay attention to what depth you were working, as the majority of walleye will be holding at the same level.

Timing Counts
The best runs of St. Clair River walleye begin in April with the arrival of smelt. On into June, anglers also witness a variety of evening insect hatches off the water that bring baitfish in close – and walleye right behind them. Casting for them continues to be profitable all summer and into the early fall. Be sure to bring some insect repellant. "Mosquitoes are about the only real annoyance when night fishing here," said Vankerkhoven. "They get pretty thick at times."

A good spot to try wading and casting is in the waters around the Lambton Generating Station. But, don't limit yourself, as there are many miles of accessible shoreline.

Just Whip it!
As shore and wading anglers begin to ply the water in spring, anglers in anchored boats start "whipping" lures. "Whipping is my most productive method of catching St. Clair River walleye," said Brad Armstrong of Mooretown. "It's somewhat limited to this area, because you need good current to do it in – or maybe it's just our best-kept secret." His largest walleye caught while whipping was estimated at 9 pounds.

Armstrong, 30, has lived on the river all his life. He's a member of the Bluewater Anglers in Sarnia, which have been involved in stocking trout and salmon. He sits on the board of directors. "We've had a lot of fun working with salmon and trout over the years, but the walleye have always been here – some years better than others, but always here", he said.

To use the whipping technique, first find a productive location for walleye, such as a hump on bottom, a shipwreck, an underwater bar, or a channel edge. Then, anchor your boat well ahead of the structure to be above the fish.

"I use a Danforth anchor of about 9 pounds for my 16-foot aluminum boat," said Armstrong. "I fish in 12- to 22 feet of water, and 100 feet of rope is all I need."

Adjust anchor weight and rope length, depending on the size of your boat, and consider using a few feet of chain between the rope and anchor. If the anchor gets hung on bottom, the chain prevents breaking off the anchor rope.

Whipping requires a stout rod of about 3 1⁄2- to 4 feet in length and a heavy level-wind reel loaded with 12- to 17-pound-test line. "I prefer super braids, instead of monofilament," said Armstrong. "You can feel the sinker hit bottom much easier."

From the main line, attach a three-way swivel and a monofilament dropper of varying length to a 2- to 4-ounce pyramid sinker. Armstrong stresses that the length of drop line to the sinker is crucial. Experiment. Adjust the length to find the preferred depth walleye are holding. Armstrong uses droppers as short as 1.5 feet and as long as 6 feet.

The Business End
From the swivel, also attach 5- to 6 feet of 14- to 17-pound mono or fluorocarbon and a minnow-imitating lure such as a No. 9 or 11 floating Rapala, a No. 15 floating Bomber Long A, or a pencil plug, a local lure (see "Pencil it In," on p. 33). "I prefer pencil plugs, especially wooden ones," said Armstrong. "I use 4-inch pencil plugs, rather than the typical 6-inchers. Experiment with colours and stripe or dot patterns."

You can stack lures one behind the other, with a few feet of mono between them. Or you can stack them vertically with a few feet of the main line between another three-way swivel.

"I generally only use one leader and sometimes stack one lure behind the other," said Armstrong. "Pay attention to the Ontario law that states only four hooks are allowed per line and a treble is considered one hook. Most larger bodybaits and pencil plugs have three hooks on them. I remove the front treble, since the fish never get hung on it anyway, and this keeps me legal."

Drop the weight and lure to bottom and let the current work it back around the structure. Jerk the rod forward in a moderate whipping motion. As the lure is allowed to fall slowly back with the current, the weight contacts bottom. After a short pause, whip the rod forward again and let the lure settle back into the current. As this process is repeated, the sinker drops farther behind the boat.

"When too much line is eventually played out and the rod gets too heavy to whip forward, reel in the lure, check for weeds on it, and start the process over again," said Armstrong.

A Low-light Affair
"Whipping is only good evening and after dark," said Armstrong. "During the day, I troll with downriggers and use bodybaits, keeping them within 5 feet of bottom."

He believes whipping is good late in the day because walleye start to move about in search of food then. This brings the fish to you. During the day, when fish are stationary, search for them.

Fishing in low light and after dark presents new issues to some anglers. Be sure to have a flashlight. Cap-mounted lights, which leave your hands free to fish, are perfect. Also have proper boat navigation lights, as there is commercial and recreational traffic on these waters at night, too, especially during warm weather.

Acquire hydrographic charts and waterway maps of the rivers. If you have a map-ready GPS, load the electronic versions of these waterways. Pay attention to channel markers and hazards, such as long residential docks, jutting out into the water. The St. Clair's current is swift in some places. Those areas are not for novice boaters.

Whether you prefer to try the Drulliard jig, the Vankerkhoven cast, or the Armstrong whip, don't hesitate to modify the techniques to suit your preferences. You will see many other techniques used on these waters to catch walleye, including stationary fishing from shore with worm harnesses and even minnow-imitating bodybaits tethered off a three-way set-up. Drifting a worm harness along structure is common with boat anglers and hand-lining with automatic spring reels and wire line is still practised. There are almost as many ways to catch these big rivers' walleye as there are anglers seeking the golden fish.

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