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“Cheater Rig” for Dirty River Walleyes

Category: article

 Sep 30th, 2022 by Keith Worrall 

Modified Sep 30th, 2022 at 3:23 PM

There are times when an angler simply has to experiment. Part of this experimenting is thinking out of the box. Whether it is to put more walleyes in the cooler than your buddy, in a fishing tournament or simply to be efficient at catching nice river walleyes, nuances and paying attention to your surroundings can make a difference. In this case, it was creating a cheater rig for dirty river walleyes.

Thus was the case with Brett MoComas of Target Walleye a recent fall on the Rainy River. He and his fishing partner, Nick Lindner, noticed while fishing for some sturgeon the walleyes were ticking at their glob of bait offered on a larger circle hook used for sturgeon. They adapted and used a made up smaller rig much like a sturgeon rig but adapted to a smaller hook and a glob of bait. This offering allowed the walleyes to get the hook into their mouths and it was game on.

As an angler, don’t be afraid to experiment. Notice the comments at the end of the YouTube video that mention other anglers who fish rivers having success with a similar set up. Whether it is using a short snelled spinner in high current, adding noise or in this case, recognizing a pattern and adapting to create a great fishing trip, have fun and experiment.

Rather than spoiling the trip, check it all out on the below video. Oh, the next time you head up to the Rainy River or should I say dirty river walleye factory (hopefully this fall as the river is loaded with walleyes), you might want to stop at a local bait shop and pick up some mini sturgeon rigs… for walleyes!

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