"I was only fishing in 15'...why does my walleye have barotrauma symptoms?"
- Interesting info from Saskatchewan Sportfish Research Group talking barotrauma, which typically happens when fish are caught out of deep water (30-ish ft).
But:
> "Walleye may seek refuge in deep water and make short forays into shallower areas to feed. They essentially give themselves partial barotrauma when they do this. However, without going all the way to the surface, and without the stress and exhaustion of being caught, the fish can tolerate the temporary pressure change and safely return to deeper depths on their own.
> "So if you are fishing a major shelf or dropoff in the heat, you may see some fish with over-inflated swim bladders despite presenting your bait in shallow depths.
> "The diagram below illustrates the concept – excuse my poor computer art! The green fish are neutrally buoyant at 45'...in summer they may take refuge from the heat at this kind of depth. Periodically these deep fish will move up into shallower water to find prey. These fish, in yellow, will be positively buoyant, but can use swimming power to move around and stay submerged. However, if one of these fish is angled and brought to the surface (red), it may have barotrauma symptoms and be difficult to release."
Late-summer walleye locations loaded with fish. “Video by Target Walleye”
“Go with the Glow”- Article by Sam Henrichs
No winter bite, try this tip:
If you're fishing on pressured waters or stuck in a brutal negative bite...try tying on an oversized panfish jig with a minnow head or finesse plastic. Sounds goofy, but it's a little trick a handful of #dialed guides have been using the last few years on crowded lakes or in clear water.
The biggest 1/16-oz Clam Drop Jig XL (left) has just enough hook gap on that little #8 to fish with the pinched-off head from a fathead minnow. If you wanna bump things up to a full minnow – yet still have a super compact presentation – try the 1/8-oz Clam Drop Jig XXL (middle) which comes with a #4 hook, or the 1/8-oz JB Lures Doub'l D Jig (right) with a slightly larger #2 hook: