The Natural Food Source For Great Lakes Walleye
The Detroit River, located between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, is a popular destination for walleye fishing among both Canadian and US anglers. This river is home to both resident and migratory walleye that can be caught throughout the year, with the best time being between April and June during the pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawning periods. Anglers typically use two primary bait styles - the fluke and the worm style bait - by jigging plastic baits vertically from boats or casting and retrieving plastic baits from shore.
While trolling body baits or hand-lining stick baits are also used, jigging with fluke or worm-style baits has remained the most popular choice for anglers over the years. However, recent changes in the Great Lakes ecology have introduced a new food source that is becoming the preferred choice for fish feeding: The Goby.
Why Using Goby Baits Just Make Sense for Walleye
Most of the walleye in the Detroit River reside in Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, or the Detroit River itself. Each of these bodies of water differ in terms of food sources, depth, water temperature, clarity, water velocity, and structure, but they all have a healthy population of round goby. Therefore, it is crucial for anglers to understand walleye feeding preferences and prepare their bait selection accordingly, especially during peak fishing periods when walleye enter the Detroit River from multiple locations.
The increasing population of round goby has prompted bait companies like Grumpy Bait Company to design and manufacture realistic, soft plastic goby baits that "match-the-goby-hatch" across various waterbodies in the Great Lakes Region. For more information on the history behind walleye food sources in these regions, anglers can turn to the experts at Grumpy Bait Company.
How Picking the Right Style Bait Can Improve Your Odds of Catching Walleye
Walleye in the Detroit River are impressive top predators that must make split-second decisions as food races down the river, while also contending with dirty water conditions, which makes feeding even more challenging. Anglers face the challenge of determining the best bait style that aligns with the conditions and walleye feeding behavior. One of the critical factors to consider is bait profile, and Goby offers a great choice for walleye food sources, particularly in high flow environments.
Round goby have elongated bodies with large heads, bulging eyes, two dorsal fins, and a large vertically-aligned caudal fin, making them a big target relative to other slim baits like worms or flukes. The visual characteristics of goby have been imprinted in walleye throughout their lives, making it easier for them to recognize and catch gobies quickly. GRUMPY Bait Company's GOLIATH Goby offers a 40% increase in overall cross-sectional volumetric profile compared to worm or fluke style baits. Walleye tend to hug the bottom in fast-moving waters to conserve energy, which brings them closer to where goby are found. Since both goby and walleye naturally occupy the same space, goby is an easy and ideal bait choice.
Walleye feeding preferences in the Detroit River depend on several factors such as water clarity, temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud cover, and bait profile. However, goby is an excellent option due to its size, shape, and proximity to where walleye tend to feed. Thus, anglers looking to catch walleye in the Detroit River should consider using the Goliath Goby baits from the Grumpy Bait Company to improve their chances of a successful walleye catch.
Why Are Goliath Goby Baits The Ideal Choice For Detroit River Anglers
When vertically jigging for walleye, certain bait styles are more effective, especially with the rise of round goby in the Great Lakes Region. Anglers are recognizing the importance of goby as a food source for various fish species and are turning to goby-style baits. In the past, Detroit and St. Clair river anglers only had access to worm and fluke baits, but now GRUMPY Bait Company is leading the way by offering innovative and realistic goby bait options.
Here are some important factors to consider when using goby-style baits:
- Walleye can easily recognize goby profiles in high-velocity river environments
- Round goby have become a crucial food source for Great Lakes walleye
- Goby baits with two dorsal fins and one large vertically-oriented caudal fin are key features
- Natural and realistic colours can improve catch ratio in clean water conditions
- Dark colours can improve catch ratio in dirty water conditions
- GRUMPY Bait Company specializes in goby baits and offers a wider range of styles and colours than any other manufacturer in North America.
Thank you to Martin Draeger at the Grumpy Bait Company for your expertise in helping to write this article.
