Minnesota Pro Tip of the Week: Persistence pays off for slip-bobber fishing

By Dan “Walleyedan” Eigen 

Years of experience: 42

Favorite lakes: Brainerd-area lakes

One way or another, slip bobber fishing with leeches has been turning out fish on Gull Lake.

While targetting walleyes, we are often pestered by perch and bluegills. You just gotta keep moving until you find the walleyes. For that matter, largemouth bass also don’t turn down a slip bobber and leech, and smallmouth bass must be doing good because we are picking up a number of them, too.

We have been cruising around in six to maybe 20 feet at the deepest, looking for fish on our side-imaging electronis and then marking down waypoints to then work over with a slip bobber and leech.

If we are getting blasted by bluegills, we sometimes snip off the walleye jig and replace with panfish jig, which has turned up some nice Gull lake bluegills. Either way, bass, bluegills or walleyes, it amounts to a lot of fun.

Eigen, who has been fighting cancer, continues to guide half-day trips on Brainerd-area lakes. He can be reached at walleyedan@walleyedan.com or (218) 839-5598.