Equipment: Combo 1, trolling for walleye

When I'm fishing on Leech Lake I use three primary set ups -- one for trolling for walleye, a second for jigging for walleye, and a third for throwing spinner baits for bass.

These three set ups are by no means the only rigs I use -- I also have a couple of rod and reel combos for muskie, a couple different ones for bass (one for throwing plastic worms and another for throwing lipped and lipless crankbaits) and a couple of different walleye rigs (one for Lindy rigging, one for using a slip bobber, and another ultra-light set up) -- but they are my go-to combos.

This post will focus on the first of those three, and the one I use almost every day I'm out on Leech Lake, my trolling rod and reel.

Let's start with the rod. I use a relatively inexpensive ABU Garcia Vantage XL, model number VXLC661MH. It's a one-piece, 6 feet, 6 inches long, medium-heavy action, cork-handled trigger rod that is designed for use with 10-25 lb. test line and 1/4 to 3/4 oz. lures.

I like the medium-heavy action because when a big walleye or pike hits my lure, the stiff "backbone" of the rod loads up quickly and effectively sets the hook for me. I also like the 6'6" length even though the trend these days is long rods, some as big as 12 feet.

Since most of my walleye trolling on Leech Lake is contour trolling, where I'm maneuvering the boat along slight variations in water depth -- say from 8-9 feet -- I tend to hold the rod in my hand as opposed to leaving it in a rod holder. Therefore, a shorter 6'6" rod is easier to use than an 8-12 foot rod.

Another plus to a shorter rod is ease of netting the walleye when I'm in the boat by myself. The shorter rod enables me to bring the fish closer to the boat making it easier to net than if I was using a 12-foot rod, or even an 8-footer.

For my money, and primary use, this is an excellent rod choice for trolling crankbaits for walleye. Unfortunately, this rod has been discontinued by ABU Garcia so if, or when, I need to replace it, it will have to be with a completely different product.

The reel I use is a ABU Garcia Ambassadeur Professional Series and it's a perfect complement to the Vantage XL rod. Unfortunately, like the rod, my Ambassadeur Professional Series reel has been discontinued. In fact, this reel was only on the market for a very short time many years ago and finding any information about it today is next to impossible.

I did a Google search for this reel and basically came up empty. There were a few mentions of it on various auction sites, but when I checked them out, I could not find the model number reel that I own. Who knows, maybe I have a one-of-a-kind reel!

I bought this rod and reel combo many years ago for a great price, although I'm not sure where I purchased the pair -- Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, or even an eBay store. At any rate, the ABU Garcia Vantage XL rod and Ambassadeur Professional Series reel are a perfect rig for trolling crankbaits for walleye on Leech Lake.

While my rod and reel may be discontinued and nearly impossible to find, the rest of the set up is readily available and can be purchased online at Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops.

My line of choice is 10 lb. test Berkley Fireline Original Fused in smoke color. I really like the "no stretch" aspect of the Fireline as well as its ability to transmit every little tick or bump in the water back to the reel.

The old-style, regular monofilament line stretches up to 10 percent, which means if you're trolling with 60 feet of line out and you hook a fish, the line is likely to stretch up to 6 feet before tightening up. That 6 foot stretch may be all that a walleye needs to become unhooked after biting the lure due to the line stretching process.

With Fireline, there is absolutely no stretch whatsoever. Once the walleye hits the lure, the line basically sets the hook itself, meaning many fewer missed walleyes.

At the end of the line I like to tie on a size 12, 30 lb. test Berkley Cross-Lok Snap/Swivel. Unlike typical swivels that use a safety-pin style closure, the Cross-Lok swivels use a unique wire over wire lock doesn’t slip down the shank and is very secure. The tiny barrel swivel prevents line twist enabling the reel to spool the line in a smooth, easy fashion.

And finally, the crankbait itself. Over the years I've used dozens of different makes, models, colors and sizes of crankbaits when trolling for walleye on Leech Lake. But my favorite crankbait of all time is the Rapala #9 Minnow Rap. It's my favorite for one simple reason -- it catches walleye.

While all colors of the Minnow Rap work well, the ones that perform best for me are hot steel, purpledescent, perch, hot tiger, and bleeding pearl. Another favorite of mine is the limited edition Tennessee Shad color which features red hooks and a clear plastic lip, but this lure variation is hard to find in stores.

My usual trolling-for-walleye methodology is the following: I troll in 8-10 feet of water at a ground speed (not water speed) of 1.95 to 2.75 mph. I let out roughly 50-75 feet of Fireline which enables the Minnow Rap to run just above the bottom of the lake, while occasionally hitting bottom kicking up muck and generally causing a disturbance. I start trolling right at sunset and continue for about 2 hours after the sun has set. I have found that on Leech Lake, using this method is as close to a sure thing for catching walleye is as possible.

Once I've got a walleye on the line, the next piece of important equipment is a quality landing net. Again, I've used a number of different styles of nets from a few different manufacturers, but my hands down favorite is the Pro-Formance landing net by Frabill.

This particular Frabill net uses rubber netting which is not only better for maintaining the health of the fish, but makes getting the lure out of the net a breeze. With the old style string nets (even those with rubber coating) treble hooks always seem to get hung up. And trying to unhook a lure from a net at night while being bounced by the Leech Lake waves is not something I enjoyed doing.

The Pro-Formance net also features a telescoping handle with the Frabill Pow’R-Lok™ automatic yoke system which enables me to stow the net in smaller spaces than a net without the ability to collapse the handle. And the automatic yoke system is not only easy to use (I've often extended it with one hand while battling a fish with the other) but it stays secure once it's in place. This net has helped me land literally hundreds of walleye on Leech Lake.

I also rely heavily on my Lowrance electronics, but I will save a the discussion of them for another post.

I'm still planning a Fall trip to the Northwoods in either September or October, so in the not too distant future I will once again be making my "At Leech Lake" posts.

Next up, my equipment for bass fishing with spinner baits.