New go-to walley lure!

[Bushleague]

Well, strictly speaking its not a completely new lure, just some modifications and a new way of fishing an old standby. I was told about it by a guy from Michigan while on vacation in Florida, he called it a "Weapon Rig". I've been playing around with it this summer and have been having excellent success.

Tie a short walleye spinner, use a single #2 baitholder hook and give it a 12-18" lead. At the end tie a bead into a bigger than average loop. When you fish it slide the loop through an egg sinker and then clip the loop onto your line, the bead prevents the sinker from slipping down to the spinner. It doesn't seem to tangle while casting very much when so weighted, rather than just adding split shot to your fishing line. Thread a half crawler onto the hook.

The advantages I've found is that I can easily adjust the speed and depth that I can fish it at by simply changing to a heavyer or lighter weight, compared to most lures it can be fished very slowly if desired. While they seem to work pretty well anywhere, I have found them to truly shine in rivers where the depth and current is always changing from hole to hole, and when fishing above snaggy bottoms. I start light and go heavyer untill the until the spinner is running just over the snags without getting caught in them. The other advantage is that you can make them for pennys, so losing them is no big deal.

All the biggest walleye I've caught this year have come out of snag filled river eddys that in the past have been very frustrating and expensive to fish. The "weapon rig" is fast becoming my new go-to walleye catcher.

[St.Albert Tom]

Any chance that you could post or pm a picture of what this rig looks like when complete?

[Bushleague]

Pretty simple.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/P8070018_zps1aa8186e.jpg (http://s668.photobucket.com/user/exophysical/media/P8070018_zps1aa8186e.jpg.html)

[pepper0067]

we use them all the time for walleye at lake of the prairies in manitoba, when the fish were there you couldnt keep them off

[EZM]

Very similar concept to a lindy rig really .... the shorter length would certainly allow it to be cast.

[Winch101]

Big time Salmon and steel head rig .....We used them 40 plus tears ago
For Walleyes , discovered crawlers about 68 , we killed em .

It's where Lindy got the rig idea ..... Spin n Glo on the end instead

Of spinner ,deadly ....

[The Spruce]

I really like the concept. Unlike bottom bouncers, lindys, etc. you keep the rig off bottom by adjusting weight. find the speed they like, then simply adjust the weight used for depth. Gonna try it.

Spruce

[EZM]

I really like the concept. Unlike bottom bouncers, lindys, etc. you keep the rig off bottom by adjusting weight. find the speed they like, then simply adjust the weight used for depth. Gonna try it.

Spruce

If you use a spinner rig, bottom bouncing, and you want to keep your spinner off the bottom ..... use a bottom bouncer (wire and weight thingy). It works perfectly in this application. You just have to keep moving along at at least 0.8 mph or so and it should track above the bottom.

There are some lindy type rigs that are buoyant using corkies, spin-n-glows etc... as well. The slower you go, the higher they float up .....

They are my "go to" walleye set up.

[Bushleague]

If you use a spinner rig, bottom bouncing, and you want to keep your spinner off the bottom ..... use a bottom bouncer (wire and weight thingy). It works perfectly in this application. You just have to keep moving along at at least 0.8 mph or so and it should track above the bottom.

There are some lindy type rigs that are buoyant using corkies, spin-n-glows etc... as well. The slower you go, the higher they float up .....

They are my "go to" walleye set up.

When fished properly this is rig is far better in heavy snags than a bottom bouncer, I can fish places with these that will eat bottom bouncer after bottom bouncer or have you fouled with weeds all day.

Generally I fish it differently than I would a bottom bouncer though. A bottom bouncer I troll to find fish, this rig I usually cast and retrieve, either while drifting or fishing a specific piece of structure. It works well trolled but so do other presentations in many cases, for cast and retrieve type fishing however it works better on walleye than anything else I've tried.

[spinN'flyfish]

Looks like a great rig. Gotta try it out.

[EZM]

When fished properly this is rig is far better in heavy snags than a bottom bouncer, I can fish places with these that will eat bottom bouncer after bottom bouncer or have you fouled with weeds all day.


Sounds like I'm "doing it wrong" because I can't remember, not once, in 20 years of snagging or loosing a bottom bouncer.:)

It is also very rare for it to pick up weeds ..... but, I do fish the weed "edges" on the deeper drop off's ..... I don't pull a bouncer through 4 feet of water in a weed choked shallow bay either.

I love bottom bouncers - I see no distinct difference between what is pictured above, and a typical lindy rig ( with the little wedge weight thingy ) other than the length of it.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=lindy+rig&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=naIBksnsjNzYAM%253A%253BfTm8kCxB2vg2EM%253Bh ttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.probassfishing.ca%2525 2Farticles%25252Fslowtroll.html&source=iu&usg=__IqCzOPZeIe54fp832-2qY3g_UWE%3D&sa=X&ei=qwPlU97IIYeAogScnoDoBw&sqi=2&ved=0CDEQ9QEwBQ&biw=1440&bih=795#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=naIBksnsjNzYAM%253A%3BfTm8kCxB2vg2EM%3Bhttp% 253A%252F%252Fwww.probassfishing.ca%252Farticles%2 52Fimages%252Fslowtroll_lrig.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F% 252Fwww.probassfishing.ca%252Farticles%252Fslowtro ll.html%3B337%3B193

Either way - it's definitely something worth experimenting with. Good idea.

[Bushleague]

Sounds like I'm "doing it wrong" because I can't remember, not once, in 20 years of snagging or loosing a bottom bouncer.:)

It is also very rare for it to pick up weeds ..... but, I do fish the weed "edges" on the deeper drop off's ..... I don't pull a bouncer through 4 feet of water in a weed choked shallow bay either.

I love bottom bouncers - I see no distinct difference between what is pictured above, and a typical lindy rig ( with the little wedge weight thingy ) other than the length of it.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=lindy+rig&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=naIBksnsjNzYAM%253A%253BfTm8kCxB2vg2EM%253Bh ttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.probassfishing.ca%2525 2Farticles%25252Fslowtroll.html&source=iu&usg=__IqCzOPZeIe54fp832-2qY3g_UWE%3D&sa=X&ei=qwPlU97IIYeAogScnoDoBw&sqi=2&ved=0CDEQ9QEwBQ&biw=1440&bih=795#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=naIBksnsjNzYAM%253A%3BfTm8kCxB2vg2EM%3Bhttp% 253A%252F%252Fwww.probassfishing.ca%252Farticles%2 52Fimages%252Fslowtroll_lrig.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F% 252Fwww.probassfishing.ca%252Farticles%252Fslowtro ll.html%3B337%3B193

Either way - it's definitely something worth experimenting with. Good idea.

Fishing in sunken timber one will lose bottom bouncers, maby you haven't tried that. Fishing overtop of weeds can be highly effective sometimes, and as you say bottom bouncers don't do that very well.

I don't see the similarity to a lindy rig, once you attach the loop to a snap swivel that sinker is fixed and not sliding which is the main feature of a Lindy rig IMO. If anything its like a weight forward spinner except that you can change the weight and spinner blade to change how it fishes, basically all the walleye catching goodness of a bottom bouncer but you can cast. If you don't like to fish in places where the ability to cast or keep your rig off the bottom seems like an asset then I suggest that you don't try it. If you already know everything there is to know about walleye fishing, or if 20 years of success with a certain way of fishing has you set in your ways then I suggest you steer clear of threads with titles such as this one, for the rest of us... enjoy.

[The Spruce]

If you use a spinner rig, bottom bouncing, and you want to keep your spinner off the bottom ..... use a bottom bouncer (wire and weight thingy). It works perfectly in this application. You just have to keep moving along at at least 0.8 mph or so and it should track above the bottom.

There are some lindy type rigs that are buoyant using corkies, spin-n-glows etc... as well. The slower you go, the higher they float up .....

They are my "go to" walleye set up.

Fish bottom bouncers a ton, almost as much as lindy's (or a variation of). this is more of a river application. If you fish lindy's or bouncers in the river, you will loose a lot of them to snags. I wasn't commenting on lake fishing, just rivers, or lake areas with a lot of snags.

[EZM]

Fishing in sunken timber one will lose bottom bouncers, maby you haven't tried that. Fishing overtop of weeds can be highly effective sometimes, and as you say bottom bouncers don't do that very well.

I don't see the similarity to a lindy rig, once you attach the loop to a snap swivel that sinker is fixed and not sliding which is the main feature of a Lindy rig IMO. If anything its like a weight forward spinner except that you can change the weight and spinner blade to change how it fishes, basically all the walleye catching goodness of a bottom bouncer but you can cast. If you don't like to fish in places where the ability to cast or keep your rig off the bottom seems like an asset then I suggest that you don't try it. If you already know everything there is to know about walleye fishing, or if 20 years of success with a certain way of fishing has you set in your ways then I suggest you steer clear of threads with titles such as this one, for the rest of us... enjoy.

Sorry Bush ... didn't mean to challenge your idea ..... like I said, its a good idea, but my point was the same types of spinner/bead/slip sinker designs are available out of the box - and FYI - There are some Lindy type rigs, that, in fact, have some slip sinker designs as well - just that they are set up longer so you can adjust them.

Having said that - I like tying my rigs with two singles snelled (crawler harness) run some beads, a colorado blade, a stop up about 18" ..... all on fluorocarbon leader material to avoid the odd pike from destroying my work.

I also run a shak-e-blade right out of the box and have some harness rigs that are off the shelf when I don't have time to tie a few up the night before a trip.

Spinner rigs are the best way, in my opinion, to locate active walleye.

[Habfan]

EZM is correct on this one for locating fish, but I have to say that if your lindy weight doesn't slide up and down your tying it wrong !! You have to put the main line through the weight then tie it to the swivel ! This setup can be trolled, cast, or still fished very effectively.

[bobalong]

Well, strictly speaking its not a completely new lure, just some modifications and a new way of fishing an old standby. I was told about it by a guy from Michigan while on vacation in Florida, he called it a "Weapon Rig". I've been playing around with it this summer and have been having excellent success.

Tie a short walleye spinner, use a single #2 baitholder hook and give it a 12-18" lead. At the end tie a bead into a bigger than average loop. When you fish it slide the loop through an egg sinker and then clip the loop onto your line, the bead prevents the sinker from slipping down to the spinner. It doesn't seem to tangle while casting very much when so weighted, rather than just adding split shot to your fishing line. Thread a half crawler onto the hook.

The advantages I've found is that I can easily adjust the speed and depth that I can fish it at by simply changing to a heavyer or lighter weight, compared to most lures it can be fished very slowly if desired. While they seem to work pretty well anywhere, I have found them to truly shine in rivers where the depth and current is always changing from hole to hole, and when fishing above snaggy bottoms. I start light and go heavyer untill the until the spinner is running just over the snags without getting caught in them. The other advantage is that you can make them for pennys, so losing them is no big deal.

All the biggest walleye I've caught this year have come out of snag filled river eddys that in the past have been very frustrating and expensive to fish. The "weapon rig" is fast becoming my new go-to walleye catcher.

A rig similar to this was introduced years ago by Gary Roach (the roach rig) who was the first to my knowledge anyway that introduced the variable snell length system by sliding a "bobber stop" up or down your line.

I have used a variation of this "roach rig" system every since reading about it, for lindy rigging and bottom bouncing, only I use a line slide and a bead for varying my snell length or weight size without any need to cut the line. The no-snag sinkers also work well in the river

Line Slide
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Maps/lineslide_zps3f42cd24.png (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bobalong/media/Maps/lineslide_zps3f42cd24.png.html)

[Bushleague]

delete

[Bushleague]

Sorry Bush ... didn't mean to challenge your idea ..... like I said, its a good idea, but my point was the same types of spinner/bead/slip sinker designs are available out of the box - and FYI - There are some Lindy type rigs, that, in fact, have some slip sinker designs as well - just that they are set up longer so you can adjust them.

Having said that - I like tying my rigs with two singles snelled (crawler harness) run some beads, a colorado blade, a stop up about 18" ..... all on fluorocarbon leader material to avoid the odd pike from destroying my work.

I also run a shak-e-blade right out of the box and have some harness rigs that are off the shelf when I don't have time to tie a few up the night before a trip.

Spinner rigs are the best way, in my opinion, to locate active walleye.

Yeah, I've fished the Lindy type spinner rigs, and for trolling I like double hooked crawler harnesses as well, and I agree that for locating walleye its awfully hard to beat a bottom bouncer and crawler harness.

I consider these more of a lure than a rig, I fish them like a swimbait or a casting spoon in places where I already know there are fish, a good alternative to jigging when I want to thoroughly cover a river eddy or weedbed etc. Unlike other lures they are more easily altered to better suit whatever conditions I happen to be fishing. Since I am fishing flowing water probably 60% of the time, which I find this rig particularly well suited for, I use them a lot.

[chriscosta]

any of you guys use the mustad slowdeath hooks?? ... if so howd they do and howd ya use em ?

[bobalong]

any of you guys use the mustad slowdeath hooks?? ... if so howd they do and howd ya use em ?

I have used them on spinner rigs, single and tandem. Tied one on the front hook, and a standard hook for the back one on the tandem. They definitely put a roll action into your bait, but never really found them to work any better than just standard hooks.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Fishing%20pics/IMG_2308.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bobalong/media/Fishing%20pics/IMG_2308.jpg.html)

[Bushleague]

any of you guys use the mustad slowdeath hooks?? ... if so howd they do and howd ya use em ?

I use them with just a bead and a worm behind a bottom bouncer, they work great, almost a crossover between a lindy rig pace and a spinner pace. I should use them more than I do, usually just when nothing else is working very well and they always catch fish.