Bottom cover such as stumps and weeds can produce summertime walleyes, such as this one taken by Sid Brown.

During the summer, when walleyes are utilizing bottom-holding food sources like yellow perch, it is often imperative to get the lures right down in their faces.

When the depths being considered are in the 20-foot and deeper range, and they often are in this scenario, targeting these walleyes can be done with precise accuracy by employing a weighting system such as leadcore line, presenting a variety of crankbaits.

Leadcore line features a thin filament of lead enshrouded with a nylon covering. Consider it an inline sinker that pulls even shallow running crankbaits down to 30-foot-plus depths with ease. Due to its bulky diameter (when compared to nylon monofilament or braid), larger level wind reels are used to hold leadcore line, which typically comes in 100-yard lengths.

Line counter reels are helpful, as they are in most walleye trolling situations. Affix a leader of mono or fluorocarbon line to the end of the leadcore. Ten feet will suffice in dingy water, but ones from 20 to 30 feet are common in clear water situations.

When trolling with leadcore line, allow the line to pay out as the boat moves forward at trolling speed. Occasionally engage the reel so that the line tightens up and the lure stabilizes at that depth. Continue doing this until the lure starts to tick bottom. At this point, take in enough line so that it no longer bumps bottom. This will place the lure within a foot of the bottom.

Leadcore line is speed sensitive. As boat movement increases, it lifts; slow down and it sinks. To be precise, it is important to maintain a constant speed. In the warm water of summer, walleyes often respond best to crankbaits trolled in the 2- to 2.5 mph range. Consistently monitor the depth, taking in line, or paying out, in response to changes. In our stump flat example, you would want to take in a couple extra cranks of the reel to lift the lure(s) above the tops of the cover.

Crankbaits such as Rapala’s Shad Rap, Berkley’s Flicker Shad and Storm’s Hot-n-Tot are among the many lures that function well on leadcore line. Also, leadcore line can be used to present lures to suspended fish.

Walleyes like edges, some obvious ones, some not so obvious. Common edges include the outside edge of submerged weedbeds and bottom composition changes such as rock to sand. The latter is most common in natural lakes, while the former can be present in both lakes and reservoirs, ones that tend to have a fairly stable pool level throughout the year.

The use of electronics is a key ingredient to success. In most cases, you’ll be utilizing sonar to find the outside edge of the weeds as the top of the cover will likely be well under the surface, particularly in clear water environments where weeds commonly grown in 15 to 20-foot-plus depths.

In the case of bottom composition, harder bottoms will provide a thinner return on traditional 2D sonar, while the return will be thicker over softer areas. Side-imaging is particularly useful in locating bottom transitions, as harder bottom areas will be brighter. Side-imaging will also show walleye-attracting rocks and ledges, as well as individual fish, which mark well when they are a foot or two off the bottom.

Since foraging walleyes will often roam along weed and bottom transitions, a mobile approach that covers the water tends to be most efficient. Perhaps the best is pulling a spinner rig (‘crawler harness) behind a bottom-bouncer sinker.

With its V-shaped wire form, the bottom-bouncer sinker, when rigged three to four feet ahead of the spinner rig, leads the way along walleye-holding edges. Commonly used in ½ to 3-ounce weights, this sinker tends to bounce erratically along the bottom, transmitting an equally erratic action to the trailing spinner rig. Trolling speeds around 1 mph tend to be best when pulling bottom bouncers, a slow pace which often requires the use of the electric motor to attain.

As with suspended walleyes and structure trolled walleyes, it is best to leave rods in rod holders when trolling. Soft-action rods used in combination with bouncers/spinners typically add up to hooked walleyes before you even pull the rod from the holder.

If there is a downside to spinner rigs, it’s having to rebait ‘crawlers due to pesky yellow perch and sunfish. This can be remedied by using ribbon leeches, which are tougher than ‘crawlers, or artificial ‘crawlers such as Berkley Power Bait crawlers.

By utilizing these techniques, or a combination of them, you will be able to stay on walleyes this summer.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle