Hello Fishers, Fishettes, Fishoids, and those who live by the mantra  "Fish On"!

    Here is a complete walleye report from May 24 to 29.

    During the past week I have witnessed two distinct patterns during my walleye charters. There is clearly an early inshore walleye fishery (8 to 15 feet) which is structure and weed related. Some of the weed beds are beginning to push through the bottom and even extend as much as three feet. Walleyes are foraging in and around these from sun up till about 7:30 A.M. and are vulnerable to the black/purple jig tipped with a nightcrawler. The inshore fishery becomes fragile unless there is significant wind to move and discolor the water.

    My second observation is the continuity of the deep fishery. I have opted to spend most of my effort in that 28 to 35 feet particularly where the bottom transitions from (manganese nodules) affectionately known as Oneida Lake "pancakes" to soft bottom. We are in the midst of a midge fly hatch so walleyes will spend time over the soft bottom and feast on the midges as they emerge. My drifts have averaged a quarter mile. Nowhere have I found a dense concentration of walleyes which hold day to day. However I have found walleyes to respond throughout the day in the deep water. Three tactics are working: jig/worm, sonar and bottom bouncers in tandem with a floating jig head with a 6 to 7 foot lead of six pound test Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon.

    Make the commitment, stay the course on the deep drift and you will pick at the "eyes" even if you don't see much on the fish finder. I use a Lowrance X-19 color on Oneida and notice quite a few walleyes laying on bottom and not printing as a separated target. If you jack the sensitivity to 75 on the 200 kHz transducer you will have adequate power to print the redness in a bottom hump. This is not structure it is a fairly good size fish. Structure will have a very deep yellow wide color line ( the old gray line feature in black and white mode) under the hump. Whereas a walleye will not give you the deep, wide yellow line but will have the elongated red hump with a faint yellow color line. If you don't understand this, I understand why. It is easier to witness than to explain. At any rate these are inactive walleyes at best.

    This is where "ACTIVATE" Mustad's answer to non-responsive walleyes comes in. I like the spray form for easy application. It comes in walleye flavor as well as others and is available at Bass Pro Shops, Auburn, NY. This is not scent it is pheromone enhanced and does give your presentation that added advantage.

    Here are a few catches in chronological order.

Thurs. evening, May 24. Dr. David Dube, Camillus, and good friend Lloyd Standish, Vestal arrived at 5:00 P.M. to a very still Oneida Lake. No wind, no ripple just quiet. We headed to the first thirty feet drop north of Hogsback Bar and proceed to jig with the perch sonar dripping with ACTIVATE.  We boated 7 walleyes  with 5 keepers on an evening when the expectations of any catch would be very slim.