A walleye fisherman told me that I needed to “shorten my stroke” – but didn’t explain. Do you have any idea what he meant?

The phrase “shorten your stroke” means that you should use a use short, even lift when pumping the rod. Many anglers pump the rods so much with fast and vigorous strokes that the bait comes right out of the walleye’s mouth. Once you upset the flow of water around a walleye that is striking, you risk losing a catch. This is because walleyes are short strikers. They open their gills to inhale the bait and water. If you are fast and vigorous, you upset that flow causing the fish to leave. If you use shot and even strokes, you will not disturb the flow of water around the bait.  

The line is also important when you are fishing for walleye. You want to not only shorten your stroke but also use a five or six-pound test line that offers lees resistance or as some say, less drag on the lure. This also allows the walleye to inhale the bait easily. With less resistance on your lure, you can easily shorten your stroke and provide an even and shorter stroke, therefore, catching more fish.

Walleyes are the only fish known that sneak up on their prey and inhale it along with the water. This is why many new anglers have a hard time catching this fish. If you fish for a muskie or bass, you do not have to worry about disturbing the flow around the bait. The walleye however, will leave without the bait if they are unable to inhale it.