John House is an avid walleye angler who is often one of the only ones throwing crankbaits in the early season when everyone else is relying heavily on live bait.

"If I'm on a big lake and it's windy, I'll troll the 3- to 4-foot break with short Rogues or Bombers when everyone else is using slip-bobbers," House said.

If the water is calmer, he brings out planer boards and covers more water along the shallow edges.

"I'll start trolling at 1.7 to 1.8 miles per hour and adjust it to 1.5 or two miles per hour," he said. Calm conditions require long-line trolling 150 feet behind the boat, while rough conditions require short trolling 50 feet out. House said he likes Rogues in natural perch-looking colors, while he likes black and silver Bombers

Sathre prefers to leave the crankbaits in the box until summer and stick with live-bait tactics in the early season.

"You can catch a lot of fish with crankbaits, but I've found that a majority of the time, early-season walleyes prefer a more subtle presentation that only live-bait rigging and jigging can provide," he said.

His favorite is a 1/4-ounce metallic silver or gold Fireball jig tipped with a shiner or fathead. He uses his electric trolling motor to keep the jig as close to the boat as possible and doesn't let out any more 6-pound-test monofilament than he needs. Slow-trolling at speeds less than seven-tenths of a mile with a sensitive rod makes for a deadly combination.

The rod is the biggest secret to this rig with shorter 6-foot medium or medium light rods like an Avid or Legend Elite being the key.

"I like my rods because they're more sensitive and have a ast tip but enough give so that when I set the hook, I get good solid hit," he said.

When walleyes are stacked up in a location, there is really no escaping the slip-bobber. Sathre and House said the lighted bobber was the greatest invention for float loving anglers.

"Keep your presentation light with a No. 4 Gamma hook, some split-shot and back hook your minnow through the dorsal fin to give the minnow a lot of action," Sathre said.