Captain Rick Millette

Rick Millette
Location: Lake Erie, Ohio
Credentials: Millette has taken the knowledge gained fishing Erie since 1962 and turned it over to his clients, who have put walleye over 14 pounds in the box with his help.
Number of years guiding: 28
Contact: (614) 771-1910; eriequest.com

Favorite Shallow Hardbait: Storm Junior Thunderstick
Color: Hot Tiger
Size: 3 ½ in.
Weight: ¼ oz.
Details: “Perch are a major forage for our walleye, and this is a great imitation. Thundersticks roll slightly, which give them a lot of side flash. Over the years, I devised a reeling pattern that works well for these lures. I’ll cast out, crank three times just to get the lure tapping bottom, then stop for three seconds and repeat. That stop-start action broken up in threes always catches walleye for me.”

Favorite Deep Hardbait: Storm Deep Junior Thunderstick
Color: Metallic Rainbow Trout
Size: 3 ½ in.
Weight: 5/16 oz.
Details: “I troll these lures most of the time, and they run well with trolling weights, which is very important. The color is also a good match for an emerald shiner. Too many anglers think you can set a rod in a holder, get on the troll and forget about it, but you’ve got to watch constantly.  Even big walleye can hit so subtly, they won’t even trip the planer board. Any change in the action of the rod tip can mean there’s a fish on."

Storm Junior Thunderstick

Favorite Jig: Standard Round Head
Color: Purple
Weight: ¾ oz.
Details: “I don’t really have a brand preference and I buy lots of jigs locally, but plain round doesn’t seen to hang as much. Since I fish rocky bottom, that means a lot. A 3/4-ounce jigs might seem heavy to many walleye anglers, but I have a theory that the bigger the jig, the more sound it makes as it bangs off the rocks. That thumping sound attracts fish because they feel it with their lateral line. My catch rates went way up after switching to heavier jigheads.”

Favorite Soft Plastic: Berkley Power Grub
Color: Natural Chartreuse
Size: 3 in.
Details: “When the walleye are coming out of the rivers after spawning, the water is turbid and dirty with run-off. These grubs get it done in that situation because they have good vibration and the scent doesn’t hurt. Stinger hooks are often only used with live bait on a jighead, but I use them with grubs, too. Rather than try to place a treble stinger in the rear of the bait, I’ll let it free-swing back by the tail. That’s often the key to coming tight on walleye that hit gently.”