Why I Use The Tattle Flag™ System
BY ZAK JOBES
The use of Off Shore Tackle Tattle Flag™ can greatly improve your success rate when trolling for walleye. By utilizing the Tattle Flag™ on your OR12 Side Planer board you can adjust the sensitivity of the flag based on your trolling presentation. You can add a Tattle Flag™ to your OR12 by purchasing an OR12TFEK Tattle Flag™ HD Economy Kit that is available at many bait stores or on-line retailers.
On a recent trip to Green Bay, I found a very large school of shallow walleye that were relating to newly emergent weeds that seemed to be holding bait fish as well as warmer water. Whenever I am looking for fish, one of the first places I often look is in the weeds. Weeds provide great cover for fish as well as baitfish and perch that provide easy meals for ambushing walleye. Weeds can hold walleye year-round but the best time to target fish in the weeds seems to be late spring and early to mid-summer.
I was targeting fish in six to ten feet of water and trolling at around 1.1 to 1.3 mph. My presentation was simple; a small .25-ounce split shot ahead of a worm harness with a number four Colorado or willow blade in a perch or goby color. By adjusting my Tattle Flag™ springs to the lowest setting (least tension), I was able to detect when my worm harness would pick up weeds, small walleye, or perch. Being able to read your boards when trolling weeds can be extremely important as many anglers without Tattle Flags™ may be dragging a small fish or weeds for a long period of time.
The great thing about the OST Tattle Flag™ is that it can easily be adjusted for bigger baits or presentations. For instance, on Lake Erie, I can troll a deep diving stick bait with a two-ounce (OR20 2) Guppy Weight and the Tattle Flag™ by adjusting the spring to the maximum tension (top adjustment on flag). This allows walleye anglers to be versatile as well as adjust the tension on the flag very quickly. If you purchase a new OR12, I highly recommend purchasing an OST OR12TFEK Tattle Flag™ HD Economy Kit. This kit includes the spring, wire and washer needed to add a Tattle Flag™ to your board (you already have the flag on your OR12). The Tattle Flag™ is very easy to install and there are many “how to” videos available online or at OST’s video library on their website at www.offshoretackle.com.