“Walleye aren't hard to find. They're hard to commit to. Pick a pattern and grind it.”
— Sierra Blackwood
The Story
Sierra Blackwood grew up pulling walleye through the ice on Saginaw Bay with her older brothers. She started trolling Erie at 19 and won her first open trail event at 23 — the youngest woman to do it. She's known for aggressive trolling patterns and a willingness to run 30+ miles to a spot when other anglers play it safe. Her approach to electronics and trolling speed control is borderline obsessive, and it shows in her catch rates.
Fishing Philosophy
Data wins. Water temp, trolling speed to the tenth, depth to the foot. Walleye patterns are math problems with fins.
Achievements
- 2025 Lake Erie Walleye Trail overall points champion
- 3 first-place tournament finishes in 2024-2025 season
- Personal best walleye: 14.2 lbs — Lake Erie Western Basin
- Youngest woman to win a major walleye trail event (age 23)
- Pro staff: Rapala, Mercury, Lowrance
Gear Setup
Rod
Okuma Convector 8'6" Line Counter Rod
Reel
Okuma Convector CV-30DLX Line Counter
Line
30 lb Suffix 832 braid with 20 lb fluorocarbon leader
Go-To Bait
Rapala Husky Jerk in glass perch — trolled at 2.3 mph
Tips from Sierra
Speed kills — in a good way. Vary your trolling speed by 0.2 mph every 15 minutes until you find the bite speed.
Fish transitions: where mud meets rock, where a flat drops into a channel, where current changes speed.
Mark every catch on your GPS. After 10 fish, a pattern will emerge that you can't see any other way.
Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
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