Trolling gets them down quickly and keeps them there. My favourite way to fish bananas is trolling over large reefs and flats. On the outside of a turn, a lure goes faster, while it almost stalls on an inside turn. When the boat turns the other way, the lure speeds up. This erratic action triggers walleye into striking.
Walleye often move shallow at night.
Fishing unweighted, slow-moving, floating banana baits at night in shallow water near dropoffs is my favourite tactic. Trolling or retrieving them just under the surface can produce gigantic walleye from lakes that seem barren during the day. A few years ago, I learned how effective trolling with a canoe and a banana bait can be. A friend wanted to fly-cast for smallmouth from the front of the canoe. I wanted to fish as well, but whipping a fly line around from the back of the canoe was not an option.