Hook up more walleye with this reeling hook set technique when using live bait rigs with long snells or when using slip bobbers.
There is an angle from the rod tip to your weight and than to the hook when running live bait rigs or Lindy rigs. This angle gets exaggerated with longer snells. Use the reel to pickup line and lift the weight off the bottom until the rod tip is in direct line with the fish and essentially set the hook by turning the reel handle.
Start the hook set with the reel and finish with the rod where you can sweep the rod after you have the direct straight line from the rod tip to the fish. This same principle also applies to slip bobbers, especially when using slip bobbers in deeper water away from the boat.