Walleye fishing can shortly get sophisticated and technical. That is largely as a result of walleyes have a tendency to hold in deeper water, generally away from apparent shoreline construction. More often than not you want a ship, dependable electronics, and a stable understanding of walleye conduct to even find them.
However the challenges of walleye fishing are nicely price taking over. As a result of if you do get into a college of feeding walleyes, the motion will be quick and livid. Plus, walleyes are one of the best consuming freshwater fish on the planet (at the least within the opinion of this Minnesotan).
That will help you put extra walleyes within the livewell I’ve compiled the information, ways, and equipment from a bunch of Outside Life consultants, digging deep into our archives. I’ve additionally caught my share of walleyes over time and can share a few of the issues I’ve discovered on the water.
Whereas it is a information for newbies, protecting the very fundamentals of walleye fishing, there’s additionally some skilled data tucked into this overview, so anglers of all expertise ranges can get one thing out of it.
Fast Walleye Fishing Ideas
Picture by Alex Robinson
- Understanding walleye conduct is vital to discovering these fish within the huge lakes and rivers they love. As a broad generalization, walleyes will hand around in shallower water (assume sandy flats and close to rocky shorelines) in spring. Then they migrate to mid-lake buildings in the summertime (assume sunken islands and off-shore drop-offs). Within the late summer season and fall they arrive again close to shore (assume deep rocky factors, deep weedlines, and generally even shallower weedlines).
- Within the early spring, walleyes will probably be present in hotter water (relative to the remainder of the lake) and in summer season they’ll be present in comparatively cooler water.
- Walleye fishing will be robust through the canine days of summer season. The best bites are normally in spring, early summer season, and fall.
- Walleye anglers love an excellent breeze and cloud cowl. As a result of walleyes are typically low-light feeders, these circumstances normally contribute to extra constant feeding.
- It’s necessary to launch the most important walleyes. Massive walleyes of 20 inches or longer are typically more practical breeders and extra necessary for a waterbody’s walleye inhabitants general. So, throw the enormous outdated fish again. The most effective tasting fish are smaller anyway. Relying on native rules (many lakes have walleye slot sizes), 15- to 19-inch fish are excellent keepers.
- Load up on dwell bait. Whereas there are tons of nice walleye lures on the market (and we’ll get into the small print of a lot of them later within the story), leeches, nightcrawlers, and minnows are key with regards to placing walleyes within the boat constantly. These dwell baits will be fished with jigs, spinner harnesses, or slip bobbers.
- Don’t horse large walleyes as much as the boat such as you would possibly struggle a bass. Since you’ll usually goal walleyes with lighter sort out, you wish to play them extra conservatively, whereas nonetheless holding constant stress.
- Don’t be afraid to fish aggressively. Whereas plenty of walleye fishing depends on finesse ways, keep in mind that walleyes are nonetheless predators. They may smash fast-moving crankbaits and rip jigs once they’re in the best temper. Fishing sooner will provide help to cowl extra water and discover extra fish.
- Study to make use of electronics. Commonplace fish finders will provide help to find good backside construction and best water temperatures. In the event you’re prepared to step up in worth, forward-facing sonar will provide help to discover off-shore, roaming fish that had been beforehand almost unimaginable to focus on (watch this video to see how that’s completed).
Walleye Gear Ideas
Suppose Gentle Sort out and Line
Most walleye fishing is completed with a spinning rod and spinning reel. A rod that’s wherever round 6 ft 8 inches to 7 ft in size and has a medium or medium-light energy and quick motion is an efficient all-around alternative. Reel sizes within the 2000 to 3000 vary are best. Usually talking, you’ll wish to run lighter line for finesse ways, assume 4- to 8-pound check and comparatively heavier line for extra aggressive shows, assume 10- to 20-pound check. Lighter line makes it simpler to detect delicate bites and in addition forged mild lures.
Don’t Overlook Braid
A whole lot of walleye anglers like braided line as a result of it’s so stiff and responsive. However the important thing to utilizing for walleyes braid is so as to add a pair ft of fluorocarbon chief to the top. This chief might be invisible to fish, even in clear water. You possibly can tie your braid to your chief with the wonderful FG Knot, the Alberto knot, or the double uni knot.
Slip Bobbers Make It Simple
The great outdated slip bobber is a simple and efficient option to catch walleyes in shallow and medium depths. Slip bobbering, or corking, is efficient as a result of it hangs dwell bait proper in entrance of a walleye’s face. This tactic is tremendous efficient at night time when paired with a lighted bobber.
However it’s also possible to take this straightforward tactic and get extra technical with it by pairing it with facet imaging or ahead going through sonar.
Boat Management Is Key
Whether or not you’re drifting, casting, trolling, or vertical jigging, the place of your boat and the velocity at which it’s shifting are important to catching fish. That is very true for drifting and trolling, however the factor is, you’re in all probability not going to know precisely what velocity the fish will like straight away. So pay shut consideration to the finer particulars and alter up speeds in the event you’re not getting bites. Once you do begin getting hit, keep in line with that velocity.
Have a Web Prepared
Walleyes aren’t recognized to be ferocious fighters like smallmouth bass or muskies. However they’ll spit your lure with an excellent headshake, and so they’ll normally do that proper on the boat. So if you do work a pleasant walleye up, don’t fiddle with him boatside. Get him within the web with one easy, calculated scoop. Wait until the fish is almost to the floor and inside attain and web him headfirst. Rubber nets are finest.
Troll Simple
There’s a ton of trolling-specific gear on the market. However in the event you’re simply getting began, you don’t must throw down for trolling rods and planar boards. Merely run a heavier rod and a deep diving crankbait behind the boat to troll deep weedlines and breaks. Many of us don’t love trolling as a result of it may be a bit boring. However in the event you discover that trolling suits your fishing type, then you may dive into the particular gear required to troll like a professional.
Walleye Fishing Lure Ideas
Study to Love Jigging
Jigging is a walleye fishing staple. It’s a good suggestion to refill on a handful of jigs starting from ⅛ ounces as much as ⅜ ounces. The ¼ ounce jig is a go-to for basic walleye fishing. Jigs will be tipped with any number of gentle plastics or dwell bait like minnows, leeches, or night time crawlers. You need your jig to bounce off backside construction with close to fixed motion. Usually, lighter jigs are utilized in shallower water and heavy jigs in deep water.
Nevertheless, one tip I discovered from Dick Grzywinski — often known as “the Griz” and regarded a walleye fishing legend within the Higher Midwest — is that heavy jigs are helpful for feeling the underside when fishing rivers. After I fished the Mississippi with Griz, we used ⅜ ounce jigs regardless that we had been concentrating on walleyes in solely 8 to 12 ft of water.
“Any consumer can really feel the underside with a heavy jig like that,” Griz says.
Cowl Extra Water with Jigging Raps
A extra aggressive jigging tactic is to throw a jigging rap. You forged this lure out after which rip it again with aggressive swings of the rod. The lure darts and flutters like a wounded baitfish and generates response strikes from walleyes. The tactic means that you can cowl open water a lot sooner than you’d be capable of with a jig and dwell bait presentation.
Make the most of Trailer Hooks
In the event you’re operating giant minnows or night time crawlers, including a trailer hook to your jig or spinner rig can assist flip extra bites into hookups. Merely embed one of many hooks from the trailer into the tail of your dwell bait after which even nips can flip into landed fish.
Get Particular with Crankbaits
Professional fisherman Ross Robertson’s favourite all-around walleye crankbait is the Reef Runner, which will be trolled or forged.
“Many walleye anglers are stunned that the Reef Runner will be gradual trolled at .8 mph through the cool water durations or successfully fished at speeds nearing 3 mph in the summertime. It is among the few lures that simply all the time appears to work,” Robertson writes in his assessment of finest walleye lures. “The curved physique and lip design trigger the bait to hunt, making a inbuilt chunk triggering motion that catches fish. Nevertheless, this does come at a worth, and the Reef Runner tune must be checked steadily. Whereas the unique 800 is the most well-liked, it’s also possible to purchase a smaller 3 ½ inch model. Each sizes are also provided in a shallow mannequin for casting or when much less depth is required.”
Run a Lindy Rig Like a Professional
A go-to tactic for catching summer season walleyes is to tug a dwell bait rig or crawler harness tipped with dwell bait. Rigs just like the Lindy Rig have put innumerable walleyes within the boat. Right here’s Nick Linder on the whole lot it is advisable to learn about Lindy rigging.
Downsize Throughout a Mayfly Hatch
One of many hardest instances to catch walleyes is throughout a big mayfly hatch. To extend your odds right here, use what guides name a mayfly rig—a small spinner with a portion of an evening crawler on a small hook. Forged the rig out and depend it down, then retrieve it slowly, experimenting with depth till you discover the strike zone. Walleyes usually hit mayflies as they’re on their option to the floor to emerge. Maintain the rig small; mayfly larvae are not often longer than an inch. —Bob Gwizdz
Take into account Presentation Over Lure and Jig Colour
Many anglers obsess over lure colour. Whereas selecting the best lure or jig colour can assist with success in sure conditions, there are much more necessary elements to contemplate. In keeping with the Griz, how your bait is being offered (velocity, motion, angle) and its place within the water column are important factors. So in case your buddy is catching walleyes however you’re not, strive to determine what he’s doing in a different way together with his presentation somewhat than merely blaming it on a distinct colour jig.
Flip Up the Quantity in Soiled Water
Including rattles to jigs or utilizing crankbaits with sound chambers will increase the chances the fish will zero in on the lure when fishing soiled water. So will growing its measurement: In the event you fish with spinner rigs or crawler harnesses, use bigger spinners. Hammered metallic blades work nicely if it’s sunny; in any other case, use brightly coloured blades. In the event you fish with jigs and bait trailers, a plastic curlytail grub physique will add bulk. Vivid colours, both fluorescent or multi-hued, are an added attraction, as are glow-in-the-dark jigheads. Scent (both scent-impregnated baits or a spray-on product) is useful. —Bob Gwizdz
Crank the Weeds
When fishing round weeds, shad-imitating crankbaits, just like the Shad Rap or Flicker Shad, are lethal on shallow walleyes, notably in low mild or heavy wind. Add quite a few twitches together with your rod tip on each forged or trolling move and your buddies will marvel why you’re catching essentially the most fish. Smaller baits, like the dimensions 5, are finest in shallow areas, however deeper-running 6s and 7s are higher on the outer edges of the weeds. —Steve Pennaz
Tactical Walleye Fishing Ideas
Picture by Jake Dahlk
Goal Walleyes within the Weeds
Traditional walleye construction is very easy to search out with right now’s insanely good GPS mapping items that top-producing areas in most lakes get fished each day. Walleyes reply to this stress by shifting off the construction to secondary areas, the place fewer anglers goal them.
A share of the walleye inhabitants in a given lake could by no means transfer to mid-lake construction, notably if the lake provides good weed development.
These fish are usually shallow and customarily relate to weeds. In stained lakes with poor visibility, look in 4 to eight ft of water, even in mid-summer. In clearer lakes, the prime depth zone in June is 8 to 12 ft. Weed flats, notably these near spawning areas, are finest early within the season. Fish in these areas are spooky, so use your trolling motor to maneuver in otherwise you’ll blow walleyes out. Count on walleyes to be scattered throughout the flat however grouped in small wolf packs of 4 to eight fish. The bottom line is utilizing baits that let you cowl water quick–and which means artificials. These areas are almost unimaginable to fish with conventional walleye shows just like the live-bait rig. Gentle jigs–1/32-, 1/16-, and ¼-ounce–are robust to beat, notably when tipped with a small swimbait or a 2- to 3-inch swimming grub, like the unique Energy Grub from Berkley. —Steve Pennaz
Hit River Mouths and Shallow Reefs at Evening
When walleyes transfer to river mouths in fall, nighttime is the best time to money in. On this situation, it’s robust to beat a protracted, skinny stickbait, largely on account of its versatility. These baits will be fished near the floor or all the way down to roughly 8 ft, and you may forged them or troll them. Goal the sides of deep holes or eddies the place baitfish can relaxation out of the present. If there’s a pier or breakwall with lights shining within the water shut by, that’s usually the jackpot as a result of mild naturally attracts baitfish. I’ll begin by casting a stickbait behind the boat on a spinning rod after which slow-troll it with the electrical motor. Each every so often, I’ll lower the motor to let the lure pause, or snap the rod to make it dart ahead. It is a nice option to find a focus of feeding walleyes, and as soon as I do, I’ll cease the boat and fan-cast.
On smaller our bodies of water that don’t characteristic any bays or river mouths, walleyes usually migrate to shallow reefs come fall. This presents a great situation for casting lipless crankbaits. Very similar to if you’re bass fishing, forged the lure and work it again from deep to shallow till you pinpoint the holding depth of the walleyes. As soon as I begin getting bites, I reposition the boat so I can forged parallel to the reef, which permits me to maintain the lure in that key depth vary from the start of the retrieve to the top. In the event you discover the fish holding on the deep edges, letting the lure sink after which working it again in a collection of sharp rod pumps will be very efficient. Often pausing after snaps causes the lure to flutter down like a wounded baitfish, and that’s usually when a fish will strike. Fall reef fish have a behavior of being spooky, even at night time, making a silent shallow-water anchor a serious benefit. —Ross Robertson
Troll Rivers
Vertical jigging might be the best method for walleye fishing in rivers, however excessive winds or rains that soiled the water can put the fish off the jig chunk. When water circumstances change for the more serious, strive trolling close to backside. Use a three-way swivel and tie a sinker on a 6- to 12-inch dropper, or use a bottom-bouncing rig and path a floating/diving minnow. Troll upstream and cross-current. Don’t be afraid to make use of a sinker of as much as 4 ounces on deep, fast-flowing rivers. —Bob Gwizdz
Be Versatile
The rule of thumb for walleye fishing is to make use of minnows in chilly water and nightcrawlers, leeches or soft-plastics because the water warms. However Mark Martin, a prime veteran professional, says you’re making a mistake in the event you don’t take all forms of dwell bait with you. Though leeches and crawlers could also be exhausting to search out within the winter, they’ll generally outproduce minnows in chilly water, particularly if it’s soiled. Different instances, even within the warmth of the summer season, fish need minnows greater than different choices. —Bob Gwizdz
Don’t Get Caught on the Backside
Walleye fishermen normally consider the underside, however usually essentially the most lively fish are suspended within the water column. When trolling, differ the depth of your choices by altering your diving bait or including weight to your traces if trolling with spinner rigs. Typically the ‘eyes are out on the prowl, foraging on minnows or shad which might be schooled someplace between the highest and backside. Watch your depth finder for clues to their whereabouts and fish accordingly. —Bob Gwizdz
Go Deep After a Climate Entrance
One of many hardest bites walleye anglers face is instantly after a climate entrance passes. With a excessive, clear sky, the fish usually sulk within the depths. The bottom line is to focus on deepwater construction and fish with dwell bait, both slowly trolling or drifting round humps and breaklines, normally proper the place the underside begins to flatten out. —Bob Gwizdz
Catch Nighttime Walleyes from Shore
Catching large walleyes from shore is usually a severe problem in summer season, however on fall nights, the boatless angler has a severe higher hand. Piers, break partitions, and marinas usually have simply sufficient lighting and supply simply sufficient of a present break to attract in a great deal of baitfish. Relaxation assured, the heavy ’eyes might be there too. Many of those areas are so shallow {that a} boat couldn’t get in shut sufficient in the event you wished it to — or at the least not with out spooking the fish. To extend your odds of hitting a foot-patrol trophy, don’t be afraid to throw on some chest waders. Getting within the water means that you can fish productive areas the blokes on shore can’t attain, or to current lures at angles they will’t match. Use an 8-foot spinning rod to increase your casts and stroll softly. Be stealthy together with your actions till you get in vary of the fish. —Ross Robertson
Hit the Massive Basin
Construction is nice, however there’s additionally a reasonably good “basin chunk” in a shocking variety of walleye lakes, normally these with a number of deep, clear water and never a lot in the best way of drop-offs, rock piles and the like. In such lakes, tullibees are sometimes plentiful and walleyes relish them. However tullibees are cold-water roamers, so walleyes will pursue them in open water.
The method that appears to work finest is trolling Rapala Shad Raps or different skinny, deep-bodied crankbaits at a depth of 20 to 30 ft over a lot deeper water. When the basin chunk is on, each different tactic is normally a waste of time. If you’re armed with forward-facing sonar, you will discover and goal fish out in these basins a lot sooner. —Dick Sternberg
Discover Transitional Backside
In the event you’re fishing a lake with a number of gentle backside, then an excellent rock pile will probably maintain walleyes. Even in a sandy lake, a rock pile will normally produce plentiful fish. On the flip facet, in a deep, rocky “defend” lake in northwestern Ontario, rocky backside normally doesn’t imply a lot (as a result of your complete lake is rocky).
One midsummer day I began out fishing some rocky midlake humps the place I assumed the fish could be. After casting jigs and crankbaits onto the highest of the humps and dragging bait rigs across the edges, I spotted I used to be losing my time. Motoring down the shore, I observed one thing totally different: a sandy seaside with bulrushes rising proper subsequent to shore. A more in-depth look revealed some scattered cabbage in deeper water, so I tossed out a curlytail jig and retrieved it alongside the outer weed edge. That did the trick. For the following two hours, I obtained bit on nearly each forged — nothing large, however I caught loads of fish within the 2- to 4-pound class.
When fishing a rocky defend lake now, I make it some extent to search for any sort of sandy construction, whether or not it’s a sandy shoal, level or hump or only a shallow sandy bay. Walleyes are drawn by the baitfish that take cowl within the few weed beds that exist on sandy backside. A naked rocky backside normally provides little in the best way of meals for walleyes. —Dick Sternberg
Ultimate Ideas on Walleye Fishing
The great thing about walleye fishing is which you could you may goal them with whichever tactic suits your type. You possibly can forged crankbaits, float dwell bait, jig, troll, and fish day or night time. The most effective walleye anglers are nicely versed in all of those ways and match them to the circumstances and time of season. However as you’re simply stepping into the sport, it is sensible to zero in on one or two of those approaches that make sense on your house water after which begin refining your expertise. You’ll study essentially the most about walleye fishing by spending time (and many it) on the water.