walleye fishing basics
Walleye fishing offers a blend of the fishing trip excitement with the anticipation of at tasty meal for the successful angler. Walleye is a favorite of the white meat, fresh water fishes. Now before we head out lets go over a few basics. The first preparation you should know the walleye state fishing regulations for the area your about to fish. with fishing regulations ever so changing these days just state fishing regulations isn't enough the key is knowing the laws and rules for the body of water you are about to walleye fish on.
Second is know the lake get a good fishing map and check fishing reports. a little preparation can go a long way and will pay off when your catching those walleyes.
Walleye spawn in spring and when the option is available, will choose to migrate from the lake up into feeder streams to spawn. If this option is not available they seek out shallow bars or shoals with clean bottom surfaces near deep water.
The toothy walleye will eat virtually anything they can catch and get in their mouth. They prefer small fish and will eat crustaceans, worms and insects. Try fishing for walleye from sundown to midnight, particularly during the heat of summer.
How To Fish For Walleye
SPRING walleye fishing
Top Baits: Small crankbaits, small jigs and plastic worms.
Fish shallow to moderate depths as the walleye move into the shallows to spawn. Gravel ledges, points and submerged humps in protected areas are prime holding areas.
SUMMER walleye fishing
Top Baits: Crankbaits, Jigs and plastic worms.
Fish shallow in the mornings and evenings and move deeper as the sun rises. Use lures that mimic crawfish as this is a favorite food of the walleye. Follow points and rocky or gravel structure deeper until you establish the proper depth.
FALL walleye fishing
Top Baits: Jigs, crankbaits and spoons.
Fish shallow to moderate depths in the mornings and evenings. As the sun rises move deeper toward outside structure and use small spoons or jigs.
WINTER walleye fishing
Top Baits: Jigs, spoons and plastic worms.
Try moderately shallow depths in the mornings then move deeper as the sun rises. Walleyes are less active in cold water, so move your bait in a slow, easy to catch manner and fish deep structure.
One of our favorite ways to fish for walleyes during the warm weather is with a bottom bouncer and a spinner. In the summertime, the fish are typically spread out. A bottom bouncer and a spinner allows you to cover water and still use live bait. Even when the fish aren't real aggressive, they'll typically bite a crawler on a spinner.
River fishing for walleye without jigs is asking for trouble. I carry at least one tray stocked with basic, round jig heads between 1/16- to 3/8-ounces. This style of jig works well for most vertical jigging and casting situations. Although several high-quality grub bodies are available on the market, I've found Berkley's Gulp! Alive! Minnow Grubs to be especially productive. The three- and four-inch grubs have become one of my favorite walleye jigging bait as of late.
Yet, I'm also a big fan of bucktail jigs for walleye, such as Luck ''E'' Strike Bucktail Jigs. They're excellent for rip-jigging weed edges in rivers for aggressive fish. They also shine when finessing fish in deeper water as well. Natural colored hair bodies tipped with live minnows or leeches have a way of coaxing bites from walleye other lures can't deliver.
I also carry a few other specific styles of jigs. The first are bladed jigs, like those by Road Runner Lures or Northland's Thumper Jigs. When tossing jigs around eddies and current breaks, the blade on these jigs adds flash and extra vibrations to your offering. Another good jig to carry is Fin-Tech's Nuckle Ball Jigs in original or two-tone color patterns. The jig's shape helps it sit with the hook pointing up for easy walleye slurping. The bent hook design allows for weedless rigging. The hook positioning on these jigs also ensure proper placement for the set and delivers high hook-up rates. Another excellent weedless jig is Northland's Weed Weasel. Tipped with a grub or minnow this style of jig is excellent for pitching into holes in cabbage and milfoil beds for walleye.
So remember before you head to the lake start you trip with a stop at huntnfishregs.com for fishing maps, fishing reports, and all 50 state fishing regulations guidebooks in one easy location. download, print or surf and save the fishing regulations to your computer.
Happy walleye fishing !