Walleye Hunting: Simple, Unique Tips For
Catching Bigger Walleye More Often

The #1 most important factor when catching walleye is this: location, location, location.

As a walleye fishing addict, it's easy to get hung up on the shapes, sizes, and colors of your lures and baits. (There are so many on the market these days.) Sure, your bait can play a big role in the hunt, but none if it will do you any good if you're not fishing where they are.

You can use many factors to predict the location of walleye. For example, there's water clairity.

If you're in a lake with stained water, fish around shallow humps and other low lying points under the water.

Darkened water gives walleye a sense of security, so they'll be more prone to move out of cover. Clear water makes them skittish, and they'll move out into deeper waters near humps, mud flats, and submerged structure.

Keep in mind, that in all cases, walleye like to be in areas where they can go from deep to shallow (or shallow to deep) quickly.

You've also got to pay attention to seasonal differences for catching walleye.

Walleye spawn in the spring, towards the beginning of the spring season. To do this, they'll migrate into feeder strems and other shallow spawning grounds.

Also, visit some spots that held walleye during the winter, as it's common they don't get far in their migration, especially if favorable spawning grounds exist in these areas.

In the summer, walleye are a bit more elusive and hard to catch. You'll need some patience.

There's no hard and fast rule for where they'll be hanging out in the heat... it really depends on the day and their mood. They are much harder to predict during the summer.

Some general summer walleye huntin' rules are:

- At the start of the day they start off shallow for feeding.

- As the sun gets higher, and the temperature climbs, they head for deeper holes... but keep familiar protective cover in sight and close by.

- Stucture serves 3 purposes (instead of just the usual 2) during this time of year. (1) Structure provides multiple food sources. (2) Structure offers protection from predators. (3) Structure offers protection from the sunlight and heat.

As noon turns into afternoon and evening, walleye follow the minnows into the shallows to feed, and then rest.

Things are very different in the winter, as you'd expect.

They still forage for food, but because of the colder temperatures, they are slower and more sluggish.

They love hanging out around structure that provide warmth, like rocks being warmed by the sun, and anything else that retains some heat.

You'll need to fish slower... at the same speed as the fish.

Catching Walleye In Rivers

River walleye are very good at fighting the current, but are always looking for spots where they can rest. (like little backwash areas... behind rocks, etc...)

These current breaks present perfect opportunities to catch a couple, or more. You want to look for any spot that contains "slack water" out of the flow of the river.

Many things can cause slack water. Damns, deppressions in river floors, rocks, fallen trees, and even man made structures such as bridge abutments.

Pinpointing this lette walleye hotbeds takes a good eye... it's all about learning how to "see" breaks in water current.

Remember: when there's a strong current, walleye hug structure. As the current loosens up the spread out along the outside edges of the current break.

The bottom line is, almost all structure provides an opportunity for you to catch walleye. When in doubt, stick to structure and areas of transition, and you'll consistently outcatch anyone randomly fishing in open water "hoping and praying" for a bite.