All of us have had tough days on the water — bad weather, equipment failure and fish that refuse to bite. Walleye fishing is often a game of chance, and when these fish shut down, you'll find yourself cursing all the way back to the launch ramp.
There are a number of techniques and adaptations that anglers can use to turn finicky fish into biters. With a little practice and patience you, too, can turn that bad day into a good one — and fill up your live well in the process!
Walleye Fishing Activity & Weather Conditions
Weather plays a very important role in walleye activity, and a lack of optimum conditions will usually result in a sub-par day. Due to their light-sensitive eyes, walleye will be most active during overcast days. They will also be more likely to roam and feed while the wind is blowing, as this causes wave action that breaks up sun penetration. Unfortunately for anglers, these conditions are not always the most comfortable to fish in — they will, however, provide positive results.
If you happen to be out while the sun is shining and the winds are still, what should you do to ensure that you get bit? If you happen to be fishing a shallow, fertile lake, then your best course of action is to search out the lushest, greenest weeds available and present a jig to walleye, which will be seeking shade and cover underneath. Slow, methodical lifts of a bucktail or twistertail will do the trick, and the addition of a minnow or worm may coax the inactive walleye to become more co-operative.
If you are fishing a deep northern shield lake, then your best bet is to fish deeper, while keying in on productive structure areas. Searching out breaklines and drop-offs and jigging the area thoroughly, or running a live-bait rig or bottom bouncer, will do the trick. A key to remember is this — the more miserable the weather, the faster the retrieve. Sunny, beautiful days call for a slower presentation and added searching to find those inactive fish.
Finding Walleye Fishing Locations
It is common knowledge that walleye relate to bottom structure and will be found hugging the lower part of the water column the majority of the time. This is true in most cases, but there are times when walleye will suspend mid-way through the water column.
Walleye are feeding machines, and will follow baitfish when actively feeding. If the resident baitfish are ten feet off the bottom, then the opportunistic walleye will be close at hand. I have spent time with anglers that refuse to do anything other than jig on bottom for fish, regardless of whether they are getting bit or not.
Experimentation is the key, and jigging a jigging a spoon (similar to ice fishing) at different depths, or trying different models of diving rankbaits, will connect you to fish quicker. Most quality fishfinders will display baitfish schools on their screen. My most effective technique when I come across baitfish schools while running a lake is to throw out a marker buoy to mark the baitfish, and then drift back over the area with the above mentioned lures. This approach is well worth trying, especially when jigging bottom structure proves fruitless.
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| A variety of colorful crainkbaits are very effective baits for catching walleye. |
Change Up Your Fishing Tactics
One of the biggest mistakes a walleye angler can make is to stick to a technique when it isn't working. Changing up tactics is key to putting more fish in the boat and essential in turning "sniffers" into "biters."
When out on the water, make sure that you carry a large assortment of crankbaits. Be sure to include different color combinations in varying weights and sizes in order to test what the walleye want that particular day. There have been days out on the water when the only color that the walleye would show any interest in was red, and if you had the misfortune of not owning any cranks in that particular color, your day was a fruitless.
If there is more than one person in the boat while trolling, it is best to run completely opposite crankbaits. Troll with different color combinations, shapes and sizes in order to see what the fish prefer. If one angler has a run of two or more fish in a row, then you have stumbled upon a pattern; at this point, it's best to change over to match the productive lure.
Relying on live bait is not always the best option. Although many may believe this statement is false, there are times when livebait will hinder your fishing. I saw an example of this occur a few years ago during the season opener on one of the Kawartha lakes. My fishing partner and I were slow trolling a crankbait and a worm rig. Attached to his spinner rig was a fat, juicy nightcrawler. Although he was hooking into numerous rock bass and perch, the walleye were just not co-operating. I, on the other hand, had two fish in the livewell that came on the crank. He then decided to do the unthinkable — remove the crawler and replace it with a plastic worm. Two trolling passes later and he had two fish in the well and ultimately figured out what the resident walleye were looking for that day. Experiment with different lures and techniques until you find the one that works best under the conditions that you're faced with.
Walleye fishing is a tough game to play at times, but the intelligent and resourceful angler will put the puzzle together eventually. Pay attention to details while out on the water, and don't be afraid to try something new — the results might just surprise you!
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