WU-205: Strategies in  Searching for Walleyes - Part 1

by Dale Gilbert

Introduction

Success with walleye fishing generally comes from being in the right place at the right time. It has been said on different occasions, that 90% of the fish spend their time in 10% of the water. So the very basic, critical concept to success in “catching” walleyes is to find where the largest concentrations of fish are in the system and spending your time where it can be the most productive. Obviously, if you are fishing where there aren’t any fish, the odds of catching one are slim to none.

There are volumes of books, magazines, videotapes, and TV shows etc. devoted to learning more about walleye fishing. Many articles have been written about success using various presentations for catching fish. However, a person can do everything right and still not catch fish if you are not where the fish are. On the other hand, you can do almost anything and catch fish sometimes – if you are in the right place at the right time. This class  is designed to give you some helpful hints on how to find walleyes – thus where to spend your time with a hook in the water to “catch” some walleyes.

Part 1: Understanding the Basics of Walleye

After spending 30+ years of fishing for walleyes across the mid-west and Canada, I have concluded that even though walleyes are found in quite a variety of systems - (lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and streams), they all have some very basic common elements that determine where and when they can be found in almost any system.

Survival is the number one instinct in the life cycle of a walleye and it revolves around 4 basic elements, which are keys to finding them. In order for a walleye to survive it needs to be able to find something to eat – food for forage. It also needs someplace to be able to be safe from other predators – safety from cover or deeper water. It also seeks comfort in preferred habitat – preferred water temperature, current, water clarity, structure, etc. And last but not least, reproduction is essential to the survival of walleyes.

Keep in mind, the walleye has a brain about the size of your little fingernail and its life is pretty simple. In my search for walleyes, I key in on the above 4 basic elements of survival and relate those to wherever I am fishing to find areas within a system where I want to spend my time fishing.

The reproduction cycle of the walleye is probably the most compelling or strongest element in the walleyes life cycle. Walleyes will make seasonal migrations in most systems and be in locations that may not provide the best forage for food, or cover for safety, but the overwhelming urge to complete its spawn takes precedence for a certain period of time. In most systems the fish will spawn in the spring of the year when the water temperatures are in the 43-45° F range. As the spring progresses, walleyes will move to their spawning areas from their mid wintering areas and they will become fairly concentrated – resulting in some super fishing in areas where the season is open. Spawn depends on what area of the country you are in and starts earlier in some of the southern states and is later in the northern states – generally because of the difference in weather patterns and the arrival of spring.

In the fall of the year, walleyes will also make a “false” spawning movement and can again be caught in some systems in the same general areas as the spring. This is particularly true in rivers.

Generally, once the spawn is completed, walleyes begin migration to their summer locations, which are generally more main lake areas. The significant difference here in some systems is that if there is food, cover, and comfort close to where they spawned they may not leave the area until the food is gone. In some areas in the western reservoirs I fish, those fish can be found in the spawning areas for a period after the spawn – because there is still a good food supply, lots of cover, and the water is warming up to their preferred 65-75° F. range. The other issue here is that all fish don’t spawn at the same time and often times the males will remain in the area for a longer period of time – several weeks in some cases. In other areas, as soon as the spawn is done, they move out.

For me, I probably key in on the food and cover more than other elements simply because if there is no food in an area, there won’t be many walleyes – at least not for very long. A person could catch some fish migrating through an area but it is almost a guarantee they won’t stay long if there is nothing for them to eat.

Finding someplace where there is a good food supply, with good cover – weeds, trees, and deeper water nearby is a very good place to start to be able to consistently find and catch walleyes.

If you add to the areas with food and cover, their preferred habitat/comfort zone based on water temperature, current or clarity, you have found a very good area to spend some time fishing. When available, walleyes generally prefer the 65-75° F. temperature zone. They generally prefer hard bottoms, like gravel, sand, or rock. At times of the year, they are found over other structure depending on the baitfish connection – like the mayfly hatches from mud basins. They have excellent vision, which gives them an edge over their prey in low light or poorer water clarity. So again if you can find areas with water that is neither gin clear, nor muddy – generally, in areas with some color it seems I catch more walleye. I believe the walleye prefers areas where it doesn’t have to work so hard to find something to eat. In the stained water, they have an advantage and thus like this type of area better. It also may be that the stained water gives the walleye some comfort in the way of safety – being easier to hide from predators. In fact in some of the reservoirs I fish, there are very distinct changes in water clarity from the upper sections to the dam sections on the reservoir. In many cases fishing the transition between the dirty and clear water is where the majority of fish will be found.

So in summary, I first would look at the time of the year and what general area of a system I would expect to find fish. Then I would look to the basic forage in the system and where I would expect to be able to find the primary forage in a system at the given time of the year. Then I look for places with cover and comfort.

Questions and Answers

1. What is the number one underlying factor or instinct that motivates all walleyes? The survival instinct is the underlying motivational factor for walleyes in all parts of the country. Practically everything walleyes do and when is somehow tied back to their basic instinct for survival.
2. What are the 4 basic elements that dictate where walleyes can be found in any given system? The 4 basic elements for survival for walleyes are the need for food or forage; safety from cover or deeper water; preferred habitat – water temperature, current, water clarity, and type of structure; and reproduction – the urge to spawn.
3. What is probably the most compelling element in the life cycle of a walleye? The urge to spawn is probably the most compelling element in the life of a walleye. The spawning movements may put walleyes in areas outside their comfort zone and in areas with out the safety and food for forage they would prefer.
4. Which element is probably the most important to key in on when looking for walleyes?   I believe the most important key element in the life of a walleye and what I key in on more than any other is the food for forage. If there is nothing for the walleyes to eat, they will not spend much time in an area. They can be caught in transition when moving from one area to another but they are transient and not as easy to find in those situations.
5. What factors would you consider in defining the “preferred habitat” for walleyes?  I would look at the preferred water temperature of 65-75° F if possible first. Then I would look for structure like rock, gravel, rubble, or sand; transition areas of hard to soft bottom, points, humps, cups, cut banks or weeds, water clarity that is neither clear or mud – but somewhat stained, and current breaks if fishing rivers.