How to Fish Walleye? Simple Steps and Techniques

How to Fish Walleye? Simple Steps and Techniques


Listen to article
Audio is generated by DropInBlog's AI and may have slight pronunciation nuances. Learn more

Are you getting tired and bored of daytime fishing already? It’s time for you to try walleye fishing! It will excite you because it is best done at night. Walleye fishing is possible during nighttime because of the walleye’s unique characteristics and features called “night creatures.” With the proper equipment, location, and time, walleye fishing could be best done on simple steps and techniques.

How to Fish Walleye from Shore

Walleyes are also characterized as schooling fish. So during fishing, if you once do find one or catch one, you better stay there for more because you will probably find more! They also like to keep on coverings, especially with weeds for feeding and shelter too. So you better be off with artificial cribs to them at the bottom of the waters and near the shore. You can go for live bait during shore fishing, such as minnows.

Shore fishing is considered the most productive way or option you can go with. During early spring, walleyes are easy to fish on shores, especially on the sand and rocks them wherein they love to spawn.

Male walleyes tend to go out on shallow parts during spawning time, while females do prefer deeper parts of the water within their spawning area during the day. But if you want bigger walleyes, you should try to fish in deeper areas where they spawn.

Some walleyes do feed themselves in daylight a few hours after dark but spontaneously provide themselves at night.

It is a matter of knowing when to fish, depending on its location and seasons. It is because walleye tend to change habits depending on seasons.

During spawning time, you can fish more males rather than females. It is because males usually go on shallows to feed but near spawning areas. And during full spawning time, females are less active in feeding too.

Since walleyes are schooling fish during fishing, it is much easier for you to fish more than what you hope for, whether through simple fishing or using a boat.

Winning could be achieved here by scouting or spotting for possible spawning areas or shelters, such as coverings on shores.

Jigging is the most commonly used by anglers here. It helps you reach out in-depth where walleyes stay. But take note, they usually strike while it sinks to the bottom. Swim jigs are used for you to be able to notice if there are bites or none because as they strike while it sinks, it makes it hard for you to see it, which means a loss on your part. Use colored ones such as white, yellow, green, or black.

In springtime, they can be easily caught as well as in winter but not in the summertime.

Onshore fishing, location best paid off if you think it’s hard for you to get bigger walleyes on it? Better think it over then. Bigger walleyes can also be fished on shores too, depending on location.

Moreover, you could experience lots of excitement on shores rather than on boats. It is just a matter of selecting the right equipment and discovering the right locations. Usually, walleye fishing on shores could be best done within two to three weeks after spawning.

Also, the best areas to fish are those in the weeds aside from sandy and rocky parts of the shore. At this time of the year, walleyes are very aggressive to fish with live baits and by lures too!

How to Fish Walleye from Boat

Boats play a significant role in walleye fishing. They are used for trolling walleyes toward the area where you want to fish because sometimes, in rivers or lakes, walleyes are being scattered around by following schools of bait and or rocky humps. So trolling is best used with these kinds of problems, and boats are essential pieces of equipment in walleye fishing.

In fishing from a boat, you can cast, troll, and or let it drift away when fishing. You can also fish while being anchored. Using it can do magic in lakes and in rivers too! It could also mean more walleyes to fish.

You can use either live baits or lures from boats, would it be in lakes and rivers. Simple jigs are commonly used here because of their versatility. You can cast the jigs behind the boat. It is easy to fish using a boat for walleyes because you can play and do tricks easily while in motion. And not to mention their weakness over baits that’s in action.

But still, live baits such as minnows, when used in boat fishing, can be perfectly matched as productivity is concerned.

Boat fishing on rivers is easy compared to shore fishing alone or fishing on river banks. Why? It is because boats can easily overcome or fight with the current even in extreme conditions. Bottom fishing is suitable to do here. But for anglers, it is hard to fish for walleyes here because they tend to ignore feeding somehow and wait for the proper time to feed on shallow parts to feed on scattered baits left behind by fishermen.

How to Fish for Walleye Like a Boss

How to Fish for Walleye at Night

Walleyes are considered nocturnal fishes. So they tend to feed themselves during nighttime rather than daytime. It is possible for them because of their unique characteristic of having a keen sense of sight that they can see well even in dark areas of the waters. They have these predator characteristics too! They can see much of their prey at night, making them different from any other fish.

Nighttime is the right place for them. It is the perfect time for feeding and for spawning too. Here, they are more active and sometimes hard to fish, but they tend to go out in schools, and it is much easy to fish as many walleyes as you can at night than in the daytime.

Some say that it is more complicated and hard to do night fishing than the usual daytime fishing. But if you’re for walleyes, it is the other way around. It is done more straightforward and quickly, but mind you? It is the most productive one.

The secret of success in fishing is through proper but straightforward planning. Always be ready with all your necessary equipment and baits. Then finally starts to scout or find for their coverings or their schools.

You can go on fish in many different areas at night. And you can also get back to those areas you had fish before thinking that other schools of walleye have moved in there. Furthermore, you’ll be surprised by having more fish in night fishing and sometimes of bigger sizes of walleyes, and you’ll get.

Some walleyes feed themselves on daylight too! So there are still chances of getting one or two at this time. But it is best done a few hours after dark till night.

You can also try sort of shore casting at night. Especially on calm waters wherein weeds are beginning to die because walleyes try to move in on current areas and on shallow parts of the water such as shore to feed. So it can also be considered as the perfect time to fish.

Make it as simple as possible at night. Don’t just think of the fish itself but rather the enjoyment it brings. Night fishing could be great done with friends or families for fun. Experience the cool breeze and tranquility it brings. The simple relaxation that could make your busy world stop for a while and the self-fulfillment it gave you is all that matters most at every end of the day.

How to Fish for Walleye in Lakes

Fish where walleyes at! This sounds great when you’re fishing for walleyes in lakes. Since walleyes go to schools, it is possible to fish for more in lakes. You can make it simple though lures for walleyes can bring about magic in fishing. Lake fishing would still be best done at night too! Not to mention that walleyes tend to appear at night to feed.

If the lakes have greater chances of having bigger walleyes, catching bigger ones is expected. It is because they tend to go to schools of the same size.

Fishing for walleyes on lakes is much likely the same as fishing on rivers and shores. It is usually best done at night with proper equipment on hand with a handful of baits. It is just a matter of investigating, looking for the perfect areas to fish, and the ideal time in every changing season.

You can make use of a boat too on lakes for better trolling and greater casts. If you think that it’s so easy to fish on lakes, you better not. Walleyes here are furious enough and can make a harder fight for anglers.

You can use the bottom fishing technique here because bigger ones tend to stay on the bottom rather than on open areas of the lake. You can spot for coverings ones hallow areas of lakes sometimes or at night for a chance to find them in.

Aside from being nocturnal and usually feeding at night, walleyes are sensitive to the changing seasons. They react to water temperature too!

You need to look for coverings in lake fishing, and sometimes you have to be stealthy too! Why? Walleyes give a good fight on waters and at night where they are so furious and active, especially during spawning.

Sometimes anglers on a boat help each other by copying someone’s strategy if they had constantly fished one.

Try experimenting since walleyes are sensitive in different seasons, better to try to use the perfect live baits for them. Minnow baits in spring and leeches in summer. Sometimes, it can help experiment not just on baits but also on tactics or fishing techniques!

Moreover, you also would need a depth finder when fishing in lakes. It is how you can measure the depth and reach for schools of walleye underneath or in the bottom and or to know where they are. But without it, try to troll deeper. It is to let you estimate the lines you’ll be using. You can go with lures too! Walleyes are fascinated with it also because of their attractive colors at night.

In lake fishing, expect to use bigger rods and strong lines because you have a greater tendency to get or encounter bigger walleyes.

By the way, usually bigger walleyes are females. So if you tend to fish for bigger ones, you must prefer bottom fishing rather than shallow ones.

Anglers and fishermen love this sport because they give a great fight and struggle at night. However, it is possible to make it easy for them by using simple techniques in fishing. What all it takes is only through careful studying and planning before and during fishing.

So guys, if you are planning to start fishing for walleyes. Better start reading first and explore the world of walleyes. So that when the time comes to go fishing, you will never run out of ideas to use. It is not just doing it for fun but most especially to develop your skills in fishing too! Be patient enough and responsible in fishing.

Constantly be reminded of the rule of fishing which is to “catch and release.” You need to be responsible for re-releasing them on the waters if they are too young and not yet suitable to fish. It is not just the rule of law but also the rule from God. To all you guys out there? Always bear in mind that fishing also means excellent responsibility too!

« Back to Blog