Pro tips for hunting big walleye in ultra-clear water

Many of Canada’s top walleye waters are gin-clear—and getting even clearer—due to invasive zebra and quagga mussels. Around the Great Lakes, you can practically read the date on a dime lying on bottom in 25 feet of water.

As a result, many top anglers have changed their approach to scouting for walleye. Instead of cruising slowly and spooking fish below the boat, walleye pros are now searching at speeds approaching 30 kilometres an hour. That’s because today’s chartplotters are capable of high-speed returns, allowing you to move quickly to scout massive amounts of water.

To get the best signals, keep your transducer squeaky clean (use rubbing alcohol) and position it straight down. Then turn up your chart speed to the fastest setting. Don’t expect to see classic arcs, however. Instead, the walleye returns will appear tighter and more compressed on the screen. And once you get used to seeing them, you’ll be eliminating water and finding fish faster than ever.