How to catch the shallow-water walleye that most anglers overlook

Advertisement

FISHING WEEDBEDS

During midday, when the sun is high and temperatures are warm, the best shallow-water walleye fishing is usually in the weeds. Weedbeds let walleye get out of the direct sunlight and lurk in the shadows, where they gobble up unsuspecting minnows and other aquatic creatures unlucky enough to swim by.

Advertisement

The best places to target weed-dwelling walleye are in the open pockets and along the outer edges. When fishing the pockets, try using slip bobbers to hang a leech in a tantalizing position, experimenting a little with the depth of the presentation. Some days, success comes from dangling leeches just off the bottom, while other times it’s three or more feet higher.

Another tactic for fishing the pockets is flipping a jigging spoon or minnow-tipped jig. With jigging spoons, I like the actions on the PK Lures Flutter Spoon, Luhr Jensen Crippled Herring and Mepps Syclops (above). They all flutter seductively as they sink before crashing into the lake bottom, triggering strikes from lurking walleye.

Advertisement

As for jigs, one of my most successful presentations is a quarter- to 3/8-ounce Reel Bait Flasher Jig tipped with a full minnow. These jigs put out lots of flash and vibration as they drop. As an added bonus, if the walleye don’t strike on the fall, the jig will stand up on the bottom, presenting an attractive, natural-looking, nose-down minnow. To keep the minnow firmly on the jig, run the hook through its mouth, out one gill and down the body, then slip the barb into the minnow’s side.

When fishing around weed edges, trolling spinner rigs, crankbaits and Lindy rigs are all great options. And the closer you can fish these rigs to the weedline, the greater your chances of luring a walleye out of the cover to bite. If the weeds are sparse on the outer edges, you can even try trolling right through them; move farther out, though, if you’re getting too many snags. If you catch a few fish in the same area, stop trolling and start casting to thoroughly cover the area.

Advertisement