The ideal walleye trolling speed depends on bait, season and conditions. This expert guide explains all

The old highway-safety saying “speed kills” is also true when it comes to walleye trolling. If you pull your bait too fast, your offerings will burn past the fish before they can react. And if you troll too slowly, many lures won’t work properly and the fish will ignore them, also killing your chances of a bite.

Over the years, I’ve used many different trolling presentations for walleye, learning that each one typically requires a different speed to work properly and attract fish. Based on my years of experimentation, here are my top tips for trolling a wide variety of effective walleye presentations at the just the right speed—all season long. (Be sure to check out this handy on-the-water chart on the final page.)

FOR ALL SEASONS

Fish are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperature is mostly controlled by the temperature of the water. As the water warms then cools from spring to fall, their metabolism also changes, along with their activity level. It makes sense, then, that slower presentations typically work best in colder water, as well as during and after cold fronts, while faster presentations shine in warmer water when the fish are more active. Also keep in mind that a walleye’s preferred food sources change throughout the open-water season. Since the various prey will differ in size and speed, you can simply switch up your trolling presentation accordingly to mimic them.