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What is the best month to fish for walleye?
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Fishing success tends to be highest in May and June. That’s when walleye are most frequently in shallow or semi-shallow locations near shore, thereby making them easier to catch. Walleye move to deeper locations as water temperatures rise throughout summer.
Minnows are the most popular bait option for walleye anglers, I have found consistent success with shiner and flathead minnows. When targeting bigger fish, shiners in the 4-6″ range are the mainstay, these will weed through some of the smaller fish and get you on 25″+ Walleye.
Where is walleye most popular?
Walleye is popular in Minnesota; the Minnesota Legislature declared walleye the official state fish in 1965. Three towns—Garrison, Minnesota, Baudette, Minnesota, and Garrison, North Dakotas—each claim to be the “Walleye Capital of the World” and a large statue of the fish is erected in each town.
On stained lakes, I like to concentrate my tip-ups in the 6-foot to 12-foot range. On clear lakes, the best depths are usually in the 10-foot to 20-foot range. However, fish movement does vary and depths as shallow as 2 feet and deeper than 20 feet can often be very productive as well.
What is the best month to fish for walleye? – Related Questions
What time of day are walleye most active?
While Walleye feeding peaks during sunlight transitions, they are typically more active throughout the night in comparison to the day time.
What color walleye sees best?
Walleyes do have color vision that peaks in the orange-red-green portions of the spectrum. They see colors on both sides of each peak, but sensitivity declines. So they see wavelengths shorter than green and longer than orange-red, but not well. Overall, they see orange and red well, followed green and yellow.
Are walleye in deep or shallow water?
Deep spots can certainly be productive, but walleye can also be found in shallow areas all summer long, where they get a lot less angling pressure.
Are walleye top or bottom feeders?
Walleyes are basically bottom feeders, but don’t ignore those fish that suspend over drop-offs in deep lakes. Some of the best summer walleye fishing is provided by suspended fish.
What depth do walleyes like in a river?
As the water temperature or the water rises, more fish will move shallow. Walleyes, especially, can move into depths of 2 to 5 feet.
It’s not uncommon to find fall walleyes as deep as 40 feet or more during midday hours on these big lakes. They might also be sitting on the edge – somewhere in the 15- to 25-foot range, depending on the lake. But they typically aren’t far away from a piece of structure, which they’ll also use early and late each day.
Where should I target fall walleye?
Typically, I like to target fall walleyes in shallow, weedy lakes by searching along the lake’s first drop-off, that area where the flat that typically extends out from shore starts to drop to deeper depths. On many of the small, shallow lakes I fish this drop-off occurs in depths from 5- to 10-feet deep.
Do walleye run up the rivers in the fall?
In the fall, as the water temperature drops, walleyes and saugers will make a run up the river similar to the spring run. They will look for the deeper holes and will locate near them. They will start dropping deeper into them as the temperature drops. They can even become quite aggressive and feed heavily at times.
What lake has the best walleye?
Best U.S. Walleye Fishing Spots In 2022
Lake Francis Case, South Dakota.
Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota.
Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee.
Lake of the Woods, Minnesota.
Saginaw Bay, Michigan.
Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin.
How do you find big walleye?
What is walleyes favorite live bait?
A bottom-bouncing rig or slip sinker is effective for drawing the walleye’s attention in clear water. The best choices of live bait include leeches, minnows, and nightcrawlers. Walleye will take nearly any bait in the spring, but they’re more challenging to catch during the summer.
Walleye are native to Canada, the Great Lakes, the Missouri River basin and the upper Mississippi River basin, and have been introduced in the western and northeastern United States. They prefer the cool, deep, quiet waters of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.
Can walleye be caught from shore?
You can catch a lot of walleye from shore during spring if you fish in the early morning, late afternoon, and even at night. Similarly to fall which you’ll read about shortly, fishing with moving baits will be successful because walleye are in shallow water to feed.
What states have walleye in them?
Best US Walleye Lakes and Rivers:
Lake Eerie (Pennsylvania/Ohio)
Lake of the Woods (Minnesota)
Devils Lake (North Dakota)
Columbia River (Washington/Oregon)
Detroit River (Michigan)
Leech Lake (Minnesota)
Lake Sakakawea (North Dakota)
How deep of water do walleye live in?
Walleye are generally caught between 10-40 Ft. A typical mid-sized lake in the Midwest would likely hold Walleye between the depths of 10-15 Ft. during the Spring, 15-25 Ft. transitioning to Summer, 25-40 Ft.
How do you catch walleye for beginners?
The need to locate the walleye is why trolling is often the best way to start. Trolling along a drop-off with crankbaits, worm harnesses or bottom-bouncer rigs is a great way to cover a lot of water quickly to find fish.