The Hop, Skip and Jump for Walleye

Walleyes seem to make a hop skip and a jump after the spawn. Early in the year, we often preach shallow but there is a skip in this routine, especially with bigger females. Often right after the spawn, we find big spawned out females on the basin relating somewhat to the first significant break towards shore. This routine is often a trolling pattern where we often use lead core to get subtle baits in front of fish. A fast trolling speed might be two miles per hour. After these fish spawn, they seem to move out and than in a short time move back in to the warm shallow water we often associate with spring walleyes.

Different fish obviously spawn at staggering times and recover from the spawn differently as well. When these spawned out females start showing up in the shallows again, we find new emerging weed growth to be extremely attractive to fish. There might be a few not so obvious reasons for this pattern to be so solid. Weed growth typically is strongest over a somewhat soft but firm bottom. These softer bottoms are usually darker and absorb heat. Another factor for emerging weed beds is that weeds generally grow best in areas somewhat protected from direct currents and heavy wave action. This flat still water seems to warm up even more so. Now throw in the cover and forage items that are often found with weed growth and the result is a very attractive place for walleyes to hold out.

From our experiences, shallow patterns are often most productive in the afternoons or early evening after the water temperature jumps a few degrees. Early in the day is often the most difficult to catch these fish. In the meanwhile however, deep fish can be had in the morning so early in the season often finds us dabbling with both patterns and locations. We often start out the morning trolling for example in the main basin. The fish we find here have sunken bellies and often aren’t the best looking specimens. The fish are often pale and have might have silt or clay in their lower jaws. Generally, these fish are right on the bottom and your presentation has to be right on the bottom because these fish won’t come up and chase the bait.

The afternoon however is a much different game. You could still target deeper fish if you wish but the shallow bite that takes place in the afternoon is often much more steady. For these shallow fish, we often target protected shorelines that are warmer. Use the temperature gauge on your electronics to break down bays and find where that warmer water is stacked along shorelines. Different bottom types seem to kick into gear at different times throughout the early season and often, several patterns are happening at once. There may be bug hatches or young of the year fish hatches taking place. We often find one of the most consistent areas however to be new and emerging weed growth. This vegetation could be cabbage, pond weed, pencil reeds or even grass. Work areas where you can remember good weed beds covering the surface last summer. At this time of the year, weed beds aren’t obvious yet but the growth is still down there, still attracting fish.
When targeting new weeds, we often find fish by pitching crankbaits like Salmo H4F Hornets. Other baits that sometimes work well include Rapala # 5 Shad Raps, Berkley Flicker Shads and other small diving shad baits. These lures work great for locating fish.

If fish are following but not hitting, we have a few options. The first option is to use heavier lures and back the boat way off the spot. With longer casts and a slower methodical retrieve, following fish can often be caught. Interrupt the retrieve often with stops and pauses. My favorite lure for these long retrieves is another Salmo lure called the 8F Perch. Old time favorites also include some of the larger Husky Jerks, Countdowns and large shallow running Shad Raps. Another very productive lure option is plastic swim baits like Berkley’s Pogo Shad. These baits are very versatile especially as the lure nears the boat. You can drop back down in front of following fish which is sometimes hard to do with a crankbait. The large single hook can also hold better than the smaller treble hooks found on crankbaits. These baits however are much subtler in the water and don’t have the wobble or flash that a billed lure does. When casting into shallow water, don't be afraid to use a longer rod for better castibility and leverage. We designed a seven and seven and a half foot rod that excels for pitching crankbaits. We also have a six and a half foot fast action rod that anglers who pitch jigs have fallen in love with. More information on these Jason Mitchell Elite Series Walleye Rods can be found on the internet at www.jasonmitchellrods.com.

When casting and reeling doesn’t work in this shallow water, slip bobbers and jigs pitched into shore will often trigger strikes. The downfall is that this type of presentation is going to slow you down… which might not be a bad aspect at all if you are in the right spot. Remember when you are experimenting with different presentations that the fish change dramatically throughout the day. As that water bumps up a few degrees as the day progresses, the fish you are trying to catch at 1:00 PM are much different animals at 4:00 PM. If you can target your fishing around the best time for catching fish, do so. For many anglers who get off work at 5:00 PM, they fish after work, which puts them on the water at prime time. For our guiding schedules, we often start the days later and fishing later into the day to take advantage of this often better bite that happens late in the day. Early in the season shortly after the spawn, a strategy that works well for us is to fish deeper early in the day and move shallower, fishing more aggressively, as the day progresses.

Editors Note: The author, Jason Mitchell is a legendary guide on North Dakota’s Devils Lake and designer for Jason Mitchell Guide Series Ice Rods, www.jasonmitchellrods.com.