Walleye Articles & Tips

Artwork provided by Rodd Umlauff

Walleyes are creatures of the night. Like bats and owls and other nocturnal animals that are active and feed during the darkness. Walleyes have light sensitive eyes with a pigment layer in their retina called a tapetum lucidum, this allows Walleyes to see well in dimly lit or murky water. Walleyes are classified as a cool water fish and are found through out the U.S. inland waters, Great lakes, as well as many regions of Canada.

Walleye fillets are considered to have the best tasting flesh of freshwater fish and are recreationally as well as commercially fished. The world record Walleye is 22 pounds 11 ounces from Greer’s Ferry, Arkansas in 1982.

%AD1%

(Click here to read article)
The fun world of walleye fishing doesn’t require a huge investment. While many people prefer to fish from a boat, you can experience good walleye fishing while standing on shore or on a riverbank. Whether you fish from a boat or from shore, the equipment remains the same. Following are three popular methods used to catch walleyes.

WEED WALLEYES 101 By Joe Bucher
(Click here to read article)
One of the biggest keys to finding late spring/early summer walleyes on many lakes is the presence of perch; especially smaller young-of-the-year ones. Walleyes will key strongly on this perch forage throughout most of the season. Newly emerging weeds are amongst the strongest locations to find schools of small 3 to 4 inch perch. Find new weed beds on top of bars or in bays or even along flats and you’re bound to find both perch and walleyes.

Spring Spawning Walleye Secrets By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click here to read article)
There’s a great reason to look forward to the spring with ice melting and rivers running. About 80 to 90 percent of the walleyes across the country move from main lakes into the rivers to spawn. Unlike during the summer when trolling for big fish can be hit or miss, big walleyes become more catchable when they migrate upstream with the masses.

Early Season Walleyes By Mike Mladenik
(Click here to read article)
The entire Menominee Rivers offers excellent opportunities for walleye anglers. On the river there is a one fish bag limit until the first Saturday in May when the regular fishing season opens. Even with this one fish bag limit it is still worth your time spending a day on the river. March and April are prime time to catch big pre-spawn walleye and action with smaller males. If you need to take home a fish, you can take one home as long as it is over the 15-inch mark.

%AD2%

Many anglers choose to fish in Marinette-Menominee where the Menominee Rivers enters the bay of Green Bay. While there is an excellent fishery present and big fish are caught on a daily basis, I prefer to fish the upper river. The lower Menominee River is an urban environment and while catching fish, you encounter noise, boat traffic and other congestion. Sure, you can choose to troll the big water out in the bay, but here to you don’t experience the Northwood’s or solitude, especially when you troll in a pack of boats.

Springtime Walleye Fishing Tips By Patricia Strutz
(Click here to read article)
Want to put some tasty walleyes on your dinner table? Vilas county guides share some insights with us… In early spring you have a great shot fishing for walleyes because they are so accessible. If there is late ice out the fish stay very shallow for two to three weeks after the spawning process. They may still be in only 3-4′ of water.

Spring Walleyes By Mike Mladenik
(Click here to read article)
To successfully catch spring river walleyes, anglers need to be aware of present conditions. Water temperature, prevailing weather, current, and water levels are all critical for both walleye location and presentations.

Early Season Walleyes on Lac Vieux Desert By Dave Lamoreaux
(Click here to read article)
The early season (opening day-Mid May) is the best time of year to catch numbers of Eyes on the ” Desert “. For the first couple weeks in May, the fish are usually in some part of their spawning ritual – pre-spawn, spawning, or post-spawn.

Crankin’ Night Eyes By Captain Marty Papke
(Click here to read the article)
It’s after the supper hour and you finish your meal, don’t become a couch potato, as some of the most active fishing of the day will soon commence.

Night Shift Walleye By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click here to read the article)
Working the night shift can help you land the walleye of your dreams.

Fishin’ The Woodpile For Walleyes By John H. Myhre
(Click here to read the article)
Fishing in the woodpile? I realize winters can get rather long and that about now some of you might tend to think that over the winter I have been sniffing to much wood smoke. This is an often overlooked tactic for taking walleye!

Tactics for Trolling Walleyes By Joe Bucher
(Click here to read the article)
Summer evening walleyes on spinner/crawler harnesses!

Crawler Harness Walleyes By Bob Devine
(Click here to read the article)
A time proven deadly live bait presentation for walleyes……….

Summer Walleyes tips on the deep clear lakes of Northern Wisconsin By Dave Lamoreaux
(Click here to read the article)
It has been referred to as the dog days of summer, but we like to call it the summer walleye bonanza. July and August are the best Walleye producing months, and here is a quick explanation why.

Hooking Live Bait for Walleye By Chip Leer
(Click here to read the article)
“Live bait hooking options- which way is best?”

Salad Bowl Walleyes By John Peterson with Noel Vick
(Click here to read the article)
There’s a place where the water’s dark and cool even while surface temperatures seethe. Forage abounds and the oxygen’s thicker than a rain forest canopy. Cover’s plentiful too, and it’s surprisingly peaceful below despite the fact that this fantastic place is quite shallow, sometimes, unbelievably shallow.

%AD5%

The “Hot Summer Eyes” of Bay De Noc By Captain Marty Papke
(Click here to read the article)
It’s what we’ve been waiting for those hot, lazy, crazy days of August and then someone says it’s too “hot” to catch any walleye! The excuses start: too hot, too calm, too much humidity, too many fish (walleye’s) and not enough days to fish them!

Jig Up Some ‘Eyes By Dick Sternberg
(Click here to read the article)
When fall walleyes can roam at any depth, jigging is your best bet.

Walleyes and Weather By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click Here to read article)
An easy-to-understand story about barometric pressure and its impact on your walleye fishing

Fall River Walleye Tactics By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click Here to read Article)
River fishing for walleyes heats up in the fall, so get ready for some of the best fishing of the year. Rivers and jigs are like peanut butter and jam… they go together. Here are some jigging tactics for catching fall-run eyes.Rivers are typically not as weather-affected as lakes are. The water tends to be dirtier in rivers, so walleyes can be caught somewhat shallower than in lakes. And when they are shallow, they are easier to catch.

Fall Walleyes and Rocks By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click Here to read Article)
Though it can get cold – make that, very cold – during the fall, you don’t need rocks in your head to chase late-season walleyes. Even more than spring, autumn can be the best time to hook the trophy of a lifetime. The fish are big and hungry and unlike spring when they are spawning, eating is the only thing on their minds in fall as they fatten up for winter. Weather and water levels can also be more stable later in the season than earlier in the year.

Anchors Away! By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click Here to Read Article)
There are times when fishing for walleyes is like putting a candy bar on the coffee table in front of couch potato trying to go on a diet. He might not eat it right away, but wait an hour and that chocolate will be gone. Faster tactics like trolling or even slower approaches like rigging will not work all the time. Conditions may dictate where jigging in one spot or suspending live bait below a slip bobber is needed just to entice a bite. The longer a walleye looks, the harder it is for it to resist.

Spring Time Walleyes By Joel DeBoer
(Click Here to Read Article)
Perhaps the most eagerly sought after of all game fish, at least during the early open-water months of spring, is the walleye. While the Wisconsin state-wide opener is not until early May, a few bodies such as the Wisconsin River system where I guide remain open year round. To my clients and me, the walleye presents a much needed bend in the rod after the icy grasp of winter; in addition, they are excellent table fare.

For those willing to ply the chilly waters where fishing for walleyes is legal prior to the opener, the rewards can be great – each spring we boat literally hundreds of walleyes before the “rest” of Wisconsin anglers even get under way. Although March and April are typically when the action begins to heat up, we have had fantastic fishing action as early as mid-February, of course depending on the length and severity of winter.

Trophy Walleye Trip Planner By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click Here to Read Article)
Catching eating-size walleyes for the skillet is fun. But, who wouldn’t want to see a 10-pound walleye in the net? Big fish get big because they’re wary. They’ve got what it takes to avoid the hazards of the fish-eat-fish world they live in, and they’re tough to fool into biting. That’s what makes hoisting one into the boat something special. Two things are needed to have that dream come true. One is attention to detail. You can’t have the fish of a lifetime up to the surface only to have your line snap.

%AD2%

Fall Over for Walleyes By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click Here to Read Article)
Though the calendar doesn’t say so yet, weather forecasters count the time around Labor Day as the start of autumn. Walleye fishermen can attest to the truth of that. Fish are no longer scattered in their summer haunts. Trolling structure or fishing shallow weedlines produce fewer and fewer walleyes. Days are shorter. Nights are cooler. The transition has come. “All of a sudden, walleyes aren’t where they were. They’re gone,” says Wisconsin guide and tackle designer Greg Bohn of the Lindy Little Joe Pro Staff.

Lindy Riggin’ Fall Trophies By Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click Here to Read Article)
Boat traffic on lakes and rivers typically slows down after Labor Day. Kids are back in school. Moms and dads are thinking about putting deer meat in the freezer. But, the best walleye fishing of the year lies ahead. The Chicago Bears aren’t the only ‘Monsters of the Midway’ gearing up for action. The months of August, September and October are the transition period from summer-when anglers tend to settle for smaller, easier-to-catch eating-sized walleyes-to autumn, when true trophy-sized fish become more accessible and vulnerable.

Dealing with the “hatch” By: Tom Christianson “WalleyeMaxx”
(Click Here to Read Article)
I want to talk about the “Mayfly hatch,” and how to successfully fish for Walleyes during this time. It can be more difficult to catch numbers of walleyes and to make consistent catches during this time, but not impossible. There are hatches so thick that every fish in the lake gets their fill, and many times people use this as an excuse why they didn’t catch anything, but even then walleyes can be caught. The most important aspect at this time is location.

Rigging with the Legend By: Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
(Click Here to Read Article)
Here’s the latest from the writing team of Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson. This time, Ted sits down with legendary fisherman Ron Lindner and talks about his invention of the original live bait rig, the Lindy Rig. In addition to being compelling reading from an historical perspective, the conversation sprinkles in excellent how-to tips, including Ron’s surprising personal thoughts on leader length.