10 Walleye Fishing Tips

As a freshwater game fish, walleye resides on top of most of the anglers’ favorite list. Not because it’s a game fish, that is one of the reasons, but the main reason for walleye’s popularity among the fishers is because it’s a delicious meal to eat. Too delicious, to the extent that it is called the best eating freshwater fish, quite arguably. Walleye is native to the Northern USA and most of Canada and has various other names like yellow pike and yellow pickerel.

Angling walleye both as gamefish and commercial product is more than common all across that region. When it comes to discussing some effective Walleye Fishing Tips, we have plenty. However, we will share the basics, which we perceive every angler needs to know. So, without further ado, let’s hop onto discussing all our tips on walleye fishing.

10 Tactics to Chase and Catch Big Walleyes

Walleye Fishing Tips #1 – The Commercial Aspect

Walleye is one of the most palatable freshwater fish, so quite obviously, fishers will catch it to sell to the people who love walleye fish dishes. However, you must know which size walleye is the best to eat. A walleye could be as huge as 31 inches in length and weigh about 20lbs. But when it comes to walleye that are in demand as delicious fish, the size ranges in the medium. Walleye anywhere from 14-20 inches is the most delicious. Not the small ones. Neither the bigger ones. So, if you have caught a few, measure them well before putting them up for sale. And if you are opting for commercial fishing, try to target walleye between 14-20 inches.

Tips #2 – Know About Their Abode Well

Where there are delicious fresh small fish and baitfish, you can surely get walleye around. It is a freshwater fish, so obviously, your target will be the lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. If you are fishing in a lake, then focus around its inlets. If it’s a river, then try the calm water and the holes. Slow-moving water has the best bait fishes available, which is the main attraction for the hungry walleye. Also, search for walleye in the spots that allow fishes to hide.

Walleye hides in those secret spots and waits for the small or bait fishes to come near them. Also, try around shallow water. Shallow water has small fishes in abundance. Search them in the holes, flats, humps, and structure or cover of all types, and you will get at least one or the entire shoal there.

3 – Assess the Water Temperature

Only knowing about the spots, the best ones are not enough. You need to know about the water temperature as well. If the water is warm, it is improbable to have walleyes in the water body. Walleye don’t feel comfortable in warm water. They can survive in cold water conditions, as cold as only 30-degrees but not warmer water. These are cold-blooded creatures we are talking about who prey for their food all day long when the water temperature is within their favor.

The moment the water temperature touches 80-degrees, walleye will change their location and get towards colder water levels. While you are angling walleye in open water, make sure the temperature ranges from 65 to 75 degrees at best. At this range, you might get the chance of angling multiple walleyes as they stay in groups. If you have found one, there are others. So even if you lost one, you could work immediately to catch the others. They are basically shoaling, which means their nature is to stay in a group.

Fishing Tips #4 – Choose the Best Season

Spring and fall are the best seasons to catch walleye. Spring is also their spawning season. This is when one should think of angling walleye just for recreational purposes and ignore the commercial aspect. You can catch walleye all year round. November to February being the laziest month for catching walleye, the best period starts right from March till October. In the winter season, walleye is the most lethargic and don’t work much to feed themselves. They prefer resting depending on the reserved food and fat.

On the other hand, throughout the seasons when the water temperature was within its favor, it remains the most active in feeding itself, especially during the fall, roaming around the water body. However, when we say warm water, the water temperature has to be 75-degrees, not more than that. Between the two best seasons, spring and fall, it’s the fall that will get you some excellent catches very quickly.

Walleye Fishing Tips #5 – Day or Night, The Preferable Time

You need to turn into a night owl if you want to catch walleye quickly and easily. Walleye has low light vision, so it is the most active during the dark. So, rather than struggling and passing your time searching for walleye in the day, take enough rest the whole day or complete your chores and come to angle walleye at night or, better, before the sunset.

6 – Target the Dawn and The Dusk

There is a golden hour to catch walleye, which is during dawn and dusk. Get ready with your best gear and technique right before the sun is about to rise and has already risen and also right before the sunset and half or an hour after it has set. You can continue after that for a couple of hours more, but we are talking about the golden hour or peak period, so we are trying to be very specific. The light has to be there, very low, though, and that is when you can enjoy your best walleye angling experience

7 – Cloudy, Least Sunny Weather

If you have missed the sunrise or about to miss the sunset, try angling for walleye in cloudy circumstances or the days when the sun is not in its best form. That is also a great time to catch walleye in great numbers as it remains busy feeding and treating itself with small fishes.

Tips #8 – Allure Them with Best Bait

Walleye is not a finicky fish when it comes to its food choices. Thus, it’s easy for the anglers to arrange the baits. You can catch as many walleyes as you want with the most common fish baits. It could be insects or small bait fishes, and minnow is the best bait for catching walleye. Other than the small minnows, tie leeches, and nightcrawlers, alive, wriggling in the hook attracting the walleye, and it works wonder most of the time unless it’s summer. This is when alluring walleye with even their favorite baits becomes a task.

9 – Invest in The Right Equipment

Investing in the right kind of equipment is always the key to make the angling process fun and easy. No fish is the same. Though you can make do with any gear with practice, experience, and sharp techniques, using the specific equipment for specific fishes brings the optimum joy of angling.

Rod – For walleye, we prefer a long rod, about 7-8 inches. It must be a medium-fast action rod.

Reel – Keep the fishing reel a medium size. A spinning reel is the best option than other types available. A small-sized one also will do if you are trying the jigging technique to catch the walleye.

Line – Coming to the fishing line, go with monofilament. Keep it transparent, almost invisible. If not that, and you want something more abrasion-resistant, you have fluorocarbon lines. You can also use both, like the mainline will be mono, and the leader line fluorocarbon. Whatever your preference is will be fine, but no braided fishing lines for walleye fishing; heads up.

Hook Size – As you are using leeches, minnows, or nightcrawlers as bait and a slip bobber fishing rig to catch walleye, a size-6 hook will be perfect.

Hook Type – You can use a circle hook, treble hook, or octopus hook, the last one being most angler’s favorite due to its short shank.

Finally #10 – Try the Slip Bobber Fishing Rig

Slip bobber fishing rig is one of the best for successfully fishing multiple walleye fishes. It’s super easy to set up and equally effective.

Things You Will Require

To set this rig up, you will need a 20lbs test, fly line backing, about 2-3 inches; we prefer the bright orange ones as it is one of the few colors that attract the walleye.
An orange beads.
A slip shot.
A slip bobber.

Instead of tying a stopper knot with the fly line backing manually, you can use the pre-tied knots with the tubing and slide the fishing line into the tube.

Follow the Process Below to Tie the Stopper Knot

Lay the fly line backing with the fishing line. It has to be where you want the stopper knot to be, remember.
Then, create a loop with the fly line backing and wrap the tag end of it around both the fly line and fishing line, about five times.
Now pull both the ends of the fly line to tighten the knot.
Make it crisp by cutting off the access backing.

Now, insert the bead to the mainline, then the slip bobber. Attach the split shot using pliers. Keep it right in the middle of the bobber and the hook. After you tie the hook, we the improved clinch knot and have the bait on it; your slip bobber walleye rig is ready.