Catching Spawning Walleye and Sauger
Pre-Spawn
Walleyes can be found in deeper water near their spawning areas.
They will stage in 15 to 30 feet of water, but they won’t be feeding
aggressively because the water is still cold. Vertical jigging is the
easiest way to catch these pre-spawn walleye. Stinger hooks are very
popular during the pre-spawn because many walleye will bite short in
the cold water temperatures.
As the water warms up and it gets closer to the spawning period,
fishing gets much easier. Fish become aggressive and they can be
caught in only 3 to 5 feet of water depending on the body of water.
Spawn
The spawning period provides some exciting fishing. In the northern
states spawning typically occurs at the end of April, but you can find
spawning walleye between mid-April and mid-May depending on the
temperatures of that particular year. In the southern lakes, spawning
occurs earlier. Fishing is best during the afternoon when temperatures
peak for the day. Females do not bite once they start spawning,
however, they don’t all spawn at the same time. During most of the
spawn, you can catch lots of males and females. In the early phases of
the spawn, you can catch some huge females. The last week or so of
the spawn, it is extremely hard to catch females. You can still catch the
males, but it is extremely tough to catch the big females.
Post-Spawn
Once the spawn is over, fishing becomes more challenging for
walleye. They will start to find deeper water and they will soon start
their summer patterns by following bait fish in deeper water. Walleye
can be found in large schools in the summer, but fishing can be tough
because they travel all over deep water following bait fish. Once the
summer pattern sets in, you will find walleye in 8 to 12 feet of water in
the morning, evening and at night. During the day, they will be as
deep as 40 to 50 feet.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Fishing and Boating Tourism Website
|
|
|
Popular Saltwater Fishing Trips
Popular Freshwater Fishing Trips