Just when the walleyes spawn is affected by how early we have warm weather in the spring. Experience has shown that all walleyes do not spawn at the same time, some start early with the majority spawning during the ideal conditions and some will spawn extremely late in the spring, especially the younger females. The males arrive on the spawning beds first with the females following when the water conditions are ideal.
What are ideal conditions?
Conditions that ignite the spawning activity are water temperature, rock or rubble shore lines, and in some cases, the length of day light. While this last item is an arguable point, the fact that on late ice-out years, the walleyes will spawn under the ice lends merit to this statement. Water temperatures are a known factor for starting the spawning activity and the water temperature is also very important for maximum reproduction. A spawning temperature of forty degrees Fahrenheit will start the spawning action and fifty-two degrees is the top end of spawning temperature. Rock and rubble are important structures for a successful hatch. The eggs must have something uneven to fall into to be protected from small predator fish, which will feed on the eggs. To provide ideal spawning conditions the water temperature should warm slowly and constantly with no severe temperature swings or wave action during the gestation and hatching period. The north and east shorelines are usually the areas where a majority of the walleyes spawn. While the fish do not know east from west or north from south, what makes these shore lines most desirable is the fact that the sun penetrates the north and east shore lines with the hottest sun of the day. Therefore, the water is the warmest close to shore and in some cases, the ice can be ten feet from shore and the lake is covered with ice yet the walleyes will spawn.
When the spawning ritual is complete, these exhausted fish move to the deepest structure of the lake to rest for four to ten days. After the rest period, the walleyes are ravishingly hungry and that's when they move back to their spawning areas and the early spring action is at its best.
Time of day can play an important part in solving where the fish are. Some spots turn on at different times of the day. You can fish over a huge school of inactive walleyes and never get a hit, then come back two hours later and find that they're going nuts. Always double check a good-looking area. If you keep checking these locations eventually you will find active walleyes on one of them.
Many of our fishermen think of rocks, sand, drop-offs, and deep water when walleye fishing. But walleye chasers are missing some good fishing if they aren't poking around in emerging weeds, especially in the spring months. Walleyes will make extensive use of weed clumps if they're available, and often the fish that are in the weeds are looking for a meal, making them susceptible to any type of offering. Running your lure right along the edge of the weed beds can be deadly! One of the first methods to try is to use bulky baits or large profile baits. Remember,
"Big baits catch big fish"! With these words of wisdom, start fishing with a lure similar to a #7 Shad Rap to see what the fish are hitting on. If they continue to bite on that size, move up to a #9 Shad Rap. The bigger fish do respond to the larger baits and so do the smaller fish. You may catch fish smaller than your lure on occasion but most of the time the fish increase in size. If the fish don't respond to the larger size then move back down the scale of size to a #5 Shad Rap and work between that size and a #7.
Walleyes are the one fish species that the right rod can make a difference. Being able to feel the bite is much easier with a quality rod. We prefer a 6'6" or 7' graphite rod, light to medium action with a fast tip. Use new 4-8 pound test line. When we need to go a bit deeper, especially in the areas of moving water, we move up to a
1/2 oz. jig head, otherwise we'll start out with a 1/4 oz. and work up from there. We stock frozen, salted minnows at Shining Falls. Tip your jig head with one of these minnows and lookout. Remember to crimp down the barbs each time you change your lure. A handy
"Leatherman" tool or your tackle box pliers works well for this. We found that the Berkley
"Power Baits" work almost as well as the "dead" minnows and they'll stay on your hook much better.
Rocky and wooded shorelines are also outstanding locations for walleye action. Keep in mind that wood cluttered bottoms are great walleye producers, but you might have to carry a large supply of jigs. Most people don't know that the walleye has a keen sense of hearing, both from its ears and its radial line. A walleye can hear a minnow up to 20 feet away. (Remember that the next time you drop your tackle box in the boat!)
When you start reeling in those walleyes, remember that they have VERY sharp teeth. Don't try to land your walleye by the mouth or gills --- you'll only do that once! Instead, bring the walleye along side of the boat, tire him out a bit, then reach over and grasp the fish right over its closed gills. The dorsal fins on the walleye's back are also incredibly sharp. Make sure these fins lay down against the fish's back as you grab him. You'll get the hang of things in no time.
