Walleye success when fishing from shore depends on several key components. Equipment selection is of equal importance: having light rods capable of feeling subtle bites combined with braided or fluorocarbon line for increased sensitivity and concealment is ideal.
Try trolling these areas using shallow diving crankbaits. Look out for areas such as rip-rap, skull-sized rocks and any lingering weed beds on lakes and rivers where rocky terrain could potentially present problems for boaters.
Habitat
Walleye have long been prized by anglers as tasty table fare and rewarding hunting targets. Primarily carnivorous, walleye are carnivores which feed at night in shallow sandy areas while during daylight they hide during calm water conditions or swim away to shelter under vegetation cover. Their large eyes are sensitive to bright light which often sends them hiding – this means the best times to fish for them are dusk, dawn and night hours.
Walleye can be caught from shore on many Great Lakes systems. My home water, St Mary’s River, often sees hungry schooling walleyes that ambush and devour any type of live bait offered them – particularly smelt which are abundant throughout these water bodies and form a key component of their diet.
Finding walleye from shore during the pre-spawn period requires finding areas with calm waters. River walleyes hunker down in these spots to avoid current and wait to ambush prey; you can locate these by watching your sonar unit for areas where currents have slowed down and less turbulent flows, like ripples or creases in current patterns that indicate calm water currents.
Once you locate an area like this, be patient as you work the slack water. Fish here may still be very hesitant and require several casts and slow retrievals before striking up a hookup occurs – be patient and persevere and you’ll reap rewards for your efforts!
Walleye fishing from shore typically uses live bait attached to a Lindy rig with a suspended minnow several inches above an octopus hook, providing highly effective presentations that work regardless of weather or water conditions.
For optimal fishing results, choose a rod between 6 to 7 feet long with medium action. A spinning reel featuring smooth drag technology spooled with eight-pound test monofilament line should also be utilized; these products can usually be found at sporting goods stores and online retailers.
Lures
An essential factor for success when fishing walleye is having quality rod and reel. Light to medium fast action rods are best suited to sensing subtle bites while high-quality spinning reels ensure smooth casting and retrieval. Line selection also plays an integral part – braided line is often preferred due to its strength while fluorocarbon lines excel due to low visibility in clear waters conditions.
Crankbaits, Lindy rigs and jigs are some of the classic options when fishing for walleye in various bodies of water, though you should try matching its size, color and action to prey that walleye are feeding upon. Trolling long skinny minnow baits may work better when targeting walleye on shallow lakes at night than short fat crankbaits.
Slip-sinker rigs can help bring wary walleyes in closer to shore with live baits like minnows, leeches, and nightcrawlers attached to a simple hook or jig head. Walleyes find these lures hard to resist. A variety of rigging options such as slip-sinker rigs, spinner rigs, bottom bouncers etc are available that all feature a line connecting the weight with the hook which slowly drags it along the bottom surface.
Walleye migrate closer to shore for warmth and easier access to food sources during late winter, meaning more walleye can be caught by fishing from shore rather than boat. This allows anglers to find more walleye.
If you choose shore fishing, try using an 18-oz jig with either live minnows or salted ones if it is legal in your area, or brightly colored lures like silver, red, chartreuse, or yellow hues as these colors attract walleye defending their spawning grounds and they may strike even when not actively feeding on your bait. Keep a slow, steady retrieve to prevent scaring off fish that would normally ignore it; slow retrieve times often result in strikes from walleye that would otherwise avoid feeding on it!
Live Bait
As temperatures shift and water levels decrease, walleye begin to move closer to shore where they can feast upon an abundance of food sources such as reefs, rock piles, humps and any remaining weed beds. Look out for reefs, rock piles, humps or any remaining weed beds where these fish might be hiding for easy pickings.
Walleye are predominantly carnivorous but also consume small amounts of shad, crayfish and freshwater shrimp. Leeches and night crawlers are natural baits found throughout bodies of water that when presented correctly can become irresistible to walleye. A leech hooked through its sucker end on either a spinner rig or plain hook in front of a minnow is an effective way to target winter walleye from shore; make sure the hook size matches that of the minnow to ensure straight running of bait without rolling up into an undecognized mass that walleye can ignore!
A 2/0 or 3/0 size plain hook works best and must be sharp enough to penetrate minnow mouths or walleye thick skin. A good test is placing your hook against the top of a fingernail – if it sticks easily then you know you have one sharp enough for walleye!
If the bite is slow, consider adding a stinger hook to detect short strikes and pick up on any short strikes that occur. Be patient during this slow time of year – it may take numerous casts and retrieves before one of those hungry walleye take your offering! Keep your electronics charged up so that you can monitor bite activity.
Some anglers like to troll lures during the fall months when walleye migrate closer to shore in search of food, especially on lakes with clean habitat and abundant minnow and shad populations. Trolling lures is especially effective at helping locate fish when sunlight levels drop low and there are few other boats nearby.
Light Tackle
Walleye fishing from shore in Minnesota, where walleyes are abundant throughout, is popular. Anglers willing to wade along rocky shorelines and river banks have an excellent chance at hooking one.
Hunting these fish during late evening and into the night is best, when their feeding patterns shift towards heavier feeding times. Water temperatures cool off significantly and weeds subside, creating ideal conditions for this kind of feeding time for these species of fish.
A 7-foot medium-action rod equipped with a spinning reel equipped with strong monofilament line rated 10 pounds or greater will make a reliable setup for targeting these fish. A light spinner or crank bait works best, and slow, steady retrieves are ideal to mimic injured prey – Rapala Husky Jerk, Smithwick Ripple Runner or simple twister are great bait choices; use slip bobbers or simple jig heads topped off with live minnows can also work effectively.
To ensure a solid hook set without being bogged down by rocks and debris, when casting for these fish it’s best to keep your line close to the surface so you can set an effective hook quickly. A gentle current also assists as this will quickly bring your bait into its strike zone.
As summer ends, walleyes begin their annual fall migration toward their spawning grounds in deeper waters. Although they do this, they will still feed off sunken islands and mid-to-shallow points with plenty of structure such as reefs, boulder piles, some humps or remaining weed beds.
As lakes and rivers across the country become clearer this time of year, anglers will find it more difficult to detect bites from walleyes. One technique for targeting these fish in such conditions is to concentrate on fishing early or late in the day when sunlight levels are limited – this helps minimize lure glare so walleyes can more readily sense your presence! For optimal success when fishing clear waters it’s also essential to use slow, steady retrieves; moving too fast might scare them off your bait altogether!
