The Best Way To Catch A Trophy Walleye

When it comes to catching a trophy walleye, it is often a matter of figuring out what works best for you in the area in which you are fishing for walleye, and under the various conditions and times of the year you will be fishing for the walleye, because many different factors will determine how best to fish for walleye if you are looking to catch a real trophy sized walleye. We can begin discussing the various approaches to catching trophy walleye in the different seasons.

Spring Walleye Fishing Techniques vary, but the early part of spring will find the walleye getting right up next to the shore near sandy areas and sand bars. If you can find wild rice beds with sandy bottoms, you will have located a prime walleye hot spot. Look, too, at rocky points and weeded areas that have sandy bottoms nearby. The main key ingredient seems to be the sandy bottoms, because they look for that to spawn. Another sign to look for is current. The spawn finds walleye aggressive and ready to bite just about anything, and they will spawn in current, so those areas are usually key to walleye fishing success in the early spring months.

If you plan on fishing for walleye with jigs, try about 1/4 or 1/8 ounce jigs with black, green, yellow, or white twistertails. If you are looking for one all purpose twistertail, choose white, because it will work for you all year long.

During the spring months, the smaller sized male walleye tend to stay close to the shore, but the bigger female walleye look for a bit deeper waters. So, to target a trophy sized walleye, you are going to need to go a little bit deeper, but still in close proximity to the spawning grounds.

When it comes to walleye lures, if you are trolling or casting close to shore, use Junior Thundersticks, Original Floating Rapalas, and stick with fire-tiger, silver, or blues for best results. You can also use shallow running shad raps or small crank baits with good results.

Fishing for trophy sized walleye really is best at night, so if you want to fish for trophy walleye at night, the big female walleye tend to return to the shallows to get back to the spawning area or just to feed on forage along the shore. The best technique for night fishing for these big girls is to troll slowly right next to shore, especially where there are weedy areas with sandy bottoms. Use Original floating Rapalas or even a Junior Thunderstick, and play lots of line. Just stop your boat and cast into the areas where you know they will be for good results.

Now, later in the spring and into the summer, your techniques will change just a bit when you are going after those big trophy walleye. During the daytime, as soon as the water starts to get warmer, the walleye go a little bit deeper, and when they are close to the shallows, they hang out in the deep weeds where they can hide. You will have the best results if you jig with a white twister tail during this time of year.