How To Fish For Walleye

Every year I hear or read about fishermen who come to the Western Basin of Lake Erie hoping to catch their limit of walleyes and if lucky catch a trophy walleye but leave empty handed or if not empty handed with very little to show for their efforts and cash outlay. I’m sure they are asking where are the walleye? Well the walleye are here. Almost invariably the problem is with the fishermen and not the fish. If you want to catch walleye you have to know how to fish for walleye.

The single biggest mistake fishermen make is lack of planning. They need to plan their fishing trip to maximize their chances of catching the walleye. There are a number of ways to do this and I’ll list a few.

First plan your trip at a time when the walleye are most active. During the spring migration and spawn is one of the best times with the cooler waters of early fall another. Don’t show up in mid summer when the fish are holding in deep water and expect to catch many fish unless you have a lot of experience on Lake Erie.

Know where to fish. Many fishermen arrive at the lake with their own boat but really don’t have a clue where to fish. If you are coming with your own boat, take the time to check out the many fishing forums and reports. They are the best place to get info on where the fish are. Ask at the bait store which is another great place to get current info.

There are only three basic methods to fish for walleye. Jigging, casting crank baits or trolling. Again check out the forums, fishing reports and bait stores to find out which method is currently producing the most walleye. Each of these methods can be productive however it pays to know which the locals are using.

Find out which lures are most productive and what type of presentation is working best. The trolling presentation is very important to know. When trolling you need to know which lure to use, what speed to use for trolling and at what depth the fish are being caught. All this information is available in the fishing forums and reports.

If you really want to maximize your chances book a charter with a good charter captain. They will know where the fish are, which method to use and which lures are working best. Again check the forums and reports to find the charter captains that are producing the best catches. The good ones post daily results with pictures.

If you plan your walleye fishing trip well you can expect limit catches and a chance at a trophy walleye.