Walleyes are basically bottom feeders, but don’t ignore those fish that suspend over drop-offs in deep lakes. Some of the best summer walleye fishing is provided by suspended fish.
Do walleyes feed up?
Again, remember that walleye feed up, so don’t set your lures much deeper than 3 feet (1 meter) [source: Richardson]. A few more night fishing tips to keep in mind: At night, walleye are attracted to light, so use lighted or glow-in-the-dark jug heads. Be sure to match your lure size with the bait size.
Are walleye always on the bottom?
Assuming that Walleyes will always be close to bottom is a mistake. If bait fish are suspended 10 feet off the bottom, that is where feeding Walleyes will be located. The best way to look for Walleyes is using sonar. Most serious ice anglers prefer flasher- type sonar, because it shows the current depth of fish.
How do walleye eat?
DIET: Juvenile walleye feed on invertebrates and small fish. Adult walleye feed mostly on fish such as yellow perch and minnows, but dozens of fish species have been found in walleye stomachs. Adults will also feed on crayfish, snails, frogs, mudpuppies and small mammals when fish and insects are scarce.
What depth do walleye feed at?
Generally target depths of 10-15 ft. so your lures can stay close to the bottom.
Are walleye night feeders?
Walleye, by nature, are night feeders but don’t be lulled into thinking this is the only time to fish them. Water color has a definite effect on the feeding habits of the walleye. Many lakes are dark water lakes. High noon is a good time to fish for walleyes in these waters.
What time are walleye most active?
Big walleye especially, are usually most active from sunset to sunrise with the dawn and dusk hours being the hottest. At night, walleye move into shallower water where they are actively feeding on sheltering prey. During the way, walleye move much further offshore into deeper water.
How far off the walleye do you ice fish?
On clear lakes, the best depths are usually in the 10-foot to 20-foot range. However, fish movement does vary and depths as shallow as 2 feet and deeper than 20 feet can often be very productive as well. Live bait is most often used on tip-ups.
What depth do walleye like in summer?
Troll at 1.5 to 2.5 miles per hour to quickly cover a lot of water. In many situations, you’ll be trolling with 60-70 yards of leadcore out, which positions your lure at about 25-35 feet deep.
How fast do you troll a bottom bouncer for walleye?
A good trolling speed for bottom bouncer fishing ranges from 1.0 MPH to about 1.5 MPH. Speeds this slow are going to require a small gasoline kicker motor or an electric trolling motor.
Do walleye bite humans?
As I already mentioned, their teeth are quite blunt, and are not a serious threat to humans. Also, walleye will not intentionally bite you. On the other hand, some common sense and caution are advisable. If you stick your hand into walleye mouth, they can bite you, and even leave some marks on your skin.
Do walleye feed on surfaces?
Not uncommon to catch them in very shallow water 2′ or less but I haven’t seen a feeding frenzy that I was able to identify as walleye. White bass will often school minnows up to the surface — It’s possible that this happened and there were a few walleye lurking in the schools for an easy meal also.
Do walleye stay deep or shallow?
Walleye depth movement over the course of each day
At noon on a bright sunlit winter day, walleye are usually always found in the deeper basins around 30-40 feet. But as the sun starts to set, they move into more shallow water to hunt their prey in waters that are 10-25 feet deep.
Do walleyes like drop offs?
Percentagewise, sharper drop-offs draw more fish in fall. Once walleyes are attracted to general areas of a lake or reservoir, they tend to relate to specific structures meeting their seasonal needs. As they gather on such spots, irregularities along their edges tend to concentrate fish, particularly in deep water.
Why are walleyes so hard to catch?
You’re cranking weed edges too slowly.
Walleyes relating to weedbeds often school tightly. To find them, quickly work a crankbait along the edges until you get a strike. You can pick that area apart slowly after you find the fish with a fast-moving lure.
How can you tell a female walleye?
How do you distinguish between the sexes? The answer, depending on the season, is with some difficulty. Prior to spawning, female walleye are much bigger, fatter and fuller. Indeed, they often have huge distended bellies and look to be bloated, which is a sure sign that they are carrying hundreds of thousands of eggs.
Will walleye hit spinners?
Spinners for walleyes really kicks into gear as the water begins to warm up. Normally when water starts to hit the mid 50’s, it is time to start considering drifting or trolling with spinners. First off, a crawler harness and snelled spinner are basically the same thing.
Why do walleyes go shallow at night?
During the warmest months, walleyes are usually found in deep, cooler water during the daylight hours, barely moving and often not feeding. But when the sun goes down and the temperatures drop, the walleyes move into shallow water in search of prey.
How far can a walleye see?
Putting what we know together we can say that like most predator fish, walleyes in clear water can sense movements well at a distance—in the best light perhaps out to 50 feet or so.
What colors do walleye see best?
Walleyes also possess color vision, based on analysis of the structure of the light-sensitive cones. Scientists tell us walleyes should see red, orange, and yellow the best, followed by green. Theory also suggests walleyes see blue and violet less well, and these colors may even appear black.
What depth do walleye like in winter?
Generally speaking walleye will hold to the same structure as they would during fall months during early ice. Slight drop-offs, sandy or rocky flats, green weed beds, and hard structure anywhere from 8 to 15 feet deep are great places to start.
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