Shore, Wading & Float Tube Walleye Fishing

[Fish Fry Guy]

Anyone have any advice on fishing the eyes without a boat? I'm eagerly awaiting the opener but unfortunately I have no boat. Any tips or locations would be great. Thanks

[Fish'n guy]

I generally don't fish in my boat on the opener for a multitude of reasons, with with the main one being convenience. Bottom line is its just too crowded.

I fish in my waders or on shore/dock and generally do quite well. Here is a list in order of my favorite locations and presentations on the opener.

1. Current- areas that may drain into the lake such as culverts, small rivers/streams, or wind breaks. These areas may be be pushing small baitfish along the bottom, making and easy meal for walleyes. I usually cast smaller crankbaits and jigs with plastics or live bait. Another option is floating a slip bobber with a lively minnow or leech just off the bottom a few inches on the current edge.

2. Hard Bottom- areas such as rocks or gravel. These areas may still be holding the smaller male walleyes from the spawn, but they are still plenty aggressive. Casting shallow running crankbaits and jig/plastic combo in the evening hours can produce a nice stringer of eyes.

3. Rivers- areas with slack current, riprap, and creek mouths can hold some very nice eyes all year long. Casting a jig and plastic seem to work well for me. Creek mouths with clear water coming out during a high water period can be unbelievable. Slack water and riprap are both good options in low water conditions. The Minnesota River would be a good example.

Fishing off of docks is also really productive at times. Slip bobbers or casting jigs or cranks work well. Big Stone Lake in western Minnesota is a prime for dock fishing early in the year, mostly because it is so shallow and it has a hard bottom shoreline to which those male walleyes are generally still holding in come border waters opener.

[schr0563]

Fish'n guy - I have often thought of using a jig and plastic setup for walleyes in the spring when they are still in shallow. How heavy of a jig do you typically use, and what type of plastic? Then, do you slowly drag it along the bottom or do you use a faster swimming motion? The few times I have tried I used a 1/8 oz head and grub (twister tail) with a steady retrieve to keep the bait off the bottom. It seemed like this was moving too fast however, and without any bites I quickly switched back to the tried and true crankbaits.

[james_walleye]

I always throw a jig with a twister tail in the spring. I like them the most at night in current areas and i've done really well from shore doing this. I throw the lightest jig i can get away with and slowly retrieve it. I have a 30 3/4" eye on the wall that i got on a 1/16 oz jig with a 1 1/2" white twister. We were crappie fishing the area earlier in the spring and caught walleyes at night by accident so i went there opening night with the same small twister and did really well.

[Fish'n guy]

schr0563,

Like James said, use the smallest jig that you can get away with. In current or windswept areas I generally have to go heavier such as a 1/8oz all the way up to 7/8oz when the river is really flowing. If you have to go heavier than that then you are are probably in too much current unless you are fishing on the bottom. I would have to say 1/16oz jigs and a 2 1/2" & 3" Northland Mimmic Minnow are my go to jig/plastic combo for casting in calmer water. By having an lighter jig and larger plastic body then that allows the lure to be retrieved at a slower pace keeping it in the strike zone longer. It also helps when you need to keep the lure above the weeds and still have a slower retreive. If the fish are aggressive, it is windy, or I need to cover a lot of water fast I will go with a 1/8oz jighead with the same sized plastics that I mentioned above, and pick up the retreival pace.

Some of the plastics that I have had good success with recently would be the Northland Mimmic Minnow, Mister Twister Sassy Shads, Berkley Gulp 3" Minnow Grubs, Cabela's Livin Eye Minnows, as well as Lindy's Techni-Glo Munchies. The more stained the water is use a brighter color. On the contrary use a more natural looking color in clear water. Don't be afraid to experiment though, because this is not always the case.

The main thing is to "think outside the box"... Try new things that nobody else is using.

[schweady]

Rapalas after sunset. Original floaters. Nothing more fun. Bring a friend.