Professional fishing guide Doug Wegner shares a masterclass in Green Bay walleye fishing during the spring spawning period, focusing on locating and catching trophy walleyes using proven tactics and baits. Wegner emphasizes the importance of understanding walleye location shifts during this transitional time and breaks down how to use electronics and bottom composition to your advantage. Oversized smallmouth bass abound in the bay, so learn how to catch Sturgeon Bay smallmouth bass to diversify your trip to this marvelous Great Lakes mecca.
Targeting Transitions in Spring Walleye Fishing
In late April, Green Bay’s east and west shores fish differently. The west side warms quicker and features shallow, dingier water with more tributaries, while the east side has colder, clearer water and deeper structure. Wegner is fishing the east shore post-spawn bite on this outing, focusing on sand pockets adjacent to boulder and limestone transitions. These areas hold baitfish and draw walleyes that have recently finished spawning in shallow bays or feeder creeks.
Electronics Strategy: Side Imaging + MEGA 360
Wegner relies heavily on LakeMaster mapping and side imaging sonar to find Green Bay walleyes in the spring. Once he gets to the target area, he scans these areas using side imaging and MEGA 360 to identify the sweet stuff, such as sand pockets in boulder fields. By pinpointing fish on these key edges, he precisely controls the boat using his bow mount trolling motor from the back while clients make targeting casts.
DOUG’S BOAT SETUP
- MAPPING – Humminbird LakeMaster Premium VX Digital Map Chart Card: Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- BOAT – Lund 219 Pro-V GL: Check out at Lund Boats
- MOTOR – Mercury Verado 400hp 5.7L V10: Check out at Mercury Marine
- TROLLING MOTOR – Minn Kota Ulterra (Item # 1358503): Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- CONSOLE GRAPH – Humminbird SOLIX 15, replaced with Humminbird APEX 16 CHIRP MEGA SI+: Buy at Humminbird
Best Walleye Baits for Green Bay
Wegner relies on three core lures for this bite: hair jigs, lipless crankbaits like the Rapala Rippin’ Rap, and swimbaits. He adjusts his presentation based on wind and light conditions. On calm days, hair jigs excel when fished slowly across the bottom. When the wind picks up, he switches to rattling baits or heavier swimbaits to cover more water and trigger reaction bites.
Color is critical on Green Bay. Wegner highlights how picky these walleyes are and explains how years of local experience have driven lure manufacturers and garage bait makers to produce custom colors specifically for the region.
TOP SPRINGTIME GREEN BAY BAITS
- LIPLESS CRANKBAIT – Rapala Rippin’ Rap: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
- HAIR JIG 1 – VMC Bucktail Jig: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
- HAIR JIG 2 – VMC Moon Tail Jig – Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
- STINGER HOOK 1 – VMC Hybrid Treble Hooks, size 8: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
- STINGER HOOK 2 – VMC Bladed Hybrid Treble Short Hooks: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
- SWIMBAIT – Rapala Crush City The Mayor: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
- JIG – VMC RedLine Tungsten Swimbait Head: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
Fine-Tuning the Setup for Deep Water Walleyes
Fishing deep and heavy baits requires purpose-built gear. Wegner runs 7’9″ to 7’10” rods tailored for hair jigs, lipless cranks, and large swimbaits. He pairs these with larger 4000-sized reels like the Daiwa Tatula MQ spinning reel spooled with 10-pound braid and long 15-pound fluorocarbon leaders. His setup provides casting distance, bottom contact, and the ability to drive hooks into big post-spawn walleyes.
This combination of electronics, seasonal knowledge, and bait selection makes spring walleye fishing on Green Bay both effective and exciting.
ROD SETUPS
- HAIR JIG ROD – Thorne Bros Stealth Bass/Walleye Rods – Custom, 7’9” MF: Buy at Thorne Bros
- LIPLESS ROD – Thorne Bros Predator Custom Bass & Walleye Rods, 7’9” MXF: Buy at Thorne Bros
- SWIMBAIT ROD – Thorne Bros Predator Custom Bass & Walleye Rods, 7’10” MHF: Buy at Thorne Bros
- REEL – Daiwa Tatula MQ LT Spinning Reel (4000D-CXH): Check out at Daiwa | Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
- LINE (braided mainline) – Sufix 131 G-Core Braided Line, 10-pound: Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
- LINE – Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon Leader, 15-pound: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at FishUSA
