The drive took five hours, all spent traveling straight north from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The final 60 minutes were a slow slog along a bumpy and dusty dirt road. When I finally opened the truck door, 187 square miles of water spread out in front of me. This lifelong bass angler with more than two decades of tournament experience was in unfamiliar territory.
Cabonga Reservoir, with shorelines that stretch 2,800 miles around bays, creeks and main lake, is deep within Quebec’s Le Verendrye Wildlife Reserve. It’s home to two outfitters offering accommodations and three main species of fish. Lake trout and Northern pike are plentiful. But its walleye receive the most attention, and that’s what I traveled all those kilometers to catch. Now I had to figure out how to fish for walleye on this body of water.
When it comes down to it, bass and walleye aren’t much different. They cohabitate many of the same waters, often swimming around the same cover and structure. They chase the same prey. And many lures and approaches catch both. So, even if you’ve always chased bass, you’re better equipped than you realize to catch walleye, whether you’re searching for a fresh angling challenge or fresh fish dinner. Walleye piccata, by the way, is delicious.
Lean on the following five bass basics, and you’ll be off to a solid start as a walleye angler. But finding and catching them is more than a simple one-for-one exchange. You’ll need to make the necessary tweaks, too.
Seasonal Movements Versus Current Conditions
Bass-fishing success is built on patterns. Understand how environmental factors affect bass, and you can assemble a gameplan to catch them. That approach works for walleyes, too. And as with bass, it starts with understanding seasonal movements.
- Spring: Walleye spawn in spring, when water temperature is between 40 and 50 degrees. They’re often found near or in tributaries or shallow water, 5 feet or less. As with bass, male walleyes arrive first, sometimes just as the ice melts. They prefer hard bottoms swept by wind or current. After spawning, walleye retreat to slightly deeper water, where they form schools and feed. In the case of Cabonga Reservoir, these spots can be flats in the back of bays and depressions between spawning areas and the main lake. Many states and provinces protect spawning walleye, so check local regulations to determine when you can legally chase them.
- Summer: Walleye are a cool-water species, preferring a temperature range slightly below that of bass. That moves them to deep water, where they congregate on aquatic vegetation edges or structures such as flats, points and channels, much like bass. Some turn pelagic, following baitfish along the thermocline.
- Fall: As water temperatures cool, walleye begin to move. Some return to shallow water, following baitfish. That creates a fantastic fall bite, including on New York’s Oneida Lake, where anglers wade, casting stickbaits after dark. Other walleyes congregate on mid-depth structure, including breaks and flats, to feast near where they’ll spawn in spring. That’s the case in Lake Ontario’s Bay of Quinte, where walleyes weighing double digits are routinely caught September to December.
- Winter: Walleyes can be caught from a boat or through the ice, depending on your latitude. They may be found slightly deeper than in fall, but they’ll be in the same general location. Check spots protected from current in rivers.
As an experienced bass angler, you understand that seasonal movements will get you close to where bass are swimming at any moment. Day to day conditions are what drive them into particular spots within their seasonal range and determine how willing they are to bite. Walleyes are most affected by two factors — wind and light. And they often work in concert.
Walleyes have excellent vision when light is low. That makes them efficient feeders at night or when the wind ruffles the water’s surface, clouds block the sun and water dirties. So, seek out windblown banks, points and flats, not only for lower light levels but for the baitfish that end up there. Wind is often the key variable in finding Cabonga’s springtime walleyes. As soon as it stops, the bite goes cold.
Find the Bait First
Seasonal movements and current conditions quickly narrow down potential spots. The presence of food often determines those that bass, or in this case walleye, use at any given moment. They both live to eat, so they’re never far from food. So, keep checking potential spots until you find bait. They could be shiners, yellow perch or any other baitfish type. You may see schools of them with your eyes or electronics. You may feel them pecking at your lure.
One prey uniquely connected to walleye is the mayfly. In the nymph stage, they leave deep-water mudflats in uncountable numbers from early to late spring. Post-spawn walleyes gorge themselves on the insects, which may make fishing tough for a spell. Catching them often requires an approach that elicits a reaction strike, much like cranking for summertime bass.
Focus on Sweet Spots
Walleye don’t wander aimlessly around lakes, reservoirs or rivers. Like bass, you’ll most often find them around structure, cover or possibly the thermocline. One difference is walleye will hold a bit looser than bass. Fishing a rock pile in the middle of a flat, for example, is more fan casting than precise presentations when walleye fishing. Built more like torpedoes than footballs, they’re better adapted to move fast and farther through open water than bass.
While walleyes are most associated with rocks, they thrive in aquatic vegetation when it’s available. Search out clumps, especially off a bed’s deeper edge, along with points and pockets along any edge, as you would when bass fishing. You can skip the mats.
A depth change makes any walleye spot better. It congregates fish, making them easy to target. Points are a perfect example, as are shallow shoals. Several years ago, I was cranking one of the latter in late spring. Perfectly buffeted by winds along its entire length, my crankbait was never touched until I reached a stretch where the drop switched to vertical from tapered.
Tone Down Your Tackle
Live bait is a time-tested means of catching walleye. But don’t rush to Lindy Rigs or slip bobbers. Bass anglers love their lures, and you’ll catch plenty of walleyes on artificials. While your topwaters, bladed jigs and spinnerbaits will go unused, the average bass angler’s tackle box holds many options for catching walleye.
Walleyes generally prefer small profile lures. Baitfish patterns and solid dark colors, such as black or brown, always seem to produce. But don’t shun wilder patterns; those including chartreuse, hot pink and fluorescent orange are often appealing to walleyes, especially during low-light conditions. Here are some to try first:
- Hard baits: Small balsa crankbaits such as Rapala Shad Raps; stickbaits such as Rapala Original Floating and Bang O Lures; lipless crankbaits such as ¼- and ½-ounce Rat-L-Traps; blade baits such as the Heddon Sonar and i1Baits Bad Boy; and bucktail and marabou jigs.
- Soft baits: 3- and 4-inch swimbaits such as Big Joshy Minnows or Keitech Swing Impact; 3- to 4-inch grubs such as Kalin Lunker Grubs or Galida’s Grubz; and small straight tail worms such as Northland’s Eye-Candy Jiggin Leeches or Wyandotte Worm. While the latter will work on a spinner rig, more than likely you’ll prefer casting them on lead heads. Ball heads are a good all around choice; use 1/8 ounce for 7 feet or less, ¼ ounce up to 15 feet, and 3/8 ounce any deeper. Save heavier ones for current situations.
Match your rod, reel and line to what you’re fishing. Fast-action spinning rods with medium-light or medium power and matching 2500 or 3000 size reels, such as what you use for drop shotting for smallmouth, are more than enough for most walleye fishing. Casting rods with reels sporting 6.3:1 or higher gear ratios with similar powers but a moderate action will handle all your crankbait and stickbait fishing, whether you’re casting or trolling. Add one with a fast action for blade baits.
Spool your baitcasting and spinning reels with a braided main line, 10-pound test or less. Use fluorocarbon leaders, especially when fishing jigs or soft plastics, in the 4- to 8-pound-test range.
Keep on the Move
Bass anglers are an impatient bunch. If they don’t get a bite or see fish on their electronics, they’re moving to the next spot. That’s a good approach to walleye fishing, too. Even if you find a school, you’re often better off moving around, locating its exact position and expanse than anchoring in one spot and making repeated casts.
Trolling is a great way to cover water, though most modern bass boat engines struggle to do it. But if yours can, or your trolling motor has enough power, battery life and a remote control, don’t hesitate to seize the opportunity. Move along just fast enough to bring your crankbait or stickbait to life. Use your mapping to troll along structure, dropping a waypoint each time you catch a walleye. Line them up to create more productive trolling runs, or return to each to try casting. Walleye are never alone.
Some Points to Remember
The more you chase walleyes, the more similarities you’ll find to bass fishing. You’ll discover lures, tricks and techniques that go the other direction, too. But at the end of the day, they’re still different fish. And walleye fishing does have unique aspects. So, keep these points in mind when you’re chasing “marble eyes.”
- Invest in wire leader: Along with bass, walleye usually swim with pike. Their teeth slice through line, making lures disappear in a heartbeat. So, use a leader when fishing hard baits, which northern pike also want. Forgo traditional leaders, whose swivels and snaps can dampen a small lure’s action, in favor of tie-able leader material, which is often used in fly fishing. Attach it to your main line with an Alberto knot and lure with a loop knot. A short 4- to 6 inch piece of 10-pound test is all the protection you need.
- Keep your pliers handy: Walleyes have a mouth studded with teeth, too. There aren’t enough to cut your line, but they’ll keep you from lipping your fish. Keep your fingers away from them and treble hooks by using pliers to unhook baits.
- Take what you’ll eat: Walleyes are tasty table fare. But even with aggressive stocking programs by many states and provinces, they can be overfished. So mind local season, length and creel regulations. And keep only enough for a meal or two. When you’re hungry for more, you’ll have reason to go fishing again.
