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Why Rivers Hold the Best Spring Walleye Fishing Opportunities In many states, statewide walleye seasons close in spring to protect spawning fish. But in many locales, walleye season never closes on major rivers, creating popular fisheries. Popular Spring Walleye River Runs Spring walleye runs are popular not just because they're the only game in town with fishing seasons closed elsewhere.
But they provide downright good fishing. Consider the Rainy River, which forms part of the border between Minnesota and Ontario. A large percentage of the adult walleyes from 1,679-square-mile Lake of the Woods swim up the Rainy River on their annual spawning run, making them super concentrated.
It's the same story in Wisconsin, where walleyes exit 137,700-acre Lake Winnebago en masse to swim up the Wolf River. Top 5 Rivers for Spring Walleyes: Rainy River, MN/ON Wolf River, WI Fox River, WI Mississippi River, MN/WI Detroit River, MI Naturally, concentrated fish attract concentrated fishermen, especially when you're talking about a fish as tasty as a walleye . Crowded docks and busy boat ramps are the norm, but there are plenty of fish to go around.
The beauty of spring river fishing is anyone can play. Walleye anglers can cash in casting from shore, fishing off public piers and wading in shallow eddies, which greatly benefits those without boats or those who want to wet a line before getting the boat out of winter storage. Where To Find Walleyes In the Spring Walleyes run upstream against the current, often continuing until they reach a dam.
Along the way, they congregate in deep, slow holes or behind rocks when they need a rest. When they're in a feeding mood, they may slide up onto shallow flats to chase baitfish. As they near a dam, they often pool up in slack eddies out of the main flow.
Current seams or eddies created by rocks or trees are also good walleye holds. Of course, walleyes are always on the move during the migration, so they can be found at any point in between feeding and resting areas at some point. Best Tactics for Catching Pre-Spawn River Walleyes The jig and minnow is the standard fare of spring walleye fishermen.
Use a jig heavy enough to reach bottom and maintain contact in heavy current. A 3-inch fathead minnow is a common complement to a jig, but larger minnows or even curly-tail grubs and plastic swimbaits will catch fish. Some anglers use a three-way swivel with an egg sinker off one lead and a plain hook and minnow off the other.
Or substitute a bucktail fly instead of the hook and minnow. A walking sinker fished with a floating jig and minnow is a good bet for shore anglers fishing over a river's notoriously snaggy bottom. Shallow Finesse Presentations For the Walleye Spawn When walleyes are ready to spawn, they swim up into water only a foot or two deep over sand, gravel or grass to deposit their eggs.
At that time, they can be caught on light jigs and minnows, floating crankbaits and inline spinners. What to Expect Post-Spawn: The Down Run Bite After spawning, fish ride the current back downstream, exhausted from the rigors of upstream navigation coupled with spawning. On Wisconsin's Wolf River, generations of anglers have targeted walleyes on the "down run" with cane poles fishing floating Rapalas hovering in place just below the surface and weighted down with an egg sinker off a three-way swivel.
The Best River Conditions for Spring Walleyes Ideal days on the river are warm days after the snow has melted, when rivers are down somewhat from their height at the peak of snow melt. Days when the river is fast and dirty produce tough fishing. What Makes the Spring Walleye Run So Good? Although you'll likely catch plenty of eater-sized males, you've got a shot at a real trophy, as pre-spawn females will be at their heaviest weights of the year.
Spring walleye fishing isn't just a good way to blow the dust off your open-water rods and reels; it produces some of the best fishing of the year. Recommended Articles:.
