How to Catch a Walleye From the Shore

Walleye are a species of freshwater gamefish found primarily in the northern United States and Canada in rivers and lakes. These deep-running fish are prized by anglers for their brawny fighting ability and delicious taste at the dinner table. While most serious walleye anglers get out in boats, there are steps the land-based angler can take to catch one from shore.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Medium-duty baitcasting or spincasting rod and reel spooled with 20-pound test line.
Lures, bait and tackle
Fishing license

Step 1

Study topographic maps of your fishing site to locate deep holes and steep dropoffs. Walleye cling to the depths in late summer, and that's where you must fish for them from July through September.

Step 2

Get in the field and find promising spots such as the mouth of a river feeding into a lake. The Great Lakes all have numerous tributaries that feed into them; these are prime hunting grounds for walleye.

Step 3

Fish deep dropoffs and holes in late summer with weighted green jigs baited with a chunk of nightcrawler or a live leech. Let the bait sink to the bottom, then twitch during retrieval.

Step 4

Fish along the shallows near the shore during the early spring weeks of walleye fishing season. Walleye spawn on the sandy bottom near the shoreline and linger to defend their spawning beds. Casting bright chartreuse and florescent spinners along the banks no more than 10 feet from shore can aggravate a walleye into a savage strike. Walleye perceive your spinner as a baitfish coming to pick off their eggs or newly hatched fry.

Step 5

Move upstream into rivers during the fall as walleye move to the more oxygenated water a flowing river provides. Fishing live minnows and nightcrawlers in deep holes is effective.

Article Written By James Clark

James Clark began his career in 1985. He has written about electronics, appliance repair and outdoor topics for a variety of publications and websites. He has more than four years of experience in appliance and electrical repairs. Clark holds a bachelor's degree in political science.

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