Walleye Fishing Techniques

2012 may well prove to be one of the best years in decades for walleye fishing. Everything seems to have fallen in place for a super productive spring for walleye. The weather warmed up early, the water did the same which caused the walleye to start the spawn weeks earlier than usual. The weather fronts are moving through quickly and leaving plenty of good fishing weather in their wake.

So this being said what are the walleye fishing techniques being used to land limit catches and trophy walleye. As the old saying goes nothing new under the sun. Most fisherman are using the tried and true walleye fishing techniques. Here are a few of them.

Jigging. This is a very effective method for fishing the shallow waters of the reefs. It is especially effective during the spawn when the fish move onto the reefs. One method for jigging is to cast out and then hop the jig along the bottom as you retrieve it. This method is often used in calm waters. The other method is to use the jig in a vertical manner close to the boat. The jig is lowered to the bottom and then jigged up and down close to the bottom. This method is often used when you have a slow drift.

Casting crank baits. Another method that can be very effective when fishing the shallow waters of the reefs. In this method a lure (commonly called a crank bait) is cast out and then retrieved in a manner best suited for the individual crank bait. Nearly every crank bait has a different action when being retrieved. Check the fishing reports for which crank baits and retrieves are working best.

Trolling. A very effective method for deeper waters. Trolling allows you to have multiple lines in the water at the same time. It also allows you to have the lures at different depths. By trolling the lures at different depths you can find out what depth the walleye are holding at and then concentrate on that depth. Trolling is a quick way to locate the fish and can be very productive. It is not unusual to have several fish on at the same time. The down side to trolling is that it is very expensive. The engine is running from the time you leave the dock until you get back. At todays gasoline prices it may very well be cost prohibitive.

Jigging on the reefs will be the the preferred method for most anglers however it will only be productive until the spawn is over. There a several weeks of the spawn left so now is the time to get out there.