Walleye Seasonal Patterns

Pre-Spawn (Water Temp: 38-45°F):

• Walleye stage near spawning areas
• Target river mouths, inlet streams, rocky shorelines
• Males arrive before females
• Slow presentations - jigs with minnows

Spawn (45-50°F):

• Many waters closed during spawn - check regulations
• Fish spawn over gravel and rock in 2-8' of water
• Rivers and wind-swept shorelines are primary spawning habitat

Post-Spawn (50-60°F):

• Excellent fishing as walleye recover and feed
• Fish remain near spawning areas initially
• Jigging with live bait is extremely effective
• Gradually transition to summer patterns

Early Summer:

• Walleye transition to main lake structure
• Weed edges become productive
• Fish multiple depths until you find active fish

Peak Summer:

• Fish relate to thermoclines (49-65°F comfort zone)
• Deep structure (20-40'+) holds fish during day
• Shallow feeding at dawn, dusk, and night
• Trolling covers water efficiently

Summer Tactics:

• Night fishing on shallow flats
• Deep cranking main lake structure
• Live bait rigs on weed edges and humps
• Slip bobbers over specific structure

Early Fall:

• Turnover period can make fishing tough temporarily
• Fish are scattered as water column mixes
• Trolling crankbaits to locate active fish

Peak Fall:

• Excellent fishing as walleye feed heavily before winter
• Fish may be shallow or deep - cover the water column
• Schools of walleye follow baitfish
• Larger baits produce larger fish

Late Fall:

• Walleye concentrate in predictable deep areas
• Jigging and live bait on deep structure
• Some of the year's best fishing for numbers and size

Where open water exists in winter:

• Walleye congregate in deep basins and river pools
• Slow, methodical presentations are essential
• Blade baits and hair jigs worked slowly along bottom
• Live bait under slip bobbers
• Vertical jigging over electronics marks

Walleye remain catchable in cold water but require patience and finesse.