Walleyes Forever |
When shallow isn't shallow near shore By TERRY L. WILSON PWT pro from Powell, Wyo. When I think of shallow, I usually think of shallow water in close to a shoreline. These are good areas to search for walleyes on any given body of water. Walleyes are shallow for one reason, to feed and are generally easy to catch when this happens. When walleyes are in very shallow water, it is very important to be quiet with our approach and on calm days make long casts to shore. If the wind is crashing into the shoreline it is not as important to be quiet as on calm days and the walleyes are definitely more aggressive on windy days.
One thing you can do is start searching shallow over deep water. When the baitfish suspend over deep water, the walleyes will follow right behind them and, at times, they will be just as shallow as if they were in close to shore. This is especially true on windy days. I have had times when I have watched walleyes right inside of the waves, chasing baitfish that have got caught in the turbulence created by the waves. When the walleyes suspend, they are shallow over deep water for the same reason they are shallow in close to shore -- to feed. Whether it's calm or windy, this is a good time to use planer boards to spread the lines out. This also enhances our chances of catching walleyes spooked by the boat. Even in deep water the walleyes can be so shallow that the boat will spook them and our electronics won't mark the fish, so we are on a search mission for walleyes. Start out by varying the lengths out to the baits behind the boards. This is very important when using spinner rigs and it can also be accomplished by varying the weight used. In the case of crankbaits, try different sizes such as a number 5 Shap Rap and a number 7 Shad Rap or the same size crankbaits with different lengths of line to each one. In either case once the depth has been determined, then adjust all the baits to be the same. On windy days, always follow the wind. Boat control is easier and when using boards they will track better going with the waves. The surges that the waves give the board also give the bait a stop and go action which walleyes find irresistible. When you catch a fish, always place an icon on your GPS. Swing back around and continue to make passes over and around those icons. An active school of walleyes may have been located, but the actual size of that school might not be much bigger than the size of the school of walleyes that were active in close to shore. Without landmarks in the middle of the lake, the GPS becomes our best electronic tool on board. In my case, the Bottomline 5300 GPS/Sonar combo serves the purpose well for finding the way back to the spot. Without a GPS to tell us where to go back to, we are just out covering water and counting on finding active fish scattered here and there. With the GPS we can go back to an active school and put more walleyes in the boat. So, when somebody says the walleyes are shallow, that can mean a couple of things. Shallow can be in close to shore or out over 100 foot of water on some of the reservoirs that we have here in the West. One other great thing about suspended walleyes is that we often do not have such a crowd to contend with. Start catching walleyes in close to shore and soon there will be a crowd around you. But start fishing out in the middle of a reservoir or lake and there generally will not be many others who come and join the fun. Just remember, shallow can be shallow anytime and anywhere on a body of water. When nothing else is working, then it is time to try shallow over deep water. Good luck and enjoy the search. | |
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