Catching walleyes in mid-day

[TroutFishingBear]

I have always found catching walleyes in mid day in the summer very difficult. How do I do it if I can't use a boat on this lake, what baits do I use and how?

[Mackdaddy21]

In the fall and spring when it's warm but not hot you can catch them during the day, sometimes well. I hit a bite in May of 2002 that was a daytime bite. I caught and released about 25 walleyes from 11" to four pounds during the day on Cordell Super Spots and Rapala Tail Dancers. The Twighlight bite was a fish on basically every cast. I kept my five fish limit of walleyes, all 12 - 15 inchers.
The same October I enjoyed good fishing from shore using the same lures and also nightcrawlers under a slip bobber. But most other times, your window of opportunity is mainly the twighlight periods. Walleyes just don't stay shallow in hot weather. You would need a boat and be able to jig deep or troll with deep running cranks. And never forget good old bait. Lots of times when you locate the fish, you just can't beat it. Nightcrawlers, minnows, leeches, crawdads.

Tyler

[grumpymoe]

i really changed my life-long ideas about daytime walleye 5 years ago...guiding on a remote flyin lake in mid-june with temps in the mid 80's and stained  water....can you believe walleye after walleye (over 150) in 2-3' of water WITH the gas trolling motor going??? i never would have believed it....happened a fellow guide waved us over....the guests had a stunned look when they dropped their jigs down...it only took a few misses to get the hang of catching them that shallow.....have since tried shallow 6-10 feet in clear water as well....have to admit it was mid june as well.....smallies, northerns and nice walleyes....yes....large schools will be found in deeper waters....but dont overlook the shallow spots either.......grump

[Mike M]

I agree with you Grumpymoe. We have experienced that same thing here in Southern Saskatchewan. It's not always the case but when something is not working you have to figure out what is. On another occasion we were out mid summer, hot day, no wind, everybody was jiggin or riggin but catching nothing. We decided to drag some spinners & night crawlers fairly fast at about 2.5 to 2.8 MPH and we got hit after hit. You always have to let the fish tell you what thay want or rule things out they don't want.

Mike M

[buzzbomb]

If the bait fish are there, they'll come up into 4' of water at high noon.  Otherwise I've found when the waves are pounding in and knocking the bait out of the weeds the walleyes will be there.  The book says no bright sunlight, but some of these fish haven't read it yet.  After our initial post spawn fishing, they tend to go away for awhile, then when the big shiners come in the walleyes are right on them. 

[TroutFishingBear]

you guys are making some good sense, the walleyes obviously still have to eat, and if the baitfish are shallow, they will be shallow as well. How do you think an island in a lake with quick access to deep water would be?