Be Versatile for Spawn-Season Walleyes

In the spring, April in particular, walleyes can run the gamut from pre-spawn to post-spawn. It’s a great time to catch shallow fish staging on gravel and rocks. The males will be there most of the month, so that makes for great fishing. I‰’ll cast an eighth-ounce Odd‰’Ball jig tipped with a fathead or shiner into two feet of water, then jig it down the gravel or rocky break. I like using Magnathin for this presentation as it really telegraphs the bite. In early April, expect the bigger females to be staging outside of the spawining areas in deeper water. In rivers, they are often downstream in the first deep hole. Vertical jigging is the best way to catch them. These spots will also produce in post-spawn as the fish begin moving back to the lake.