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I remember the first time I took my friend fishing for walleye, who had just moved to Wisconsin from Venezuela.  I caught over ten walleye and he got skunked.  Learning how to fish for Walleye is a skill, plain and simple.  The best way to catch walleye is knowing the seasonal patterns and what type of bait to use.

When walleye are preparing to spawn they are in their early spring spots.  The best way to catch walleye during this time of the year, is to look for rocks, gravel, and current if you are fishing on a flowage or river.  The best walleye bait you can use during this time of the year is the jig and minnow combo.  The walleye will concentrated in 15-20 feet of water and will be in larger schools around their spawning grounds.  Walleye Fisherman who have access to the early season walleye spots enjoy some of the best walleye fishing of the year. 

After the spawn and when the walleye have left their predictable spring locations, what is the best way to catch walleye?  Walleye become extremely hungry a few weeks after the spawn and when they get hungry, they look for baitfish.  The way you want to fish for walleye during this transition period is to look for the warmest water nearest their spawning location.  I start fishing for walleye deeper and work my way to the shallow water to find the active fish.  The best way to catch walleye during this period is to use a jig and minnow, troll with deep divers, or use a slip bobber once you find a great spot.  When the first hot days start happening, this signals when the biggest walleyes are getting hungry, and I have caught some big ones, jigging and trolling.  Watch the youtube video below this article and see the big walleye my dad caught in my boat trolling a deep diver during the first hot days of the year.

As the summer becomes hotter and hotter, you need to adjust to the changing patterns of the walleye.  The best way to catch walleye during the summer months is to find weeds near deep water and a shoreline, that is being pounded by the wind. I have caught many walleye during the summer months in 3-5 feet of water while they were laying in the weeds.  Read article fishing for summer walleye

The fall of the year is a perfect time to catch a trophy walleye.  The best way to catch walleye during this period is to cast crankbaits on weed edges, fish by fish cribs, and revist the areas that produced walleys in the Spring.  As colder weather approaches, the walleyes will winter near the locations they will spawn in the spring.