In the early spring the walleye will naturally seek out some of the calm and moderately deep parts of the water where you will find the gravel or rocky shoals. Hard bottom bays, underwater weeds, rocky points and sandbars are also good places to find the walleye during spawning season.

Best Walleye Fishing Tactics for Spring Fishing

Once you have the right equipment, bait and a good idea of where the walleye are located, you are ready for some great tactics to help you reel in more fish. Right after the spawning has taken place the walleye will go through a few weeks where they are not quite as active. If you use a slow presentation during this time with a slow retrieval you will get the best results.

This is the time of year when they will be drawn to minnows the most and it’s recommended that you use small bait during the early spring and as the weather warms up, you can increase the size of the bait and even speed up your retrieval time. Jigging is a great technique that will work very well during the early spring. You can do vertical jigging or you can cast your jig out close to structures and near the shoreline to capture the attention of the walleye.

Trolling is also a great tactic that will work very well during the early spring. When trolling for walleye look for shallow flats where there are few structures and avoid the deepest parts of the water. Moderately deep water is the best place for this technique. Using electronic devices such as sonar and GPS systems can help you locate the walleye faster and help you keep track of where they are for future fishing trips.

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