Catching Walleye
The three crucial ingredients to catching Washington walleye are: fish on the bottom whenever possible, use a slow paced action and have plenty of night crawlers in the tackle box. Starting with the first, and perhaps the most important, ingredient, fishing on the bottom. Walleye are slow moving creatures by nature. They do not like to exert a lot of energy chasing after food sources. They do not like bright lights. Favorable spots for walleye tend to be rocky or sandy bottom areas that are roughly 18 to 25 feet deep. There will always be shallower waters nearby, just in case walleye need a quick getaway.
Next comes fishing slowly. Adapt trolling methods or castings to a slow speed that walleye will presumably chase after. If a certain speed does not seem to be working, slow it down even more and try again. With one walleye in the boat or on the line, reel it in and cast back out in roughly the same area. Walleye rarely hang out by themselves. Where there is one, there is bound to be at least several more.
Finally comes the jig and bait combinations. Walleyes will respond to something that slowly creeps across the bottom of the water surface. At this point, the walleye is more interested in catching up with the possible meal. When a live night crawler is attached to any bait, this only serves to peak the interest of the walleye. Some combinations to try are a sharp 1/0 hook on a flashy spinner with a good wire leader. Pair this with a good swivel and set sail. Make sure to use casters that will have the night crawler/bait combination sinking to the bottom almost instantly.
One last line of defense are sharp hooks. The sharper the better. Walleye are born with a protective palate to help devour food sources without biting into the spine of the prey. Washington is one of the best places to fish for walleye. The walleye population is plentiful in many of the lakes and reservoirs and surrounding scenic views make for unforgettable fishing.
To get the full "On the Hunt for Washington Walleye" article you'll need to download it here.