Post-Spawn Walleyes

There are two things walleye anglers like most -- big fish and lots of them!

Walleye spawning runs, which occur early in the year, are a great time to fill both those desires. But, the rivers are crowded with boats and pressure is intense at that time. That's why FLW walleye pro Tom Keenan of Wisconsin looks forward to the post-spawn period when the frenzy quiets.  

Keenan concentrates on places that offer a chance to put several trophy fish in the net on every trip. The Great Lakes are his favorite at spots such as the Bay of Green Bay and Lake Erie. Each destination is different in its own way. But, he's learned the factors that lead to success are the same no matter where he goes during the post-spawn time of the year -- warmer water and slower speeds.

"I spend most of my time on the Bay of Green Bay. It's an opportunity to catch lots and lots of big fish both day and night. It makes it nice for a guy like me who works weird shifts. Sometimes I have night time available or day time available. It plays into my schedule very well," he said.

Find Sandbars Near River Mouths

The Great Lakes see huge numbers of walleyes travel into rivers to spawn. At Green Bay, the main players are the Fox River and the Menominee River followed by the Oconto River and Pensaukee. After laying their eggs, the big females move downstream and back to the main lake. The movement can happen in just a day or two. They stay grouped in big schools. Their first order of business is to find places to rest. Keenan said one key to locating exactly where they take their post-spawn R & R is to look for the big sand flats adjacent to the mouths of the rivers.

"They move onto shallow flats, the sandbars, to recover from spawning," Keenan said. "In the old days they were there because the smelt were there. The smelt numbers are down now, but they are still there. I think it's because the water is a little warmer. They're there to relax for a while, and then they start feeding."

Experience has taught Keenan the sandbars that hold the most walleyes share a few common characteristics. One is that they are near to the river mouths. Another is they are shallow. Most fish come from 8- to 10 feet of water. Deeper water is colder water that holds few fish during the late April through May time frame. Another similarity is the bars populated with big females are long and wide.   

Lastly, Keenan said the sandbars with fish will be covered with stained water created by wind. Watch the wind. The busy bars will most likely have the stained water color that walleyes need to stay that shallow. You might hammer fish on a certain sandbar one day only to discover that the same bar is fishless the next day if the wind shifted direction and the water became gin clear.

Today's advanced sonars with GPS and electronic lake mapping are great aids, he said. Look for weedbeds indicated on the map. At this time of year, only emergent weeds no taller than 6 inches will actually be there. But, they give off oxygen, attract smaller baitfish, and provide a little cover. They're fish magnets!

Know What Baits To Troll

Popular thought is that the post spawn is an impossible time to catch walleyes, but resting fish can be enticed to bite; you just have to know how. Once you've learned what triggers them to attack, the fish you put in the boat can range from 24 inches to 30 inches and more!  

Trolling is the tactic of choice. But, knowing what baits to troll and how to tweak your presentation makes all the difference.

Keenan starts with 8-1/2-foot trolling rods and adds line counter reels. Despite a move towards other lines, he spools them with the traditional 10-pound monofilament. He thinks he gets more fish into the net because the mono stretches and provides a shock absorber between him and the walleyes.

What he trolls varies. Crankbaits in general, stickbaits in particular, are his choice early in the pattern during the daytime and all the time after dark. But, he shifts to big spinners as the water warms. Predictably, there's a transition period in between when either or both can work. Be prepared. "It's a coin toss," he said.

Bigger stickbaits work best. An easy meal passing overhead is too much for even lethargic walleye to pass up, he said. Go bigger after dark.

Husky Jerks and Rattling Rogues are two he mentioned, but there are others. Play with color, but remember the baitfish they will attack -- shad, alewives and smelt -- show some silver so be sure to try silver and black and silver and blue as well as purple and colors that do well in stained water, such as firetiger. Stay with natural colors after sunset.

He uses big spinners ranging from No. 4s to number 6s in metallic colors for the same reasons. No weight is needed most of the time. He uses a split-shot if he needs anything at all.

Go Slow

Speed is a critical factor. Go slow. One mph is a good place to start with hard baits, but don't be afraid to try even slower if you need. If you still get nothing, try a little faster than 1 mph and see if that works. 

Spinner speed should be about the same. Start with 1 mph and speed up to 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 mph on those spring days when air temperatures rise into the 80s and it seems like summer has arrived. The sun's action is important. If Keenan can choose between going fishing in the morning or later in the day after the water is heats up, he'll delay his start.

The target depth of water to fish is almost always less than 10 feet. If you can see the bottom, it's probably too clear. If you're in 4 feet of water and can't see the bottom, try it. Run baits up in the water column. "Always err on the up side," he said. Walleyes move even shallower at night so you must, too.

Use all the trolling tricks. Use planer boards to spread your lines and cover more water. Use S-turns to vary the speed of the outside and inside baits. Don't get too comfortable. The fish are lazy, but that doesn't mean you should be, too. Change hard baits often and use the X-Change system by Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle to change up the size and color of your blades.

Vary your trolling passes. If you see weedbeds appear on your electronic map, head for them. 

Note Your Depth, Speed

Big female walleyes are still in groups at this time of year. If you catch a fish, take time to notice how much line was out so you can return baits to that same depth. Note your boat speed and enter a waypoint on the GPS as soon as you can. Once location, depth, boat speed, and presentation are dialed in, the action can be incredible. 

Once you get one, you should be able to get three and four on at a time," Keenan said. "The early bite on the Bay of Green Bay, Saginaw Bay and other places like those is phenomenal."

Other reasons Keenan loves that post-spawn period are the bonus fish he can hook up with ranging from brown trout to rainbows and big northern pike or muskie. 

"You never know what you'll catch. It's awesome," he said.

On the surface, other Great Lake destinations appear different during the post spawn, but really they aren't. For instance, at Lake Erie the walleyes that spawned in the rivers move out and join those that stayed in the Western Basin to lay their eggs before beginning their migration toward relatively deeper water to the east. Sand isn't the key there -- the place is full of rock -- but warmer water is. Where do you find it? In the top layer of the water column, trolling spinners often in water 10 feet deep and less over depths of 40 feet and more. The preferred water color there is milky rather than too clear or too dirty. 

Post spawn walleyes have dropped their eggs, but they still can be the mother lode if you know how.