The Wonderful World of Walleye

The Wonderful World of Walleye!

The excitement builds as you scroll through a picture gallery of giant walleye.
You say to yourself, I have been surfing on this damn computer way too long and why can't I be one of those lucky fisherman. Well, May is just around the corner and according to the the latest US Fish and Wildlife survey, 38 percent of all Great Lakes anglers will be chasing "Ole Marble Eye" at some point in time this Spring. My guess is that you are part of that statistic.
So, my question would be, what are the other 62 percent doing? Perhaps they will be chasing a long beard through the cedars, or just waiting for Bass season in June. Whatever the case may be, spring walleye can be targeted by just about everyone. There is ample opportunity to get hooked up, whether you own a boat or you are what boaters refer to as: A Banky.
Spring post-spawn walleye lurk in the shallow, warmer, shoreline waters in search of food. Knowing how to identify this key holding water will increase your odds of finding that monster eye, or at the very least, a healthy appetizing dinner.

Ask a Pro
The best way to find out where walleye live and how to catch them is to ask the Pros. I recently spoke with several walleye specialists, and they were more than happy to (well, maybe not) give up, a few trade secrets that will augment your knowledge of post spawn walleye. Here's what they had to say:

Captain Bob Jordan
One of Eastern Lake Ontario's most overlooked and underutilized spring walleye resources is the post spawn concentration of walleye in and around Little Sodus Bay (Fair Haven). Sterling Creek, which empties into Sterling Pond and then Lake Ontario just east of Fair Haven Pier supports a fairly substantial spawning run of four to ten pound walleye in April right after iceout. These walleye usually drop back into Lake Ontario after spawning in mid to late April and tend to congregate in the warmwater discharge plume north and east of Fairhaven Pier and Sterling Pond. The key to deciding where and when to target these fish all depends on wind direction, water temperature, and baitfish location. Light winds out of the east or northeast usually finds the warm water, and hence the alewive schools, spread out between "the hole" westward towards Blind Sodus Bar. Conversely, a light west or northwest wind tends to setup ideal walleye attracting conditions and fish concentrations on the shoal complex off McIntyre's Bluff in 18 to 30 feet of water. Best time to target these Eyes is from just around sundown until dawn although action can last until mid-morning on overcast days. Best techniques involve in-line planer boards and minnow type stickbaits like Rapalas, Smithwick rattling rogues, Storm thundersticks, or Bombers. These walleye concentrations persist from the walleye opener until mid-June when the alewives come on shore to spawn. If you have an offshore wind (from the south) which brings in cold water from off shore, don't bother with the main lake but stay inside the Fair Haven Pierheads or concentrate on inside Fair Haven Bay itself.
Moving East to the mouth the Oswego River and Oswego Harbor, this well publicized walleye fishery needs no introduction as probably the top consistent producer of trophy walleye on the Great Lakes. Numerous walleye ranging from 7 lbs. on up to 14 1/2 lbs. are taken each year during the spring. Prime fishing areas include the Oswego River from Utica Street Bridge on downstream to the Harbor and Breakwall areas, and then to the east towards Fourmile Point off Alcan. As with every spring walleye hotspot, your game plan should be to find the warm water concentrations where they coincide with large schools of alewives, or emerald/spot-tailed shiners. Once you find that combination, key in on where-ever the choppy (wavy) water conditions are hitting the shoreline, and concentrate your fishing efforts after dark. If you pay attention to these few details, you should have success on Lake Ontario spring walleye no matter what location you choose to fish.
Mexico Bay, in the far southeast corner of Lake Ontario has numerous productive locations which attract and concentrate spring walleye including the 15 to 18 foot depths off Catfish Creek, in the warm water plume seeping from the Butterfly Swamp shoreline area, the Little Salmon River Delta, and off Grindstone Creek northward to Salmon River where ever there is rock/rubble bottom structure in 15 to 18 feet of water.
The mouth and channel inlet of Sandy Pond is the next productive hot spot along the Eastern Basin shoreline that deserves your attention. During times of light to moderate winds from the west is your best bet to fish this area as it holds and concentrates the warmwater and baitfish along the shoreline which in turn concentrates the post spawn walleye dropping out of Little Sandy, Lindsay, and Skinner creeks together with the South (sandy) Pond spawning areas. As a rule, the best fishing occurs from dusk until around midnight. If the wind is out of the east, don't even bother.
The areas in and around Montario Point/Colwell Pond, Lakeview Marsh, and North & South Sandy Creek's inlet is yet another warm water hotspot that produces consistent action for catching some walleye during both daylight hours and after dark. A light to moderate westerly wind that holds the warm water in place along the shoreline and roils up the bottom clouding up the water produces the best conditions for consistently taking walleye.
Finally, the area in and around Ray's Bay/Stony Creek produces some very consistent daylight hours fishing for both walleye as well as brown trout. Off Drowned Island (AKA "The Lost Continent") along the 15 to 30 foot depths is your best bet to the south, while the area from Gravelly Bay, just north of Stony Point Lighthouse southeastward towards the mouth Stony Creek is a consistent producer of walleye along it's 18 to 25 foot depth contour lines. The best wind direction for fishing this area is a light to moderate west south-west wind which serves to hold the warmer water into Ray's and Sawyer's Bays. Not only will you find some monster hog walleye trolling in this area, but the size of some of the football shaped trophy Brown trout you can catch will actually scare you. This area usually turns on from mid- to- late May and lasts through mid to late June.
You can contact Capt. Bob Jordan of AAA Tughill Sportfishing Adventures at www.lakeontariowalleye.com or 315-298-3225

Fishing the "Daylight" Hours for Trophy Walleye !

By Capt. Bill Saiff III

The big engine throbbed as the boat trolled slightly above low idle. At 2.2 knots, the smattering of Smithwick Rogues and Bomber Long A's invaded the top 8 feet of this established Walleye haunt. There was no identifiable structure to attract big Walleye to this area, just a never ending supply of bait showing on the sonar. As the boat crossed the 27 ft. contour, the first of the six planer board rods slowly tipped in the pattern signaling the presence of our first Walleye. Lifting the rod, the angler tripped the fishing line from the offshore release and employed a sweep set on the big fish. Although the line was tight on what would inevitably be a nice spring Walleye, none of the other fishermen considered what might happen next. The fishing rods began bending and anglers scrambled to hook up as the remaining five rods tipped under the pressure of hooked fish. The proverbial "fire drill" ensued and when all was organized, 4 Walleye and 2 Northern Pike lay flopping on the deck. While this represents some of the hottest action angler's might expect, it can and does happen each spring on the eastern basin of Lake Ontario. What's even more unbelievable, is that it happens under "daylight" conditions!
Walleye are known as voracious nighttime feeders but fishermen on Lake Ontario have been perfecting ways to access them during daylight hours. Walleye continue to feed during the day, and their periods of activity often coincide with baitfish movements. It's not uncommon to be fishing at 7 A.M. and see baitfish compressed against the bottom in known Walleye hot spots. Anglers can work these areas heavily and not take strikes. When baitfish begin to rise in the water column, fish activity will increase. This same stretch of unproductive water could become a true "honey hole".
The prevailing winds on Lake Ontario move from the southwest to the northeast. In the spring of the year, this forces warmer surface waters into the eastern basin. This warmer water is attractive to post spawn Walleyes that are descending from river mouths into the harbors and bays in this region. Most fish at this time of year are spent from spawning and are eager to feed in an effort to restore body weight and strength. This movement of fish generally occurs during early May and fortunately coincides with the spawning runs of Alewives. The Alewife is not a traditional Walleye food source but in Lake Ontario, this fat-rich baitfish helps Walleye quickly achieve incredible weights. Professional fishing guides in this region like to see temperatures in the 50 to 60 degree range when fishing Walleye. Excellent Walleye fishing can continue to occur as temps rise through the low 60's but baitfish concentrations are the real key to early season success. The best time to encounter this set of conditions is from the first Saturday in May through mid June. This is the "prime time" period for spring Walleye action. Now lets take a look at where to find trophy Walleye under these conditions.

Favorite Walleye Haunts
The Black River Bay region of Lake Ontario is perhaps the most publicized area to fish Walleye during the spring of the year. Even though this spot is heavily promoted and receives lots of pressure, it still represent a good starting spot when looking for spring Walleye. Guffin's and Chaumont bays have also attracted a great deal of attention over the last ten years. These two bays contain excellent edge structure as well as some of the best shoal structure for Walleyes in the eastern basin. The head shoal of Cherry Island as well as Johnson and Diamond shoals produce 10 lb. Plus Walleye every spring. Johnson and Diamond shoals can be erratic in their underwater structure. Anglers employing the use of GPS mapping units will find it easier to follow underwater contours. Local professionals use mapping units such as the Lowrance 4000M loaded with a Navionics or Hot Map card to stay over producing structure. While most anglers will begin their search for spring Walleye near harbor edges and shoals, don't discount the appeal of open water. When bait schools stratify in 20 to 30 feet of open water, Walleye will locate around them. The six rod strike at the beginning of this article occurred more than a ¼ mile from shore and more than a mile from the nearest shoal.
Highly promoted Walleye haunts attract angling pressure. Think about this when looking to access spring Walleye. Weekends can get crazy with boat pressure and this usually spells tougher fishing conditions. Walleye can be fickle in their bite and heavy boat pressure can sometimes shut them down. If this is happening, try fishing during the week, or work some of the underdeveloped hot spots. Areas like Mud Bay, Grenadier Island, Point Peninsula and the island chains off Henderson Harbor are great places to look. The beauty of these locations is that once fish are located, you can work them systematically without the pressure of other fishermen. Under tournament conditions, these areas just might yield the winning fish. How big can spring Walleyes get? Well, in the 2003' Henderson Harbor "Spring Classic" derby, the winning Walleye tipped the scales at 13 lbs. 10 oz. This big bruiser was taken aboard the "Pro One" with Capt. George Kogut and the fish came from the very waters mentioned above. Imagine the weight this fish would have carried come September!

Favorite Walleye Baits
The primary baits you'll find hanging from rods during spring Walleye fishing will be a mix of Bombers, Smithwick Rogues, Rapalas and Reef Runners. Spring Walleyes seem to prefer a mix of natural colored baits. The wild range of colors that punctuate summer fishing for Walleye don't seem to hold the same attraction in the spring. Floating Smithwick Rogues in Blue/Silver and Black/Silver patterns are a consistent producer. It is always appropriate to add a few orange bellied versions of these baits to your pattern. On dark overcast days, the orange bellied baits will provide the contrast to make them consistent producers. The favorite springtime Bomber Long A, sports a black ladderback, gold sides and an orange belly. This is a veteran producer of big Walleye and an excellent choice when taking bonus Northern Pike. Black/Silver and Fire Tiger J-11 Rapalas have accounted for as many Walleyes as any other spring bait. These mid-joint baits have a totally different action and there will be days when spring Walleye prefer this presentation. It's always a good idea to have at least one of these in your pattern. Finally, Reef Runners have been capitalizing on spring Walleye fishing for years. Their "Rip Stick" version of a floating minnow is always good in traditional color patterns such as "Grey Ghost" and "Black Chrome".

When To Fish
Walleye hunt more efficiently and seem to get more excited on overcast days. Remember, daylight conditions don't bother them but a day with surface chop will usually be better than a day that is flat calm. Try to plan your fishing excursions according to the weather patterns that exhibit these traits. Avoid undue amounts of fishing pressure but if it does get heavy, look to the underdeveloped hot spots and beat the water until a big fish bites. Try to get on the water early (to beat the rush) and once fish are located, stay on them. Walleye will flurry periodically throughout the day so work them until they bite. It's not uncommon to score big on these fish during the very middle of the day. Fishing the "Daylight" hours can be your best bet to connect on spring Walleyes!
Capt. Bill Saiff III owns and operates the Saiff Charter fishing fleet in Henderson Harbor. He is also the host of public television's "Rod & Reel" sportfishing program.
You can reach Bill by calling 315-782-4665 or go to www.Bill SaiffOutdoors.com

FYI
The current state record walleye weighed in at 16 lb.7oz. It was caught by John D. Fluder on a Mr. Twister jig from the Kinzua (Alleghany) Reservoir 05/22/94.