Thread: March Brings the Walleye Spawn

Great information Craig! Nice pics too!

Craig,
Are those pictures from El Dorado? Those are some nice eyes.

I would like to know which lake those came from also. How much longer until it's over for Cheney, El Dorado, and Marion?

Originally Posted by sah

Craig,
Are those pictures from El Dorado? Those are some nice eyes.

sah,

Yes, the fish in the pictures above were caught in El Dorado.

Originally Posted by Superx10

.........How much longer until it's over for Cheney, El Dorado, and Marion?

Superx10,

Good question, especially this year. Traditionally, the walleye spawn will continue through the first week of April with some stragglers hanging on until the middle of the month. Things are usually wrapped up by the end of the third week of April.

What baits and techniques work best for not getting hung in the rocks?Nice eye's.May have to try Hillsdale.

Great pics and info.

Originally Posted by PurpleCrappie

What baits and techniques work best for not getting hung in the rocks?Nice eye's.May have to try Hillsdale.

PurpleCrappie,

The more popular bait type is the stick bait, slash bait, or jerk bait type such as the original Rapala, Husky Jerks, Rogues, and Rapala X-Raps. These baits will reach bottom in the shallow water without burying in too deep and you can control depth with the speed of your retrieve. Some of the baits are buoyant and will float out of the rocks if the retrieve is stopped but a neutrally buoyant bait or one that is only slightly buoyant is preferred as it will 'hang' in the face of the walleye longer than one that rockets back up to the surface after the retrieve is stopped. Vary the retrieve to see what the fish are liking. Sometimes a 'twitch, twitch, pause' is very effective and other times a steady slow retrieve is best.

Casts should be made parallel to shallow shorelines. This will keep your bait 'in the zone' much longer than a cast perpendicular to shore. Spawning fish will be very shallow. On shallow sloping banks (such as the dam at Hillsdale) a pair of waders is nearly a must. One can wade out to 3 feet of water and make long parallel casts. If the bait becomes snagged in the rocks, simply walk over and get it. It doesn't take long to justify the cost of waders when you are saving $7 to $10 crankbaits on a regular basis! Dams, such as the one at Marion, are very steep and much more difficult to wade unless you stay near the ends of the dam. The dam at Cheney is very steep and usually very slick with algae and wading is impossible in the center of the dam. However, the ends are shallow and can be fished via waders. For safety reasons, know the area that you are fishing and what you are walking off in to!

Nighttime is usually best for fishing during the spawn as fish concentration is highest during the dark hours. However, males will usually be in the shallow water throughout the spawn and they can be caught. Angler pressure is much lower during the daylight hours. Notice in the pics above that it was 'daylight' when these fish were caught and they were shallow!

Walleye act a bit differently during the spawn in regards to their willingness to bite. Unlike spawning crappie and white bass that are very willing to take a lure, spawning walleye can be quite reluctant to accept a lure. So even though the walleye are very concentrated during the spawn they may not offer fast fishing action. The attitude of the walleye changes when they hit the flats and feed heavily after the spawn. Even though the fish are slower to bite during the spawn, the chance at the at trophy is high during the spawn as females are heavy with eggs. Large females can lose 1 to 2 pounds after dropping their eggs which makes a big difference on an 8lb frame!

Good luck!