Walleye

Quick facts

How to identify it

A spindle-shaped body with two separate dorsal fins, the front one spiny, and a mouth full of sharp canine teeth — the zander's build almost exactly. The colouring differs: walleye are olive-gold to brassy yellow with dark, irregular mottling and saddles rather than the zander's clean vertical bars. Two field marks are decisive: a distinct white tip on the lower lobe of the tail fin, and a black blotch at the rear base of the spiny dorsal fin. The large, cloudy, reflective eyes give the fish its name. The sauger, its closest North American relative, is smaller, has rows of dark spots on the spiny dorsal and no white tail tip.

Where it lives

Walleye are fish of large, cool lakes, reservoirs and big, slow to moderate rivers, and they prosper in slightly turbid water where their light-gathering eyes give them an edge. They relate to hard bottom and structure — rocky reefs, gravel bars, sand flats next to deep water, points, drop-offs, river bends and the tailwaters below dams — and avoid dense weed and soft silt. Water of 18–22 °C suits them best; in summer they sit deep by day and move up onto shallow flats and windblown shorelines at night, and in winter they stack in deep basins and slow river holes. In Europe there are no established populations; scattered introduction attempts in the past never took hold.

Season and behaviour

Walleye spawn very early, in March–April at 6–10 °C, right after ice-out, on rocky shoals and in the rapids and tailwaters of rivers; the weeks before and after the spawn concentrate huge numbers of fish and produce the biggest females of the year, which is why many regions close the fishery then. May and June, as post-spawn fish spread out and feed hard on shallow flats, are the classic months; in summer the bite shifts to dusk, night and dawn, and to deep structure by day. Autumn from September to November is a second peak, with fish feeding heavily in cooling water and gathering in rivers. Wind, cloud and a light chop — the famous walleye chop — always beat flat calm and bright sun.

Fishing methods

Jigging is the foundation: a 3–14 g jig head tipped with a soft plastic, a live minnow or a worm, hopped or dragged along the bottom from a drifting or slowly moving boat, or vertically over deep structure. Bottom-bouncer rigs with a spinner harness and a worm, trolled slowly along drop-offs, cover water in summer; trolling deep-diving crankbaits along shorelines and flats at night takes the biggest fish. Slip-float rigs with a live minnow or leech over reefs are deadly in spring and for the boat-less angler, and shore anglers score in river tailwaters with jigs and ledgered baits. A sensitive rod with a fast tip, braid and a fluorocarbon leader, plus a firm hook-set for the bony mouth — the whole zander toolkit transfers directly.

Baits and lures

Live bait is central to walleye fishing wherever it is legal: minnows in cold water, leeches and nightcrawlers in summer, on jigs, slip floats and spinner harnesses. Soft plastics of 7–12 cm — paddle-tails, curly-tails and finesse minnows — on jig heads are the modern lure standard; deep-diving crankbaits, blade baits and jigging spoons round out the box. Colour follows clarity, as with zander: natural silver, perch and gold in clear water, chartreuse, orange and firetiger when it is stained, with glow and UV finishes at night.

Tips from the bank

1. 01Fish the walleye chop: a steady breeze pushing waves onto a rocky shoreline turns on fish that ignore everything in flat calm.
2. 02Keep the jig on the bottom and fish it slowly — walleye are fussy, and most takes are a soft weight rather than a hit.
3. 03Start deep at midday and follow the fish shallow as the light fades; the flats that were empty at noon fill up at dusk.
4. 04In rivers, work current seams and eddies below dams and rapids, especially in spring and autumn.
5. 05Tip your jig with a live minnow or piece of worm when plastics alone draw short strikes.
6. 06At night, troll or cast shallow-running crankbaits along windblown shorelines and points.
7. 07Wet your hands and use a jaw grip or landing net — the gill covers and teeth are sharp, and big females deserve a careful release.

Where to catch Walleye

Waters where Shoalmap's fishing reports list Walleye.

• Montour Run
• Ohio River
• Thorn Run
• Winter Haven Lake
• Jackson Branch

Related species

• Zander
  Sander lucioperca

  The low-light hunter of deep, murky rivers and reservoirs.

• Volga zander
  Sander volgensis

  The zander's small, bold-striped cousin of the Danube and Volga basins.

• European perch
  Perca fluviatilis

  The striped, bold-biting predator of every lake, river and canal in Europe.

• Northern pike
  Esox lucius

  The ambush predator with the biggest teeth in European fresh water.

Frequently asked questions