Walleyes are top-level predators, never far from a food source. Expect walleyes that live in lakes that host pelagic forage fish such as gizzard shad, alewife and emerald shiners to respond differently to their surroundings than ones where yellow perch, minnows and young sunfish supply their primary food source.
Besides food and cover, water clarity also is a variable. Walleyes have a decided sight advantage over prey species. On clear-water lakes, expect them to be most active when light levels are low, such as the twilight periods and at night. And while there is often a nighttime bite on dingy-water lakes — particularly for larger walleyes — in general turbid-water lakes provide better daytime fishing than clear ones.
Early-season strategies consider the many variables just explained. In lakes that feature submerged weeds such as mifoil, pondweed and coontail, it’s likely at least some of the walleye population will be using this cover option. Jigs tipped with ribbon leeches or half a nightcrawler are ideal for working the edges of emerging weedbeds. For extensive weed edges, pulling ’crawler harnesses behind a bottom-bouncer sinker is a good option for covering lots of water. If perch and panfish become a nuisance, switch to an artificial nightcrawler or leech.
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