I'd like to catch a walleye

[Austin11C]

I've never caught a walleye before and I'm going fishing tomorrow, since I've never targeted walleye, what types of lures and where to look(compared to say bass cover)? At one place I've started fishing recently I've caught a couple nice Perch and I figure if there's perch there then it may be a good spot to try for walleye, that may be completely false that was just my thoughts. Most of my tackle is bass & trout tackle but I've got a little bit of everything, so for all you walleye fisherman what would you use? 

[bh91]

from what i have been reading, jerkbaits , lipless crankbaits. .. also minnows on a jig head maybe dropshot might work

[CoBass]

Depends on when you're fishing for them. Typically, they will only be in the shallows during low light conditions. Early evening through early morning is your best time to catch them using things like jerkbaits, crankbaits, and lipless cranks. You can still catch them during the day, but they will be a lot deeper(20-40 ft.), and you will have to switch to much slower presentations like blade baits and spoons jigged off the bottom. A gulp minnow on a jig head worked slowly along the bottom is another daytime presentation that can put fish in the boat.

[Austin11C]

Thanks for the advice guys. Unfortunately I don't have a boat so I should have mentioned I will be fishing off the bank. I'll be fishing mid afternoon until a little after dark so hopefully I can find some in the shallows since I can only get as deep as I can cast out from shore. Thanks 

[WIGuide]

Walleyes can still be found shallow during the day usually when it's cloudy. Having a bit of wind will usually help that too. Boot tail swimbaits, jerkbaits, and lipless crankbaits are good options. One thing you'll want to do is alter your presentation a bit. For instance with a lipless crankbait instead of sharp snaps to rip the bait up, just slowly pump your rod instead. With jerkbaits, you still want to snap your slack enough to get the action out of the bait, but back off on it a little. 

[gim]

Low light periods will help greatly.  Sunrise, sunset, cloudy, or windy conditions all reduce visibility which tends to increase walleye activity.  Always keep whatever presentation near the bottom.  Walleyes almost always feed within 12-18 inches of the bottom.  Don't expect them to smack it like a bass might either.  They often bite very subtle.

[Austin11C]

Thanks guys. I didn't end up catching a walleye but I caught a couple nice bass and crappie so it wasn't a bad day. Definitely looking forward to my next trip 

[roadwarrior]

On 5/10/2017 at 2:34 AM, Austin11C said:

Thanks for the advice guys. Unfortunately I don't have a boat so I should have mentioned I will be fishing off the bank. I'll be fishing mid afternoon until a little after dark so hopefully I can find some in the shallows since I can only get as deep as I can cast out from shore. Thanks 

 

 It is VERY unlikely that you will catch a walleye in Tennessee, especially during the day and from the bank.

 

[scaleface]

Fish the tail races of dams .

[TnRiver46]

Just saw where you were from Norris, there's some walleye in that lake. I'm no expert but I have caught them on accident while bass fishing on Norris. The way most people catch them this time of year can be done from the bank. The alewives will spawn up against the rock banks at night, and folks will slow roll big jerkbaits on top or throw top waters. Redfin, bomber long A, spook, popper and torpedo are common choices, but from what I understand it has to be done at night. I have caught them in the middle of summer in the middle of the day fishing a shakey head on Norris but I'm guessing that was totally random luck. People also catch them bank fishing below Douglas dam and fort Patrick Henry dam. Also tellico lake has a good population if you're ever out that way. 

[Crestliner2008]

Tough job fishing from the bank for sure, but not impossible. Concentrate on using two lures most of the time. First is a 3" curly tailed grub on a 1/8 oz. ball head jig. That has probably accounted for more walleye for me than anything else.

 

The second lure of choice would be the paddle tailed swimbaits coming into popularity these days. Great fishing catching baits for all species - and especially walleye. Use 4" size with a 1/4 oz. jig head. Keitec Fat Swing Impact is a great representation of this type of lure.

 

I recommend these because you can thoroughly cover areas you select from shore. You will have to move around a lot, but sooner or later you will score.

[smr913]

On 5/13/2017 at 6:47 AM, roadwarrior said:

 

 It is VERY unlikely that you will catch a walleye in Tennessee, especially during the day and from the bank.

 

I can vouch for that, been fishing Tims Ford for more than 10 years and the first one my dad or I have ever caught. Caught him on a crankbait, mid-morning, in the back of a cove in about 8-10ft of water. 

 

[timsford]

I've fished Tims Ford for about 25 years. I've always concentrated on largemouth, smallmouth, stripers, and hybrids. I had never caught a walleye until a few years ago. It's suprising I never caught one while fishing for these other species, but not even a runt until I started targeting them specifically. I had a friend show me some tricks for catching walleye. First off, we do much better at night. Second is that the only consistent spots I've found are those with constant current inflow like places where springs or feeder creeks enter the lake, or on the main river that flows into the lake or below the tailrace on the river. My favorite spot is a place on the river where a feeder creeks enters and currents swirl. It has a gravel bottom and there are always baitfish present. If I don't see bait, I don't bother fishing because I've only had luck around schools of baitfish. Lure selection is pretty simple. My most productive baits have been floating jerkbaits. In shallow water or around high pressure areas, I do best on a silent bait like a rapala f11 original floater in silver/black. If it's a little deeper and the fish seem more active, I use either a smithwick shallow rogue or bomber long a. I normally like black with silver or gold belly's on the rogue, and burple or bone on the long a. I like the burple on dark nights and the bone on moonlit nights. I experiment with retrieves and sometimes catch them with jerks and pauses 

Ike I normally use for Bass, but day in and day out the most productive retrieve for me has been a slow steady one. Other baits I've used with success are small 3-4" swimbaits and super flukes rigged on weighted screwlock hooks or jigheads that maintain bottom contact but are still light enough to bounce downstream in the current. The amount of weight I use depends on depth and current. I've also caught some in deeper holes with shad raps and lipless cranks. I've found out that most of the places I catch walleye also are good spots for hybrids and stripers, especially if there are shad present. Most nights I end up with a mixed bag with the occasional largemouth or smallmouth thrown in. It's tons of fun fighting the stripers and hybrids in current, and although the walleye aren't nearly as good a fight, they make up for it at the dinner table. If you want to catch walleye do some scouting during the daylight and look for places with current and bait and then try them at night with the lures I mentioned. Also most of the places I do best at are shallow and quiet and if you make noise getting to the water or rigging, it seems to make the fish stop feeding or leave for a while. Be as quiet as possible. Another pointer is to invest in a quality headlamp so you can have your hands free and to find one with a red secondary bulb. The red attracts way less bugs. Also I've seen schools of fish bolt when a regular white light hits the water but I can shine red directly at them with no seeming effect. Try some of these tips and let us know how you do. If anyone needs any specific pointers for Tims ford, woods reservoir, or Normandy lake, or the elk or duck rivers, please shoot me a pm and I'll be glad to help all I can

[Austin11C]

I normally do most of my night fishing at melton hill below the dam. Lots of current and it's full of shad, I've caught many stripers and catfish there but I've never targeted walleye. There's also a bridge a little ways down stream that I like to fish near, I've caught plenty of fish by casting right beside the pillar and it seems as soon as the current pushes it past it I'll get a strike, I think fish sit there in the calmer water and ambush smaller fish as they are swept downstream,That's just my guess anyways haha. Actually the closest fish to a walleye I've ever caught was right there(it was a sauger on some old crankbait I had) I forgot about that until I started writing about the bridge.  I plan on going back there to night fish sometime this up coming week. I'll let you guys know how it goes.