Walleye Fishing from the Bank

[Buzzbaiter]

I’ve never fished for walleye before, and I have no clue where to start. Is it possible to catch them from the bank on a big highland reservoir? What baits/lures do they eat? Where should I fish? Walleye just seems kind of weird to me because I’ve never caught or seen one

[Scott F]

If you find where they spawn VERY early in the year, and the season is open, you probably have the best chance of getting them in shallow water near the bank. On most lakes throughout the year, you’ll find them on weedy flats in 10-15 feet of water, but they could be deeper or shallower, depending on where they find forage. 

[Dwight Hottle]

Walleye will come in shallow during low light. Your best chance is fishing just before dark up to around midnight. They will herd baitfish around riprap & steep banks. They also can be caught on topwater after dark. Believe it or not they are suckers for small jitterbugs. You can also catch them along weed lines with floating and or suspending jerk baits twitched on near the surface. They will definitely feed up at low light as opposed to feeding on the bottom as they often do during the day. 

[gim]

18 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Walleye will come in shallow during low light. Your best chance is fishing just before dark up to around midnight. They will herd baitfish around riprap & steep banks.

 

Definitely try at sunset or at night time.  Daytime might work if its overcast or rainy and there's a decent wind blowing in to the shore line.  You could try a lighted slip bobber rig with a leech or minnow at night.  I used to to a lot of walleye fishing and the bite was always better when there was a low light factor involved rather than bright sunshine.

[Dwight Hottle]

Low light overcast day fish. 

 

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                                           

[PaulVE64]

Walleyes have excellent lowlight vision.

So a bright sunny day will glue them to the bottom. Ive caught alot of them dragging a jig in the sunshine.

 

And dont try to lip them. They have nasty sharp teeth

[Black Hawk Basser]

Try places where there is some lighting.  Marina lights, dock lights, etc.  You may be surprised how shallow they will be nearby some lighting at night in the fall.  Think big jerkbaits like a Rapala HJ12.

[Kirtley Howe]

I fish for Walleyes a lot from shore on both small lakes and in the Susquehanna River here in the Southern Tier of New York state.   Commonly use Rapalas (Husky Jerks in mid to large sizes), 3/16 to 1/4 oz jig heads with Mister Twister grub tails or Sassy Shads....move up to 1/2 oz jigheads as necessary if fishing in strong current. Also use paddle tails on the jigs...usually 3 1/2 to 5 inch length.  Sometimes using a floating worm (4 to 6 inch) either weightless or on a jig head works well. At times  crankbaits are good. Just match the local forage as far a size and color....but don't be afraid to go up several sizes over that to see what works.  Stickbaits that run deeper than the water depth you are fishing in (so they bang off the bottom) can be effective in rocky bottom areas.  And chatter baits and spinnerbaits also work very well.  I have found that Pheobe spoons can be killer for walleyes also.  You will find that a lot of your bass lures will work for walleyes....but a longer, lighter, extra sensitive rod well work far better than the average casting rod. I suggest a 7 to 8 foot, graphite spinning rod that has a fast action, paired with a decent quality reel ( doesn't have to be expensive....just pretty smooth feeling) and the lightest line you can get away with if fishing in clear water, and you will be good to go. My normal walleye rig is a 7' 6" $35 Diawa graphite rod with a Pfluger President size 30 reel (about $49-$69 depending on where you get it).  You may well already own a set up like that for bass fishing.