It has often (and accurately) been said that walleyes aren’t really hard to catch, but they can be difficult to locate. For many anglers locating walleyes especially on big lakes and reservoirs is difficult and intimidating. However, this problem, like most in fishing, can be easily solved by breaking it down into a few simple steps.

Where do you start?

First address the easiest fish to locate, the ones that are always right where they’re supposed to be. Fish off the longest points and the fastest breaks on the flats. These areas can be seen with the naked eye or can be found with the aid of topographical maps. The points need to be checked first, and they need to be re-checked with your electronics.

Don’t fish memories (last year’s spots), particularly on reservoirs. These reservoirs change and can become whole new lakes with each new year. A case in point would be all the new and rising water in the Dakota’s. Actually there are areas that haven’t held standing water since the turn of the century that are now new lakes or enlarged lakes with new shorelines and contours, Consider that when even 10 feet is added or subtracted from any existing body of water, an entirely new body of water is created with new spots, new holding areas, new food shelves. The first thing to do is forget about the spots where you caught fish last year.

Use your electronics and your eyes to find new spots. Begin by checking where the fish should be which is from 10 to 30 feet off long points and underwater humps. Do this by contour cutting, searching from 45 feet up to 10 feet, then back to 45, and up and down the breaks following the structure. What you’re looking for is actual fish. If you don’t mark fish, you simply don’t fish there. If they’re not there, move onto the next point. When you’re looking for scattered fish between 10 and 40 feet of water, expect to only find a few. The number of fish isn’t as important as the depth in which they’re located. Perhaps you may only mark three fish on one point, but if those fish were all at 17 feet, that’s a good place to start. Those fish are usually a good bet.

Many people expect to see many fish on their electronics. Two or three fish at a particular depth on my Lowrance X-85 represents enough fish to make the effort worthwhile. Remember that you’re viewing a very small area with your electronics, just a small circle directly below your boat. Don’t try to work a specific fish, but work the specific depth.

If the fish aren’t found in the traditional, obvious places, check mid-range depths. Depths of five to 12 feet are the best choices. These mid-range depths have to be physically fished. You can’t use your electronics to locate fish here because the cone angle of the transducer is too small. To fish mid-range depths, go with the high-percentage spots and use a method that covers a great deal of water quickly. Fast-moving presentations like trolling spinners or casting crankbaits work well. These shallow fish will be active, and they’ll chase a bait. Try to work fast and cover as much water as possible in a short time.

If you don’t find fish in mid-range depths after two or three tests, it’s safe to assume that nobody’s home today. You’ve eliminated that area, and it’s time to move on!

Begin looking for fish directly in the shallow water itself, an ideal place to find aggressive, feeding walleyes. This water is up to five feet deep and should never be overlooked. Fish will move with the food, and much of the time that’s in very shallow water. Again, this has to be physically fished, usually by casting.

Fortunately, with shallow water you have a great number of visual aids that eliminate most of the shoreline to locate active walleyes. Some of these visual aids are simple. Say you notice three or four boats working a long point on deeper, neutral fish that won’t bite. It’s a good bet that some of these fish could move up to feed between the boats and the bank. Throw a jig and minnow or crankbait up into the shallow water. The hot fish will pull away from the neutral fish further out and move into the shallow water to eat, much like the guy getting off the couch and heading for the refrigerator during a TV commercial. These fish will leave their comfort zone and move into the shallow water for food. It’s a good high percentage choice.

Another visual aid for shallow water angling success is to avoid banks with a very slow taper such as a beach. Fish the banks with a bumper that drop abruptly for a foot or two. You’ll often see rocks, responsible for the quick drops, along such shorelines. These are choice areas to try. Walleyes, without revealing their presence, can slip into these areas for easy feeding. Cast these areas with jigs or crankbaits. Remember, when casting don’t run the boat over them as walleyes spook easily in shallow water.

This is also a great place to use in-line planer boards like the Off-Shore planer boards. The use of my Off-Shore boards, especially when fishing in relatively clear, shallow water conditions has put fish in the boat when nothing else could. Try fishing either a shallow diving crankbait like a Smithwick Rogue, Rebel Minnow or a spinner combo behind your Off-Shore boards.

The final factor in shallow water choices involves mudlines. Anytime you have waves rolling into a point or bar, you’ll have a mudline with varying degrees of visibility. These spots need to be fished very shallowly. Never overlook the walleye’s desire to get into shallow, muddy water to find food. Fish not only the mudline area where the dirty water meets the clean, but also fish the shallowest dirty water. Cast within a foot of the bank. The fish at times will be very, very shallow.

Don’t overlook the bays! If all has failed after trying the preceding steps, face it, you’re day may almost be shot. However, there’s one more thing you can do, and that is to check the back of the bays. Rarely are all the backs of the bays explored, and often they hold a tremendous walleye fishery. Don’t overlook them!

Checking the back-bay areas is very simple and quick. First, choose the bigger bays, and go to the extreme end of these areas. Then come back to the first prevalent point in the bay. Fish just like you would on a shallow water point, casting your jigs or crankbaits into them. If vegetation exists be certain to work the edges with different presentations.

Try trolling crankbaits in five to 10 feet of water using your big engine. Yes, I said your big engine! These fish are scattered and here to feed (aggressive). Your big engine won’t spook these fish. This method covers a tremendous amount of territory and lets you locate active fish quickly. It’s also a method that can provide hot action from other species including northern pike, bass and panfish.

Editors note: Be sure to check out Mike’s book, Walleye Trouble Shooting, available for $14.95 plus $3 S&H from Fishing Enterprises, PO Box 7108, Pierre, SD 57501. Credit cards call toll-free 1-800-223-9126.