Southern Reservoir Patterns

One of Csanda’s favorite patterns is to look for big flats 30 to 40 feet deep that meet the river channel about midreservoir. “Cliff-like breaks plummet into 80 or 90 feet of water at the channel edge,” he explains. “Walleyes suspend along the lip of the break, generally at 35 to 50 feet. Zigzag along the lip and work vertically with blades or jigging spoons, like the Hopkins or the Bullet Lite Jig’N Spoon.”

Another favorite pattern involves “bluff tailings,” where the river channel bends into a steep shoreline bluff. Shelves (tailings) that appear in 35 to 50 feet of water adjacent to the bluff and the river channel provide key walleye holding areas in fall. “Again, work vertically with jigging spoons or heavy jig-and-minnow combinations, or troll bottom-bouncers,” Csanda advises.

Western Reservoirs—“On Oahe, Sakakawea, and Fort Peck on the Missouri River system, large movements of fish travel into major river arms or spawning bays in fall,” Csanda points out.

The classic pattern to look for in Missouri River reservoirs is a river arm point intersecting the main river channel near the mouth of major rivers like the Moreau or Cheyenne in Oahe, or in major spawning bays like the Van Hook Arm or Four Bears Bay in Sakakawea. Fish in these fish concentrate deep (35 to 50 feet) in fall, but occasionally move up as shallow as 6 or 8 feet and become more aggressive in October or November. The popular tactics are exactly the same as Al Lindner outlined earlier for rigging and vertical jigging.

“An overlooked pattern involves suspended fish keying on smelt off these same points,” Csanda says. “Survey areas 60 to 70 feet deep off the sides or tip of the point. Walleyes typically suspend at about 35 to 40 feet, and they’re most easily taken on planer boards, leadcore line, and minnow plugs.”

Reservoirs like Seminoe and Pathfinder in Wyoming exhibit similar movements (fish moving to major river inlets and into major spawning bays), and the same kind of tactics apply. But these lakes also have some canyon-like features. And in true canyon reservoirs, like Lake Powell, walleyes spawn on gravel on shelves in relatively shallow, fingerlike extensions in portions of huge creek arms up to 50 miles long. In fall, look for walleyes on main lake points and bluff banks leading into these arms in the lower to middle third of the reservoir.

“Look for breaks in the bluff wall,” Csanda says, explaining that these breaks are visibly broken or caved-in segments of the wall. “Breaks indicate rubble farther down.” Fish breaks by casting a jig-and-minnow combination against the wall and feeding it line for a vertical drop or by vertical jigging with spoons or blades.

“Another excellent pattern on canyon reservoirs is a sand point,” Csanda says. “These are highly unusual, but they always attract walleyes.” Troll sandy points with bottom-bouncers or three-way rigs.

Lowland Flowages and Flatland Reservoirs—Shallow impoundments and flowages are common in the upper Midwest. “Walleyes in these waters concentrate in the lower third of the reservoir near the dam in fall,” Csanda says. “That’s the area with the least siltation and the most obvious structure.

“Generally, the water’s colored or stained, so fish aren’t deep. Primary location is the edge of the river channel. In early fall, walleyes use the top lip, which is typically 10 to 15 feet deep. Later, they may slide to the bottom of the channel in 25 to 30 feet of water.”

The search resembles normal structure fishing, “except timber is often associated with these lip areas,” Csanda adds. “Bottom-bouncers with spinner rigs and minnows are an efficient method for finding fish along the tops of these breaks.”

Look for changes along the channel edge—rocky fingers, rubble-to-sand transitions, stumpfields, or timber. “Classic areas are channel bends or areas where the main river channel intersects a creek channel. These spots concentrate walleyes.”