Seasonal Keys To Catching Walleyes On Flats

The most common and prolific flats pattern in reservoirs of all types takes place in early spring. Prespawn and Postspawn walleyes congregate on flats immediately adjacent to spawning tributaries, in this case, in the back end of a major creek arm. Some walleyes spawn on riprap shorelines near dams, collecting on shallow, shoreline-oriented flats nearby. In creek arms, walleyes follow a consistent progression, moving gradually toward the main lake and gathering on large fertile flats along the way. By early summer, most walleyes are on main-lake points at the mouths of these creek arms. Depending on water levels, weather, and dominant forage species, active walleyes may feed anywhere from 5 feet to 25 feet during early summer. Some move progressively deeper as they spread out into the reservoir. Deep flats with humps and submerged islands become the most dependable patterns in late summer. By late fall, many walleyes are back on primary points leading into creek arms, but tend to use vertical structure close to the main river channel.

After dark, long-line trolling with minnow baits is the odds call on shallow flats in spring, summer, and fall. Look for necked-down areas between basins or the same kinds of flats already described, preferably adjacent to an inflowing stream.

Bagley Bang-O-Lures, Normark Rapalas, Smithwick Rattlin’ Rogues, and Storm ThunderSticks are examples of choices for probing flats after sundown. Use a snap without a swivel for attaching lures to line, and add a split shot or two about 18 inches ahead of the lure. Pull the lure 80 to 150 feet behind the boat and concentrate on 5-to 10-foot contours (primarily 6 to 8 feet in most lakes). Slow and steady. Give walleyes a chance to find and catch the lure.

During the past several years, these techniques have also been the most consistent producers in Lake Erie and other Great Lakes from April through early June. In fact, trolling 30- to 45-foot mud flats with snap weights and deep-diving minnows produced most of the top-ten winning weights in every major tournament held during that time period. Basic variations of the “50-50” system (drop the lure back 50 feet, apply a snap weight, and drop it back another 50 feet) have been amazingly consistent in spring.

Summer

As walleyes continue to disperse away from spawning habitat, they scatter into numerous patterns, many involving flats. Scratching out a limit of fish gets tougher, not because walleyes are harder to catch, but because some fish go deep, some stay shallow, some are on structure, and some suspend. It’s harder to find concentrations, but walleyes reach a metabolic peak, which balances things. A higher percentage of the fish in each group are aggressive, though groups are smaller.

Early summer patterns favor flats. Some walleyes remain shallow, never leaving the rich foraging grounds around weedbeds and weedlines. The majority, in most cases, move down to the next level, to secondary main-basin flats in the 15- to 30-foot range. Deeper flats in the main basin of the lake and humps—which are just flats surrounded by deeper water—become key areas later on. The shallow weed flats that hold some fish all summer are ignored by most fishermen.

Use of deep flats begins in summer. In the Great Lakes, large schools of walleyes move out to depths of 70 feet or more. Most of these fish suspend over huge flats, feeding on alewives or smelt. Reports of salmon fishermen catching walleyes with downriggers have steadily increased over the past decade. Walleye charters have responded, using salmon tactics to make fabulous catches miles from shore.

In natural lakes, studies show that, where perch populations are healthy, walleyes feed predominantly on them. The secret to finding walleyes is knowing perch location, and perch are fish of the flats. Walleyes that remain shallow in summer forage on perch, or on shad where they coexist. Walleyes that drop down to the second stairstep of flats (15 to 25 feet) also feed on perch. Flats on top of main-lake points, flats on top of humps, and deep main-basin flats (where the thermocline is deep enough) also draw perch and walleyes in summer.

Walleye-perch interactions take place primarily during morning, evening, and at night. During low-light periods, walleyes, with their better vision in the dark, have a crucial advantage.