Locating River Walleyes & Tactics That Produce

“Although not all rivers are created equal, in spring, walleyes tend to behave similarly,” Christensen says. “When water flow is high, they tend to move out of their deeper haunts into shallow water; sometimes they’re right next to shore in less than a foot of water. There’s less current there, and current breaks form, so that’s where walleyes spawn,” Christensen explains. “Baitfish also school in the shallows, with walleyes up feeding on them. Walleyes can be so tight to the bank that using a boat may make the best presentations difficult. In fact, under these conditions, I often leave the boat at home and wade. I’ve caught lots of walleye while wading by pitching jigs parallel to shore where walleyes are stacked in a foot or two of water.”

Jigs In Rivers

Jig-and-minnow combos are perhaps the most popular baits used to fish current seams, allowing you to alternately position the bait on or near bottom, yet use the current to position the jig in front of walleyes. Pitching lighter jigs works for walleyes in the shallows, while heavier jigs work better for vertical jigging in deeper water and swift current.

Places where current meets calm water form fish-attracting edges—ideal spots to work jigs. Visible current breaks along the surface of the river, for instance, indicate possible subsurface current seams where walleyes may be holding, waiting to ambush prey. Either hover or slowly slip downstream with your trolling motor, or anchor and cast a jig toward the target area.

“When pitching current breaks in the main flow, one of the best forms of boat control is anchoring. Anchoring allows you to hold in the current while making accurate casts to work the jig at a desired speed down along the current break. After anchoring, simply quarter your cast upstream and slowly work the jig downstream. A lift-and-drop technique allows your bait to be anchored to bottom by the jig at rest, yet move with the current on the lift of the rod tip, toward walleyes facing the current.

“For pitching, I like to use lighter jigs, like 1/8 ounce. You could use a lighter 1/16-ounce jig, but the extra weight of a 1/8-ounce jig helps you feel the jig and anchors the bait better in current. I’m also a big believer in using bigger shiners or minnows while jigging for river walleyes, like a larger 4-inch shiner. In most waters during spring, the baitfish population is fairly low after the long winter, and most walleyes attack baits fairly aggressively. Bigger minnows attract walleyes better,” he explains, “and most walleyes 15 inches or bigger really don’t have a hard time inhaling a 4-inch shiner on a 1/8-ounce jig.”

Retrieve the jig with subtle lift-drops of the rod tip, slightly on and off bottom, letting current sweep it along the current break. “Anytime you can work your bait more aggressively and still get bites, it’s a better option simply because it transmits more vibration and flash, which attracts more fish compared to slowly working a jig. A lift, drop, and a one- or two-second pause is about the right cadence in most situations. Again, even though the water is cold, walleyes can be aggressive,” he claims, “so don’t hesitate to use bigger baits and work them fairly aggressively to attract and trigger strikes.”