Locating River Walleyes & Tactics That Produce

In larger rivers with lots of flooded cover, temporarily flooded standing trees, deadfalls, inundated brush, and backwater bays are potential places to find walleyes, actually reacting more like bass than like walleyes. Prespawn and postspawn walleyes use these flooded areas as resting places away from the current. Snagging and losing jigs in woodcover causes a reluctance to fish tight to flooded wood, but it’s often where walleyes are found during high water.

Control drifting jigs along the outer edges of flooded brush or trees or even pitching weedless jigs up into open lanes in the flooded forest can be extremely productive when traditional tactics fail. “One of the best ways to catch walleyes in flooded cover is to fish them much as you would crappies or bass. Pitching light jigs with minnows works great, especially when the water is stained but not dirty. In dirty water, position your boat right in the flooded trees and use your rod tip to lower your jig right next to the trees—noodling walleyes just as you would crappies. If the water stays high, postspawn males remain shallow and won’t vacate the area until the water drops, or until after baitfish finish spawning, ”Christensen says.

Vertical jigging is another option in rivers, especially when you locate walleyes holding in a specific area. According to Christensen, “The key is staying vertical. The better control you have, the better your chances of feeling a fish take the bait. Depending on current and water depth, I use 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jigs. Vertical jigging in deeper water, for instance, requires heavier jigs, whereas you might be able to use a lighter jig in shallower water because of less water pressure on the line.

“It’s much more important to stay as vertical as possible rather than worrying about using too heavy a jig. A jig that’s too light just doesn’t work, especially in stronger current or deeper water. As far as the fish are concerned, jig weight isn’t a big issue when vertical jigging because when a walleye strikes, it often inhales the entire bait. And if you’re vertical, you’ll feel the strike and know when to set the hook.”

Cranking In Rivers

A growing number of anglers are trolling crankbaits in cold water for walleyes, possibly even bigger walleyes. “Trolling crankbaits in rivers works great for walleyes year-round,” says walleye pro Ross Grothe. “Even in cold water. Rather than trying to target neutral or negative walleyes with finesse tactics, I target aggressive walleyes. Trolling crankbaits allows for covering lots of water to contact active fish. In rivers, for instance, it’s almost inevitable that if I can get my crankbaits in front of more fish, eventually I’m going to contact an aggressive walleye willing to take the crankbait.”

The key to river trolling is positioning crankbaits at the right speed in the right spot. River stretches with fewer snags and a relatively consistent depth are easiest to troll and are common habitat for walleyes in spring. Ideally, long, deep runs with a fairly constant depth make for long, effective trolling passes. Bottom-tapping with deep-divers is the most consistent crankbait approach in early spring, especially in rivers. “River walleyes relate to bottom most of the time,” Grothe explains, “so that’s where you need to position your crankbait. I prefer crankbaits with a tighter action, like Rapala ShadRaps or Reef Runner RipShads, that dive deep enough to get my bait right near bottom. Yet when I troll slowly, the bait still has great action.”