A Tactic for Neutral Fish

Rivers, the ultimate fishing universe for avid walleye anglers, provide certain advantages over lakes and reservoirs when it comes to catching fish in tough conditions.

River walleyes can be fairly predictable. Changes in water levels force them into more suitable areas, where local currents push them into specific, often visible locations such as current breaks. River walleyes are also less affected by weather fluctuations than those in lakes and reservoirs, again thanks to the river's current. Anglers can therefore find actively feeding fish in rivers regardless of the time of year, the weather, or various unforeseen natural factors.

But -- there is always a but -- what happens when you can't catch fish in otherwise predictable river situations? When, why, and how come into the equation.

Determining when this happens can be tough. During summer, difficult bites generally occur -- even on rivers -- when the skies are clear and the winds are calm. This is especially true of clear rivers. In all rivers, however, a substantial change in water level can place walleyes in a neutral mood.

Why it happens is easier to answer. Increased sunlight penetration associated with high, clear, calm skies will most likely have a negative affect on walleyes, since baitfish find it easier to evade predators under these conditions. Changing water levels affect walleye location because the depths and locations of both feeding and resting zones change.If the water is excessively muddied by rain, it may also put river walleyes in a neutral, or even a negative, mood.

The how part of the equation is fundamental, though often overlooked by walleye anglers: Neutral fish are catchable if you show them a presentation that appeals to their neutral mood. To my mind, the undisputed king of neutral-mode presentations is the slipbobber, almost never applied in riverine fishing. And therein lies the answer to catching river walleyes during those uncatchable situations.