Seasonal habitat and the forage it draws attract and hold walleyes. Use a lake map to determine potential spawning areas. Then look for main lake areas that walleyes use during summer. Walleyes moving toward the main lake often stop to feed along the way. Also, some walleyes remain near spawning habitat or transitional habitat all season.

Look for structural elements like major bars on or adjacent to spawning areas. Then identify similar structural elements lying along the probable path of walleyes to the main lake. Walleyes often make predictable progress in their move to the main lake. The presence of forage, though, determines how far walleyes move, exactly where they move to, and how long they hold in areas.

In this typical natural lake environment, one lake is deeper, clearer, with more hard-bottomed spawning habitat. The other is shallower, darker, with weedier habitat.

Walleyes begin the season spawning along shallow rocks in the creek, along shorelines in Lake #1, or in the narrows between the two lakes. After spawning, they begin dispersing toward potential feeding areas in both lakes, relating to available habitat.

Most walleye anglers fish drop-off areas near the tips of major points, or the edges of shallow reefs. Not a bad option, but not the only option. Lake #1 also offers several hard-bottomed flats lying near spawning sites, and both lakes offer areas of shallow weedcover. These provide secondary fishing options when walleyes opt to remain in shallow cover or when popular drop-offs are crowded with anglers.

Remnant or emerging weedgrowth in the 4- to 8-foot range generally offers sufficient cover and hosts forage like prespawn perch. Walleyes find the best available cover with access to food, predominantly feeding during low light periods, at night, or during periods of reduced light penetration caused by wind, rain, or cloudy weather.

While weeds are likely to provide the best shallow cover, don’t automatically discount harder-bottomed flats with sand or rock. They may not provide much cover, but if prespawn shiners are in the area, walleyes may be nearby, lying amid boulder patches, in dips along otherwise flat bottom, or even scattered across the deeper portion of the flat. Once again, low light tends to trigger the most activity.

These shallow areas may host more walleyes in early season than the drop-off areas that most anglers fish. As the transition from spring to summer progresses, however, most walleyes either move toward the outer edges of thickening weeds or to classic drop-offs bordering primary structure. In the meantime, anglers should interpret conditions to determine how far the fish may have moved from spawning areas and where the best cover and feeding opportunities can be found. Then select the best presentations for conditions.

Other options: (1) A steady, strong wind for several days piles warm surface water along downwind shorelines. Weeds, rocks, even deep docks may attract and hold fish. (2) Deep edges of main lake structures or midlake reefs may hold a few postspawn females extra deep—20 to 50 feet. Not a numbers game, but a trophy option. (3) At night, fish moving between primary structures move through and along steep shorelines on their way to favorable habitat. While these spots may host few fish during the day, try longline trolling at night for fish that other anglers miss.

Confusing? Not really. Complex? You bet. Walleyes have far more options than we often realize. Fish using less-than-classic areas often receive little angling attention—perfect areas when popular spots are crowded.