How often have you pointed across the lake and asked, “What’s over there?” And how often have you heard the reply, “Nothing. Just a big flat.” Flats are the Rodney Dangerfields of structures. Considered the antithesis of structure by the straight men of walleyedom, flats get no respect.

Not only are flats structure, but flats are where the food is. In fact, in most environments, walleyes spend more time on flats than anywhere else, because flats produce more food than any other type of structure.

Shiners, perch, suckers, sunfish, bullheads, and other baitfish spawn and live on flats most of the year. Pelagic baitfish like alewives, ciscoes, and shad forage over shallow or mid-depth flats at various times of the day, depending on the season. All these critters represent food to a walleye.

Insect hatches on shallow and mid-depth flats draw baitfish. Walleyes, too, gorge on nymphs and emergers, especially during major mayfly hatches. Then, as summer wears on, deeper flats in natural lakes attract ciscoes and perch; smelt in reservoirs; alewives in the Great Lakes. And in all cases, walleyes, walleyes, walleyes.

A variety of situations draw walleyes to flats throughout the year. Identify situations that draw them, and the game is in hand. To find concentrations of fish on flats, timing is everything.

Spring

Walleyes use flats all year, but opportune periods occur when most walleyes are on flats. Seasons and conditions determine which flats walleyes use when. Flats can be four feet deep, 64 feet deep, or anywhere in-between. Some flats are tabletops, while others slope 10 degrees or more. Walleyes use all of them in some environments.

Walleyes use predictable routes to and from spawning habitat. Leaving a river, creek, rock reef, or gravel shoreline where spawning occurs, they move to the nearest adjacent flats that harbor perch or shiners. They linger longest wherever they find food on shallow flats nearest their route.

In cloudy or muddy lakes, walleyes range close to shore to feed. In normal to slightly off-clear waters, they tend to penetrate no shallower than 4 or 5 feet during the day, but shallower at night. Levels of light penetration help pinpoint walleye location during daytime hours.

To find these flats on a contour map, look for broad shelves (where depth contours are farthest apart) in the critical depth range of about 5 to 12 feet. The best flats in spring have a fairly soft or sandy bottom. Weeds like chara, a low-growing plant that persists through winter (also called skunk weed or sandgrass) provide cover for perch, thereby attracting walleyes.

Nearby creeks or rivers entering the lake increase the odds that walleyes might use such a flat. Gravel shorelines and rock reefs in the vicinity have the same effect. The bigger the flat the better, but where two flats are precisely equal in size, cover, bottom type, forage, and depth, the flat nearest walleye spawning habitat receives a far bigger draw.

Flats don’t have to be like table tops, but anything more than a gradual slope seldom attracts as much activity. Some lakes lack extensive shallow flats, however. In that case, walleyes use available shallow shelves. Shallow flats on some lakes and reservoirs are bigger than Yankee Stadium. To find forage, walleyes must roam vast areas, requiring more effort to locate them.

The principles are constant for the Great Lakes, southern reservoirs, or Shield lakes of northern Canada. On Lake Erie, for example, some of the hottest action of the year is on flats near the mouth of the Maumee, the Huron, and other spawning tributaries, right after the spawn. Spawning creates an energy withdrawal that walleyes must replenish in the most efficient manner possible. They go where the forage is, and the most concentrated forage often is shallow, on flats adjacent to spawning habitat and exit routes.

In some lakes, like Mille Lacs in Minnesota, shallow flats may have as many rockpiles or reefs as weedlines or sand grass. Not long after spawning, walleyes concentrate in these areas, too. Any irregularities, like troughs, depressions, rockpiles, or subtle breaks of two feet or less can attract walleyes. Bumpers (vertical or near-vertical breaks of two or three feet right at the shoreline edge) on the shallow end of the flat are key features. Baitfish tend to concentrate near the most prominent cover on the flat if forage is there and spawning habitat is nearby.

In reservoirs, flats near spawning tributaries that form major creek arms also hold walleyes before and after spawning. On huge flats with little slope, walleyes tend to roam. Search them out, starting at the deep edge of the flat. As walleyes move away from spawning habitat during the Postspawn Period, they tend to migrate from flat to flat toward the main body of the reservoir.

Bigger flats produce more food, which draws more walleyes. The only reason to choose a small flat over a big one along a walleye exit route would be to find an unpressured group of fish in a heavily pressured lake. Given a choice between two flats in close proximity of equal size and with equal potential to produce forage, walleyes tend to be most active on the one where the wind is blowing in.

Presentation—Working a shallow flat in spring with water temperatures still under 60°F is some of the most satisfying fishing of the year. Anchoring and drifting slip bobbers, backtrolling with a long line, or trolling minnowbaits at night are important methods. The prime tactic in most waters, however, is pitching jigs to shallow rocks and weeds. In some cases, backtrolling with jigs or rigs works better, but the shallower the walleyes, the more they are distracted by a big hull directly overhead. The key is to pinpoint the largest groups of walleyes, then choose the method that best suits the terrain they’re on and their aggressiveness.

On big table-top flats with a gradual taper that eventually breaks sharply at the deep edge, walleyes tend to roam. The key area generally is within casting distance of the deep edge of the flat. Start working big flats by positioning the boat on the outside (deep) edge and casting as far as possible with 1/8-ounce jig-and-minnow combinations, a 7-foot spinning rod, a reel with a large spool, and 6-pound-test line. When you connect, search shallower in that area, looking for weeds, rocks, troughs, subtle breaks, or anything different that might concentrate fish.

Walleyes may be concentrated, but not necessarily aggressive. Standard lift-drop retrieves with a short hop frequency (6 inches to 1 foot) or dragging retrieves usually work. When the jig hangs on a weed or rock, work it in place. Let the minnow struggle against the weight of the jig. Walleyes sometimes pluck jigs off bottom, so noise and movement in weeds attracts attention. A minnow struggling in place is a deadly trigger. Many anglers are experimenting with rattling jigs like the Northland Buck-Shot along sparse weededges.

When fish are scattered over a large area, quarter across the flat with a controlled drift. Use the same jigs and the same gear (rod and reel dimensions can be smaller, though an extra-long rod covers more water). If quartering the flat delivers fish, but the bite dies, try snap jigging. Let the jig trail a bit farther back, speed up slightly, and use a more aggressive snap-fall technique (snap the jig up as soon as it hits bottom) to trigger a response from neutral fish. Don’t snap the jig so hard the bait rips free, or so hard as you might in late summer with plastics or feather jigs.

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.

When searching shallow, concentrate on flats where the wind blows into shore. Two or three days of winds in the same direction can concentrate fish. Sparse weeds mixed with some hard bottom on the outside edge, which make lots of pockets and indentations in the weedline, are key areas on a shallow flat. Deeper fish are less affected by changes in wind and weather, though suspended fish following pelagic forage like ciscoes might move long distances over a 24-hour period during stable periods with steady winds.

Presentation—Working shallow flats requires the same basic approach in summer as in spring, but actual presentation should be more aggressive. Where snap jigging was laid back, movements now should be sharper, the jig should travel farther, and plastics or feather jigs should replace the shiners and redtails of spring. At times, quartering and drifting across flats should give way to trolling. And bottom bouncers with spinner rigs and crawlers take on added importance.

But a key tactic, especially in early summer, is to continue drifting or quartering jigs across flats. As walleyes shift down to mid-depth flats (15 to 25 feet), follow along with 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, or crawlers.

As fish scatter along larger secondary flats, trolling becomes more important, in order to cover more water in less time. On mid-depth flats, cranks like Shad Raps, Wally Divers, and Hot’N Tots that get down 12 to 17 feet, cover water to find fish quicker. Casting or trolling these shad-shaped baits along weedlines on shallow flats produces in summer, too. Don’t overlook the crankbait pattern when steady winds blow into weedlines for several days. Another overlooked way to find walleyes on flats in summer is to troll with three-way rigs and minnowbaits. The same lures mentioned for night fishing in spring are effective pulled 4 to 5 feet behind a three-way swivel with a 3- to 4-foot dropper holding a 1- to 3-ounce sinker.

Lighter sinkers are better for keeping the lure well behind the boat (yet near bottom) on mid-depth flats, while heavier sinkers allow for an almost vertical presentation in depths of 15 to 20 feet and a semi-vertical presentation down to 50 feet. This keeps the lure accurately within striking distance of what you see on sonar while trolling breaks along the edge of a flat or following rock fingers or points that roll down from a 15-foot to a 25-foot flat. The advantage comes with the versatility to cover water shallow and deep with the lure remaining equidistant from bottom on the same trolling pass.

As summer progresses, the most overlooked pattern for big walleyes is trolling for suspended fish over main-basin flats. In natural lakes, these suspended fish generally chase ciscoes, while in reservoirs or on the Great Lakes, the forage might be smelt, shad, or alewives. With 3 or 4 anglers in the boat, it’s possible to cover the water column from the top 2 feet to just above the depth of those big hooks that appear on sonar.

Use in-line trolling boards to spread the trolling swath and pull unweighted Rapalas and Shad Raps on either side, then long-line several deep-diving minnowbaits—Storm Deep ThunderSticks, for example—to the precise depths of the hooks on sonar. Use one of the several books now available for translating length of line behind the boat into precise depths lures are running. If walleyes are below 25 feet, use Water Gremlin Rubbercor sinkers or Clip On weights from Off Shore or Church Tackle to take the lure deeper.

These tactics, developed on the Great Lakes, continue to work wonders there. Downriggers plunged only 10 or 15 feet under the surface with long leads to diving lures, still predominantly used in the Great Lakes, are even more efficient for precise depth control.

Fall and Winter

As the days shorten in September, walleyes start grouping in predictable locations. Classic hard-bottom structure on the main lake where breaks slope quickly from mid-depths into deep water are key spots, including flats atop main-lake bars and humps, and especially flats in the main basin adjacent to classic structural elements.

In early fall, some walleyes continue to cruise weedlines on shallow flats. In fact, this pattern becomes more productive in some lakes during September and continues into October. In prairie lakes and other shallow bodies of water, this pattern continues practically year ‘round. The general trend, however, is for walleyes to gradually concentrate in deeper main-lake areas.

By late fall, the most reliable pattern in meso lakes is the “transition bite” that takes place on the edge of deep flats. Walleyes show a consistent preference for edges where soft and hard bottoms come together at the deep base of main-lake points and bars. This pattern holds all winter, though the early-winter bite often shifts from the base of these structures to shallow pivot points on the shallow lips of these areas.

Look for the largest structures extending into the main basin of the lake and for transitions somewhere near the base of the slopes from these structures, where they meet the basin flat, or slightly shallower. A hard reading on sonar (a thick bottom line) butting against a thinner reading is the target area. This transition line can be at different depths on different structures. In fact, it’s often found at different depths surrounding the same piece of structure, moving gradually up and down from, say, 40 feet to 35 feet or so. In mesotrophic lakes, bottom transitions usually occur somewhere between 20 feet and 60 feet deep, with 25 to 40 feet being the most common range. The transition isn’t wide, usually about 2 feet across, and walleyes hold tight to it.

In the Great Lakes, flats adjacent to major spawning tributaries attract walleyes in fall. By October, night fishing near jetties, rockpiles, and pier walls on huge sand flats really heats up. Of all the bites on flats for walleyes, this is the most recognizable and easiest to identify. In addition, it’s the most consistent pattern for fish over 8 pounds.

In winter, many walleyes in large meso lakes and reservoirs tend to move during periods of activity to main-basin flats and flats on top of main-lake humps and bars. As winter ebbs, walleyes again begin concentrating closer to those shallow flats adjacent to spawning habitat where this discussion began.

Presentation—Early in fall, shallow and mid-depth flats on the main body of the lake still harbor walleyes. The focal point is the weedline. It’s not the primary pattern in meso lakes, but it is overlooked, and it can be the main pattern in shallow eutrophic bodies of water, such as prairie lakes. Ripping crankbaits like a Normark Shad Rap, a PRADCO Wally Bomber, or a Storm Rattlin’ Thin Fin along deep weededges locates fish quickly and often continues to catch fish all day.

Sometimes, especially on windswept water on cloudy days, walleyes cruise right over the weed tops. Shallower divers like the Mann’s Stretch 1 Minus or the Rattlin’ Thin Fin work well for covering that part of the water column. Some walleyes are always present at the base of the weeds, where a deep diver is required to dig them out.