Timeless Fishing Principles, Timely Updates

The structure fishing concept introduced in the 1950s by angling pioneer Buck Perry laid the groundwork for understanding fish location and behavior in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. In a nutshell, Perry surmised that all fish tend to relate to changes in the bottom. Drop-offs, timberlines, or weededges—visible changes due to cover or variation in depth—were called breaklines, since they formed edges or transition zones in the environment. Individual distinct changes along a breakline—like a point, turn, rockpile, weed clump—were labeled breaks, or interruptions along the otherwise consistent edge. Breaks on a breakline concentrate fish, providing some of the best fishing opportunities in any body of water.

Structure fishing theory has survived forty years of change, but not without evolution. While it provides much of our foundation knowledge, we’ve bolstered and expanded that foundation considerably. Several myths or misconceptions need clarification.

First and foremost, edges by themselves do not attract fish. Edges in the proper environment do. Just because a long point or hump exists doesn’t mean fish will use it. It must provide the right combination of cover, food, and feeding opportunities to attract baitfish and gamefish.

Such spots might produce seasonally, becoming a wasteland at other times. For example, a deep hump might be a great walleye attractor in fall, but during spring spawning season when walleyes are shallow, it lacks the proper characteristics to draw fish. Once fish are in an area, however, Perry’s edicts about breaks and breaklines still apply.

Want proof that edges aren’t the only key to catching walleyes? How about all the conditions where walleyes use flats lacking distinctive edges? The very idea upsets some hardcore structure-fishing devotees. They find it easier to believe that a walleye would suspend in open water, rather than inhabit a flat far from a discernible edge. But it happens.

For example, when favorable conditions occur on shallow flats, like weedgrowth or timber, roving baitfish schools, walleye spawning areas, or dingy wind-tossed water, walleyes may take advantage of them. Fancasting or longline trolling may be more productive in these conditions than fishing precise drop-off edges. Do whatever it takes to catch fish. If edges don’t exist, remember walleyes adapt to conditions, and so should you.

Another of Perry’s early theories doesn’t necessarily stand up to forty years of science and observation, however. Initially, to explain why fish appeared to be present and feeding, at times, and apparently absent from productive structures at other times, he postulated that active fish move shallower to feed on structure, dropping down into a nebulous deep-water sanctuary when they become inactive. They could be encountered under favorable conditions on predictable spots, and the rest of the time they’re more or less lost in space.

Modern advancements in electronics, tracking studies, and our ability to fish and interpret all lake zones from deep to shallow have largely destroyed the sanctuary concept. We now know that while fish may indeed move up and down on structure, to some degree, they tend to move laterally, maintaining a more or less consistent depth. And fish—even walleyes—may be residents of limited areas for long periods if conditions are favorable. For example, inactive fish may penetrate a weedbed, moving out to the edges to feed when they become active.

Also, walleyes may suspend in open water off a structure, moving inward and contacting a point or hump during prime feeding times at dawn and dusk. But they certainly don’t always make substantial depth changes on a daily basis. Their bodies aren’t capable of dealing with extreme pressure changes in rapid fashion, whereas horizontal movement within a limited depth range creates little additional stress.

Surprisingly, walleyes may simultaneously display radically different forms of behavior in the same body of water. Varieties of habitat and food sources lead fish to adapt differently to local conditions. Some walleyes may remain in shallow cover while others use the edges of classic structure; at the same time, other groups of walleyes may relate to deep structure, while suspended schools ply open water for suspended baitfish. Each group develops its own rhythm of activity cycles and behavior, perhaps appearing totally different from those displayed by other groups, yet totally logical in the big picture.

Walleyes or other gamefish simply adapt to their environment, and complex environments often display more than one pattern of fish use. This often confuses novice anglers, while veterans merely shrug and accept multiple patterns. Experienced anglers focus their angling efforts toward individual populations when they’re most catchable, such as under favorable weather conditions or more productive times of day—fishing shallow cover areas in low-light conditions, then focusing on deep-water populations during the day. To increase your odds for success, take advantage of daily activity cycles and select a presentation appropriate to conditions.

Reading Water

A good walleye angler, therefore, must not only be open-minded, but also versatile and adaptable. Once you establish potential options in different lake zones, it’s necessary to select and present lures or baits in those areas in an effective manner. And that can be a complex proposition. Walleyes no longer are simply considered fish of deep rocky structure. Today, they’re pursued everywhere from shallow weed and wood cover, to deep water structure, to vast offshore suspended locations, to river current, to huge impoundments with substantial seasonal migrations.

Before applying structure fishing theory, it’s necessary to determine the types of environmental options available to the fish and how they might adapt to them. Ask questions of local anglers or at bait shops. Determine what the locals do to catch fish. That’s a starting point, but not the finish line.

Begin by exploring options you know will produce. Then expand your search in other potential directions. You never know where that search might take you. But with such versatile and adaptable gamefish, at least a portion of the population isn’t receiving its fair share of angling attention. Untapped fish often provide some of the best trophy potential—from urban settings with lots of angling competition to wilderness destinations that attract only a few boats per year.

In all cases, the better you read the water, determine potentially productive patterns, and fish in an effective manner, the more and bigger walleyes you’ll catch. While structure fishing offers an edge, it’s not the only edge. Don’t simply use your depthfinder to fish edges for edges sake. Focus on seasonally appropriate areas and habitat, then look for breaks and breaklines. You must be in the zone before you have an edge, and there’s no better edge than structure fishing for catching walleyes.