In the shallows, tactics like pitching and flipping jigs or crankbaits, dipping livebait on a jig, or suspending livebait below a float are consistent producers. The often overlooked key to success, however, is combining the best method of boat control with the best tactic for the shallow situation.

In spring, places where water warms the quickest attract baitfish and walleyes. Prespawn walleyes are drawn to shallow spots—rock or weed points, gravel or rocky shorelines, shallow midlake humps and islands. Riprap washed by wave action or rock-rubble swept by waves or current are good spots. Walleyes are drawn to current areas, like feeder creeks, often swimming upstream, seeking shallow bays and gravel washout bottoms or mussel beds mixed with gravel, which make ideal spawning habitat.

Taking every precaution to prevent spooking is one of the most important considerations when fishing the shallows. Walleyes, in particular, spook easily, especially when they’re shallow. Any clue that a predator is near (via sight, sound, or vibration) triggers a survival instinct, which may switch a walleye’s focus from finding food to finding a safer place.

Walleyes have excellent vision, especially in clear water and at night. They easily can spot a boat passing nearby or overhead, whether it’s a 12-footer or a 20-footer. Several boats trying to fish the same shallow location may spook walleyes until the pressure subsides. Too much commotion, like repeatedly turning your electric trolling motor on and off or multiple anglers casting from the same location may be enough to send a signal to the walleyes that something is awry.

Shore or wading anglers often outfish boat anglers when walleyes are shallow. The lower profile from shore or in waders makes it more difficult for walleyes to spot any sign of danger. Keeping commotion to a minimum is easier from shore or in waders, too. Some anglers drive their boats to limited access spots (like an island), anchor, and then fish from waders.

But you don’t have to jump out of your boat every time you want to target shallow walleyes. The key to fishing shallows from your boat is stealthy boat control. Simply keep your boat far enough away to prevent spooking the fish, yet close enough to make your presentation.

Pitchin’

Pitching jigs is a top presentation for slowly moving along key spots—like shorelines or points—with an electric trolling motor, trying to contact walleyes that have moved shallow. Rock and gravel points are good spots for pitching. Flooded wood and roots absorb heat from the sun, which attracts baitfish and walleyes.

In many western reservoirs, wind sends waves crashing into shorelines, points, and bays, which mixes sediment into the water, creating a cloud of murky water (mudline) in the shallows. Stained water absorbs heat from the sun, which can warm shallow water several degrees, attracting walleyes in spring. Stained water also creates a shaded area that attracts both baitfish and walleyes, and the colored water decreases the distance walleyes can see, which prevents them from spotting you.

A 6- to 61⁄2-foot medium-light spinning rod spooled with 4- to 6-pound mono is ideal for most shallow-water situations. The combo allows you to make good casts, has good sensitivity, yet the rod is limp enough for a good hookset when walleyes strike close, which happens often in many shallow pitching situations.

Jig size can make the difference between catching and not catching walleyes. Lighter jigs are easier for walleyes to inhale—increasing your odds of getting a good hookset. Heavier jigs are easier for you to feel, but due to their increased weight, they’re harder for fish to inhale, and they tend to snag easier.

A 1/16- or 1/8-ounce jighead tipped with a minnow, leech, or half crawler are hard combos to beat. Their slow fall rate allows you to lift the jig up off bottom and let it free-fall back down on a semi-tight line. Most strikes come as the jig falls. Heavier jigs sink faster, giving walleyes less time to react and inhale your jig on the fall. You may need to increase jig weight on windy days, in strong current, or in deeper water.

To detect strikes, good jiggers know where and what their jig is doing at all times. The key is to stay in contact with the action of the jig. Watching where the line enters the water also helps you visualize a jig’s fall rate and detect any jumps, pecks, and ticks that indicate even a subtle strike. High-visibility lines like Berkley XT Solar mono or any other visually enhanced line make watching line easier.

Once you become accustomed to how your jig performs under the conditions you’re fishing—whether over rocks, weeds, or wood; heavy to moderate winds; deep, or shallow—any extra weight other than what you’re used to feeling or any sudden slight line twitches or stops may indicate a strike. Set the hook. Doesn’t cost you a penny more, and you’ll probably catch more fish.

Pitching crankbaits produces in the shallows. Neutrally-buoyant minnow crankbaits like Rapala Husky Jerks, Suspending Rogues, or Suspending ThunderSticks are top producers in spring. At rest, a properly tuned lure hangs level, neither rising nor sinking, the perfect trigger for a following walleye to strike. Rapala Countdowns (slow sinking lures), being heavier, cast better into wind. Most of the time, a slow-swimming retrieve triggers strikes.

Pitching deep-diving crankbaits, like Rapala’s new Tail Dancer or the Reef Runner Deep Little Ripper, shallow and retrieving back to the boat allows for fishing a variety of depths near bottom. Steep-sloping or lipped shorelines with a sand or gravel bottom are ideal. On a straight retrieve, deep-diving cranks bang and tick the bottom, which trigger strikes.

Boat control and position is critical. Try to keep the boat positioned close enough to pitch the jig to key spots, yet far enough away to prevent spooking the fish. Most pitches are about 30 to 40 feet. Stay close enough to your target to feel and work your jig at the right speed.

Wind not only makes boat control difficult, but also increases the speed of your presentation, which makes feeling your jig more difficult. Adjusting boat speed is one of the best ways to stay in contact with your jig. Try slowing the boat until you can detect your jig. Anchoring near key spots is a great method of boat control on windy days. Set the anchor to position the boat close enough to make accurate casts and feel your jig. Again, not so close that you spook the fish.

Wind pressure on your line also may cause you to lose feel of lighter jigs—similar to a jig that’s too light for current in rivers. You may need to increase weight. A crosswind, however, puts a slight bow in the line between your rod tip and the point where it enters the water. Watch the bow in the line for any slight bumps or for the line to straighten. Even though you didn’t feel a thing, you can see a strike by watching the bow in your line.

Flippin’ and Dippin’

If you’re accustomed to trolling crankbaits for miles on the Great Lakes or working up and down a long primary point, moving from tree to tree or from one open pocket in the weeds to another may seem like a monotonous way to fish. Even for expert flippers and dippers, the most difficult part is the dry spell between flips and dips. You may not get a bite the first 100 trees you fish, but 101 may be the tree. The key is to stay calm and move quietly from one tree to the next, believing you’ll catch a walleye from alongside the next tree.

Flipping and dipping work for extracting walleyes from dense cover. These tactics work in spots where precise placement is needed. In rivers, natural lakes, and reservoirs, flooded wood (temporary or permanent) offers shelter and current breaks. It’s a prime candidate for skinny-water tactics like flipping and dipping. Weededges and open pockets in weedbeds are potential spots, too.

The challenge is getting close enough to make precise flips or dips without commotion from your boat. Smaller boats (14- to 17-footers) are easier to weave in and around trees than say a 20-footer, although I’ve seen anglers weave 20-foot boats through a maze of flooded timber. In some situations, you may be able to use your bowmount electric trolling motor to maneuver through trees. In dense flooded timber, one of the best ways to maneuver a boat is grabbing tree branches to pull the boat along as you move slowly and quietly through the trees.

Flipping is basically a short underhand cast, which allows you to place your bait in key spots—weededges, flooded wood, or riprap shorelines. For most flipping situations, a 6- to 61⁄2-foot medium-light spinning rod spooled with 6-pound mono is sufficient unless the cover is thick enough to require heavier line to land hooked fish.

In current, a jig weight that sinks to the bottom yet is light enough to be pushed slowly by the current past key spots is ideal. Weedless jigs like the Northland Weed Weasel or Lindy No-Snagg Timb’r Rock Jig work well for swimming livebait or plastic over weeds, wood, and rocks. These jigs have a slower fall rate, however, which makes them a bit more difficult to feel, especially in deeper water or stronger current.

Dipping allows you to drop your lure in the exact spot you think may hold a walleye or two. A 71⁄2- to 8-foot casting rod is ideal for dipping a lure for walleyes holding tight to cover. Again, get as close as quietly as you can and put the rod tip right next to the cover. Dip your jig two or three times in each spot, saturating the area. Walleyes holding in key spots, like current breaks behind trees or boulders or along weededges typically are ready to ambush any food that passes close by. Vertically jig your lure a few times and move on to the next potential spot.

Bobbin’

Float fishing is one of the best ways to make a slow presentation in the shallows. It allows for suspending livebait in key spots, presenting a tempting target for any walleyes that passes through. At night, walleyes that are scattered near shorelines or over shallow midlake humps and reefs are prime candidates for float tactics. Riprap, rock shorelines, points with gravel or rocks, and leeward shorelines attract walleyes and can be fished with floats. Consecutive windy days may blow colder surface water to the windward side of the lake, which in spring may attract walleyes to the leeward side where the water is warmer.

The basic rule when choosing a float is to use the smallest size possible. In heavy wind or waves, a larger more-buoyant float is needed. As wind subsides, use smaller floats fish can’t easily see or feel. In the shallows (two to four feet), use stationary floats or slip floats. Slip floats, however, are easier to cast and the desired depth can be adjusted simply by sliding the bobber stop on the line.

Night fishing is one of the most popular and productive times to use float tactics. Several lighted float designs for night fishing are available. Most common are those with lithium battery inserts that cause a diode to glow red at the tip of the float. Some have tiny replaceable cyalume light sticks that glow for several hours.

A 61⁄2- to 71⁄2-foot medium-power medium-fast-action spinning rod combined with a spinning reel spooled with 6- to 8-pound mono will suffice for most situations. Thin-diameter mono, such as Berkley SensiThin, easily slides through a slipfloat. Kahle or wide-bend hooks have unique bends that are great for float fishing. Aberdeen or Octopus-style hooks also work well under floats.

Minnows work when the water temperature is below 50°F. Depending on minnow size, hook sizes should range anywhere from a #6 to a 1/0. Match hook gap to the bulk of the bait so plenty of hook gap is available to penetrate a walleye’s mouth on the hookset. Hook minnows lightly through the back near the dorsal fin, but avoid penetrating the spine.

Leeches and crawlers are preferred when water temperature reaches 50°F. Crawlers wiggle and squirm for a while, but more likely dangle from the hook after a time. A lively leech continuously swims, attracting walleyes that may move into the area.

For leeches, use #6 or #8 lightwire Aberdeen or Octopus-style hooks. Rigged through the sucker, the leech attempts to swim away from the hook. Leeches hooked through the middle create a swimming profile from below. Hook nightcrawlers through the collar or at midpoint on #6 or #4 hooks, letting both ends of the crawler dangle and wiggle. Depending on depth, suspend livebait between eight inches and three inches from the bottom. At night, active livebait silhouetted above a walleye makes a tempting target.

Anchoring is probably the best boat control method for float fishing because you’re often targeting a specific spot walleyes seem to be keying on. Simply anchor close enough to make an easy cast, sit back, and wait for the submerging sign. During light winds, however, drifting over the tops of weedbeds with floats is productive. Simply let out enough line to get your floats away from the boat as you drift. Toss out a drift sock or two to slow your drift speed.

A Few New Things For The Shallows

Lures—Lindy Little Joe’s new Timb’r Rock No-Snagg jig features several strands of wire that allow for working livebait and plastics through snaggy cover. The forward line-tie and weight-centered balance further enhances its snag-free ability.

Bait Rigs new snag-resistant Grub Master jig fits inside most soft plastic bodies—like twistertails or tubes. The jig color and painted eye actually show through most semi-colored soft plastic bodies. So inserting a pink Grub Master jig, for example, into a clear smoke plastic pattern grub resembles the color pattern of a rainbow minnow.