Few fishing situations are as cut-and-dried as walleyes in Canadian Shield lakes in spring. Most lakes are interconnected by rivers, streams, and trickles—some passable, others too shallow, steep, or treacherous for passage. In all cases, the common characteristic is current. Though such areas may host only mild current in summer, during spring, substantial flows race through constrictions between lakes on their journey to the sea.

Canadian Shield lakes seldom provide an abundance of food sources, so walleyes and other gamefish rarely are finicky and fussy about what they eat. And in spring, before insects hatch and young-of-the-year baitfish grow to catchable size, the pickin’s are mighty lean. Fish therefore take advantage of any available food. Mother Nature, in her infinite wisdom, provides one such feeding condition adjacent to walleye spawning sites, furnishing sustenance until other options begin appearing when the environment warms.

Current constrictions, inlets, and waterfalls are classic early-season walleye spots. Walleyes naturally flock to such areas immediately after ice-out, moving up rivers and streams, where possible, or simply stacking up beneath impassible waterfalls. Broken rocks swept by current furnish ideal spawning sites, and most fish spawn amidst the turbulent rocks at night, then move into adjacent deeper water during the day.

After spawning, walleyes have little reason to abandon these areas because the current also draws minnows awaiting their chance to spawn and feed. Walleyes need only lie in pools or deep water adjacent to current inflows or constrictions in order to feed at their convenience.

Where pools and waterfalls occur, feeding may take place all day. Anchor your boat within a pool or hole area, pitch a 1/8- or 1/4-ounce jig-and-twister tail around the boat, sweep it along bottom in the the mild current, and expect it to be ravaged by hungry ‘eyes and a more-than-occasional large pike. On a good lake with low fishing pressure, it isn’t unusual to catch between 50 and 100 walleyes from a handful of anchor positions covering a key spot. In most waters, the walleyes run 1 1⁄2 to 3 pounds, with an occasional 4 to 6 pounder. In other waters, trophies are a real possibility, especially at dusk and at night.

As light levels dwindle, large postspawn fish using the deep water adjacent to narrows during the day begin sliding up into the current formed by constricting shorelines—another classic high-percentage feeding situation. In many cases, simply drifting through a narrows, vertically jigging a jig-and-twister or jig-and-minnow is ideal. Fish can be nearly anywhere, but pay particular attention to visible current breaks. Typical good spots occur in subtle eddies formed on the downstream side of the narrows, where the flowing water swirls out to either side, forming twin patterns of subtle circular flow, much as in a river. Walleyes lie within the eddies, facing current edges, waiting for hapless minnows to pass by. After nightfall, simple longline trolling with minnow imitators or diving crankbaits, fished back and forth along the shorelines of the narrows, may produce numbers of walleyes, particularly bigger fish. This strong pattern picks up as postspawn fish disperse from spawning sites and continues throughout the open water season.

Still, it’s hard to ignore visible transitions from shallow turbulent rocks to deeper pools that seem to scream “fish here.” Small pools may require only an anchor position or two, generally immediately adjacent to visible current flow. With the fish stacked all around you, there’s no reason to move the boat. To establish the preferred depth and sections hosting the most fish, larger pools may require several anchor positions, slow drifts along the edges and basin, or slow trolling while vertical jigging.

In any case, keep things simple. Classic fly-in situations generally restrict you to a minimum of gear. All you typically need for success in early spring is an assortment of 1/8- and 1/4-ounce jigheads—preferably lots of fluorescent orange, yellow, or chartreuse for visibility in the dingier water common in rivers—and a good selection of 3-inch twister tail grubs in orange, white, chartreuse, black, or your favorite walleye shades. Sometimes, scented or Power Baits make a difference, though in most situations, hungry walleyes aren’t fussy. Beyond that, experiment with anything that’s effective for walleyes in less than 15 feet of water, generally with at least minimal current.