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Looking for likely walleye spots on a large or unfamiliar body of water can be a daunting task. If you overlook or fail to include the critical “walleye chop” as a key factor in the fish locating equation, your search could be a very tough proposition indeed. There is a strong correlation between wind and walleye fishing success that should never be overlooked, so to decrease the time it takes to locate actively feeding fish, sometimes it’s a simple matter of using the wind to your advantage.

Wind and waves, particularly this time of year, cause a number of key things to occur. First off, wind acts to concentrate and “pile up” the warmer surface water at one shoreline (or major structures such as underwater points and flats) on any given body of water. If the air temperature is higher than the water temperature, which will most likely be the case for the upcoming opener, the windward side of a lake is warmed even further. An ideal situation would be that the wind remains consistent for at least a couple of days to allow the lake to set up a simple food-chain scenario that results from these conditions.

Waves move and concentrate daphnia and other zooplankton that, in turn, attract minnows and small baitfish. Waves also churn up bottom sediment, reducing water clarity along the windward side of a lake that disorients the small fish that gather there to gorge on these tiny invertebrates. Sitting at the top of the aquatic food chain are the walleyes and other predatory fish that naturally take full advantage of this opportunity and aggressively ambush their forage base during this prime condition.

Light penetration is another critical factor. Even clear water that is a mere six feet deep can become quite dark under a wavy surface that refracts light. Walleyes are low-light feeders, but will readily cruise shallow shorelines and sunken points on bright sunshine days if waves are present.

We’ve all heard that bait presentations during the spring of the year should be slow, and in large part, I readily agree with that school of thought. A jig and minnow presentation should be on the slower side, and if given a choice, I’d fish the lightest jig with the slowest fall-rate I could get away with using. If the shallower water doesn’t readily produce a fish or two, look to sharper adjacent drop-offs that transition into deeper water. The walleyes might be hanging right on the break-line.

It’s a simple fact that walleyes become very active during dusk hours, and there’s no better way to catch actively feeding ‘eyes in shallow water than long-lining stickbaits in 2-10 feet of water. When the sun hits the horizon, swap your spinning rod and jig for a baitcaster and shallow running crankbait. The windy side of a lake retains its higher water temperatures into the night hours, and it’s at dusk (low-light) that walleyes really begin to ambush larger prey in earnest. Believe me, a big walleye will invest a fair amount of its valuable energy and put on surprising bursts of speed to get at a larger baitfish, so quicken the boat’s pace and for goodness sake, hang on. These dusk-to-dark walleyes mean business and will literally smash anything they perceive to be a fleeing meal. Changing lure speed as you troll can oftentimes trigger aggressive strikes, so sweeping the rod forward and allowing the bait to suspend in the water motionless between sweeps can be a deadly presentation.

There is one last tactic that is worth mentioning. You don’t see many anglers do it, but it can yield some awfully nice fish and plenty of them. I’m referring to wading and casting shallow-running plugs along shorelines at dusk. A good pair of 5mm neoprene waders with attached insulated boots will keep your body, legs and feet very comfortable. Throw on a fishing vest that contains boxes for baits and other terminal tackle, attach a net and you’re set to go. While trolling is an effective means to catch shallow, pre-spawn walleyes, there is the undeniable consideration of outboard motor noise that can cause fish to become skittish. As you can imagine, that is definitely not a factor while wading. A wading angler can slowly work a shoreline in near silence and get quite close to feeding fish.

So, if you’re wondering where to begin looking for walleyes this upcoming opener, let the wind and waves take care of much of the guesswork for you. Shorelines and structures that are getting pounded by waves should hold actively feeding walleyes and are logical spots to begin your search.

Dan Brown’s weekly outdoor column is brought to you by Frankie’s Bait and Marine, in Chisago City, and St. Croix Outdoors, in St. Croix Falls, Wis.

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