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This weekend could prove to be an outstanding walleye opener. I mention this for three important reasons: ice was late to leave our lakes, water temperatures are still quite cold, and, as a result, the walleye spawn was late.

A late walleye spawn can work different ways for an angler. In the case of a spawning period that has been delayed for a week or so, larger females, during the immediate post-spawn, might be pretty tough to come by this weekend. These fish, while they will eat sporadically, are in recovery-mode and not yet ready to feed aggressively. To my way of thinking, that's an outcome I can live with. While snagging upper 20s to 30-inch walleyes is indeed fun, these fish shouldn't be kept or eaten.

On the other hand, the smaller males will occupy the shallows and adjacent breaks following the spawn for an extended period of time and feed quite actively. These are the fish to target, so concentrating your efforts on flowages, shallow flats and shoreline breaks. These areas could yield high numbers of fish this weekend.

Shallow is the key word. If you're working your light jig and minnow in 12 feet of water and not marking or picking up an occasional fish, you're probably working water that's too deep. Remember that the shallows warm first and will in turn attract the baitfish. Find the baitfish and you'll find the walleyes. Can't get any simpler than that. It won't be uncommon at all this weekend to find active walleyes in 10 feet of water or less, perhaps as shallow as 4 to 5 feet.

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 notorious low-light feeders, but will readily cruise the shallows on bright sunshine days if waves are present.

Lastly, don't forget to keep your bait presentations light and slow. A light jig and shiner or fathead will be the weapon of choice this weekend. Slow-hopping a jig along the bottom with frequent pauses between lifts is one method that consistently takes slow-moving walleyes. A lip-hooked minnow that's active and wriggling will always get a walleye's attention, sometimes most effectively while the jig is at rest on the bottom. On Saturday, I intend to tie on the lightest jigs with the slowest fall-rates I can get away with using.

I'll be very surprised if this year's opener doesn't prove to be a good one. Cold water will force the walleyes into the warmer shallows in search of food. My personal experiences fishing shallow water walleyes are quite positive. It always seems to be the case that walleyes in the shallows are prowling for food. They don't cruise the shallows for any other reason.

I'll be out there somewhere in hopes of fooling a few fish. Good luck, wear those PFDs and be safe on the water.

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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