When you’re looking to go out and catch walleye, it’s important to know as much as possible about the fish. Simply being where the walleye are doesn’t mean you’re going to get them to bite; you’ve got to have a strategy. Knowing how walleye feed, as well as their habits, will help ensure that you can get these delicious fish on the hook and into your cooler!
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What Kind of Feeders Are Walleye?
Walleye are predatory bottom feeders that will stay in shallow waters, looking for food just above the bottom of the body of water that they inhabit. They like to prowl the entire body of water if they are able to, and tend to stay just above the bottom. They’re predatory in nature, and will move to wherever their prey is.
Fishing for walleye requires some patience. The successful fisherman needs to find the right depth in order to catch walleye. It’s never the actual bottom, rather just above it in the weeds, where walleye can be found feeding.
Where Do Walleye Live?
Walleye can be found in North America in both the United States and Canada. In Canada, walleye are found from the Northwest Territories all the way east into Quebec. In the United States walleye can be found across the continent, as far south as Georgia and Alabama, up to the northern states that border Canada.
The walleye’s natural habitat consists of lakes and pools, as well as medium to large rivers. They’ve been introduced to many suitable waterways in North America, as they’re one of the most popular game fish, highly sought after for their filets and their fight. Walleye prefer large, shallow lakes with high turbidity. Their vision gives them the upper hand in waters like these, and feeding can be very prosperous for them in cloudy situations.
This preference for turbidity isn’t to say that walleye enjoy mucky waters. When given the choice, like many other fish, they’ll choose to spend their time near gravel and rock covered bottoms.
When considering the water conditions for walleye, it’s important to remember that they prefer waters that range from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature (around 18 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius). If food is scarce in waters that fit this preference, walleye will travel to warmer or cooler waters in search of prey.
What Do Walleye Eat?
If you’re fishing for walleye, the type of bait that you’re using can help determine the size of the fish you’ll be reeling in. Juvenile walleye eat small fish and insects, like crickets. If you’re fishing with these, you’ll most likely be catching smaller fish.
Adult walleye will eat any fish smaller than they are but prefer fathead minnows and yellow perch. While these may be their preferences, they aren’t the only fish that adult walleye will feed on. Nearly a dozen different species of fish have been found in walleye stomachs. Additionally, adult walleye will eat crayfish, frogs, snails, and small mammals if fish are scarce. They’re known for their voracious appetites and will eat pretty much anything if it catches their eye.
What Are A Walleye’s Feeding Habits?
Walleye are predatory fish that depend greatly on their eyesight to feed. They prefer feeding in cloudy waters, because they have an advantage over their prey in them. Additionally, due to their eyesight, they have very specific needs for feeding that can sometimes feel unpredictable.
For the most part, walleye will circle the body of water that they’re in, sticking to the bottom portion of shallow waters that are anywhere up to 15 feet deep. They’ll venture into shallower waters should it be turbid, however, and will stay in these waters throughout the day if given the opportunity. Upon occasion, walleye feeding will occur in waters as shallow as 2 feet if the conditions are right and the prey is plentiful.
The most unique tendencies from walleye, such as this need for turbid waters during daytime feeding, come from the fish’s eyesight. Their eyes are backed with a reflective film that gathers light, helping the fish to see in dark or murky conditions. For this reason, it’s unlikely that walleye will be found in clear waters – they actually need obstruction to fish effectively. If waters are clear in the body of water that they’re inhabiting, they’ll seek refuge in shady areas, or in deeper waters. Sometimes, they’ll migrate to depths of 40 feet to escape bright light.
When Do Walleye Feed?
Generally speaking, walleye feed during the night, as their highly sensitive vision gives them the advantage. This being said, they aren’t solely night feeders. They will feed in the early hours of the morning, and even during the day if the water’s turbidity is right, or if a large shaded area is present. They’re certainly most active at night, but they’re able to be coaxed into feeding if the right preferences line up.
In terms of the time of year that walleye feeding is at its peak, you’ll want to put lines in the water during spring, summer, and early fall. However, there is one caveat to fishing in the spring. Walleye are a species of fish that spawn in the spring, and this changes the feeding habits of females.
When spawning, females will feed much more actively and aggressively before the spawn, as well as afterwards. While actually spawning, they’ll divert all of their attention to finding the right area to spawn, finding a mate, and laying their eggs. This causes females to stop biting anywhere from two weeks to a month, depending on the season that year. The males will continue to bite throughout the spawn, though. Then, the best walleye fishing of the year happens once the female walleye begin biting again. They’ll feed voraciously for the next few weeks as they need to replenish their energy after spawning.
Why Walleye Can Be So Hard to Catch
Walleye, while they are predatory fish, are very difficult to catch because they act very differently than other predatory fish. They tend to be very wary feeders, and don’t strike the way that other predatory fish do. Rather than take large hits like bass and the like, they bite softly. This can make it very hard to tell when they actually hit the line.
Additionally, because of their keen eyesight they can stick to areas in the water that they can’t be easily seen in. They like waters with a visibility of 3 to 6 feet, while many other species of fish prefer clear waters. This means that the lures used for walleye fishing need to be colorful and striking. The hardware used should be genuinely silver plated. If it isn’t, it won’t reflect the striking white that walleye identify with prey fish. If one lure isn’t working, then switch to another. Keeping a variety of lures on hand can help keep the walleye biting.
On top of that, these fish are nocturnal. All of the necessary requirements to set up ideal walleye fishing can be daunting. Knowing all of them can lead you to success when fishing for walleye. It’s important to stick to the following things:
- Fish at night – walleye have exceptional vision in the dark
- Stick to shallow waters with high turbidity
- Use a variety of lures in different colors, exclusively plated in silver
- Pay attention to walleye spawning season
By sticking to these four things, you’ll be sure to land more walleye than you have on previous fishing trips.
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