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Ontario Walleye Fishing Tips & Techniques

Ontario Walleye Fishing Tips & Techniques

From the time I was 14 years old right up until my 30th birthday, I worked as a professional fishing guide for various fly-in fishing lodges in Ontario and Manitoba. Many of the guests did not want a guide. Not having a guide who knows the north, combined with them using down-south techniques, made their fishing trip disappointing because it's a different world in the north with a different food chain.
Spring:
In the spring, Walleyes are either in a river current or right close to shore. When I say close to shore, I mean 5 to 10 feet from shore. In Northern Ontario Canadian Shield Lakes, the Walleyes that don't spawn in the river will find sandy areas along the shore to spawn. By the time fishing season opens, most Walleyes are finished spawning but they will hang around to protect their spawning beds.
You can put on a light jig (1/8-oz) and cast along the shore and retrieve it quit aggressively as the Walleyes are very aggressive this time of year. Use bright colors like red, chartreuse, yellow or white. Walleyes that are feeding will hit the jig. Walleyes that are not feeding will still hit bright colors because they are defending the spawning grounds and bright colors aggravate them.
In the daytime and in early spring, your will most likely catch smaller males, which stay at the spawning beds. The bigger females usually take off into deeper water during the day.
How do you find that special spot along the shore where the Walleyes are congregating? In the spring, put on a small Original Floating Rapala or Thunderstick and troll really slow right along the shoreline. The Walleyes will be in 2 to 4 feet of water. Red, Blue, Chartreuse and Fire Tiger are the best colors in the spring. If you keep trolling past a spot and hit Walleyes, then that's where they are. In this case, stop the motor and start casing. Trolling back and forth too many times will spook the area and they will stop feeding.
Dusey Lake - A...