Conventional wisdom calls for walleyes to be found in cool, shallow water during spring and fall, and lurking in deeper water during the heat of summer and the dead of winter. However, this binary distribution of walleye locations is far too simplistic; indeed, modern electronics and contemporary presentations have worked in tandem to reveal walleyes living in unexpected places, as well as untapped opportunities to target and catch them.
On many lakes, walleyes can be found in shallow weeds for nearly the entirety of the open water period. From the time that the first green shoots begin to emerge from the bottom until the last leafy cabbage weeds turn brown and decay, walleyes will be prowling weedbeds – and for one reason: forage. Minnows, small panfish, larval insects, and more: a veritable buffet of walleye-sustaining life abounds among the weeds, and as we all know, predators are never far from their prey.
I first learned this lesson on late summer trips to some of the classic walleye factories in central Minnesota: clear lakes brimming with deep water structure, places where the time-honored technique of live bait rigging originated more than 50 years ago. We could pick off a small walleye here, and another one there, dragging leeches around deep breaklines, but when we slipped into the weedy bays to chase bass, even under the heat of the August sun, we would also encounter walleyes - big walleyes - all the time.
Fast forward twenty years, and this singular truth remains: if I find weeds, I also find walleyes. On lakes with good water clarity and weed growth that extends down to 15 feet or beyond, those weeds hold walleyes – especially in the thick stuff. On very stained lakes, where dark water color or high nutrient loads limit vegetation to the extreme shallows – 5 feet or less – walleyes will be in there, too.
An excellent way to begin building confidence in this weed walleye pattern is not necessarily with a rod and reel, but instead with your electronics. Recognize first that active, feeding walleyes will relate to the weededge – where weed growth stops, or more frequently, regions where tall weeds, like cabbage or milfoil, give way to shorter greenery. These transitions are easy to find with sonar or high-frequency imaging techniques. Now, rather than casting a lure, lower an underwater camera instead. An Aqua-Vu HD10i underwater camera, equipped with a trolling fin to stabilize the camera when underway, is my primary tool when searching vegetation for fish. While weedbed walleyes may be missed by sonar, they can’t escape the gaze of my Aqua-Vu’s high-definition optics. Midday is a great time to look for these fish; they may not be actively feeding, but they’ll be out, swimming around, revealing their presence to the camera. Drop waypoints on those pods, because they won’t be far away when their prime feeding windows open up.