walleye schooling

[WayneChristie]

I know there are some knowledgable walleye junkies here, Im wondering if someone can clue me in on some of their habitd. I know this is usually a slow time for catching them and was wondering why ? I know of 2 that were cleaned this weekend and both had empty stomachs and one was full of milt. Same area I had been having decent luck in January and its like getting blood from a stone to catch one or two a day . Lots of forage fish in the area but empty stomachs is a bit curious.

[The Fisherman Guy]

So a walleye swims into the local watering hole, looking to hook up with a good looking mate.

That walleye could start stuffing it's face and bloating it's belly like a plump pike. But that walleye knows that pike only get action because they are easy. So the walleye, with action on the mind, doesn't want that awkward feeling of slurping minnows in front of a hottie. So it just trolls around, looking good, but not eating.

Once it's all said and done, totally spent from hooking up in the greatest session of the year, a ravenously hungry walleye will stuff it's face in a post mating ritual. Kind of like standing naked at an open fridge at 3am, eating cold pizza and quaffing a beer.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by The Fisherman Guy

So a walleye swims into the local watering hole, looking to hook up with a good looking mate.

That walleye could start stuffing it's face and bloating it's belly like a plump pike. But that walleye knows that pike only get action because they are easy. So the walleye, with action on the mind, doesn't want that awkward feeling of slurping minnows in front of a hottie. So it just trolls around, looking good, but not eating.

Once it's all said and done, totally spent from hooking up in the greatest session of the year, a ravenously hungry walleye will stuff it's face in a post mating ritual. Kind of like standing naked at an open fridge at 3am, eating cold pizza and quaffing a beer.

X2

[CritterCommander]

Wayne, it's been the same in my neck of the woods. Nothing all day long until 6 or 630 and it's game on until dark. And deeper than where I normally find them.

[THEREAPER]

Hi Wayne

From my experience the females at this time are schooling up together. The same here I've only been able to catch the odd male walleye 2-4 pound range lately. Pike are the same i find, yesterday we caught over 40 pike all between 5-10 pounds all small males. I also know that the males arrive to the spawn sites before the females so if your catching a lot of males in a certain area probably a good chance the females are not far behind. Just my opinion!

[Fishslayer99]

From the looks of those Walleye pictures from this hard water season Wayne, I would say you know what you are doing! I'm sorry I cant give you much advice besides wait them out and fish late at night. Im sure you are in the right area, sometimes they put the feed bag on sometimes they don't? sure you could get all technical and break it down to spawn/water temp/depth/amount of food/barometric pressure changes/time of year/structure etc,etc,etc. At the end of the day who really knows?... sometimes I feel like a cold beer, sometimes I feel like 6. I could only dream of catching a walter in the 30' range. keep doing what your doing Wayne because if anyone on this forum knows how to land lunkers its you. That's my opinion anyways, but you know what they say about opinions right?

[Frozenflyguy]

I am certainly no expert in the Alberta Walleye arena ... but in Ontario and in particular the Bay of Quinte ... the big females are usually the last to arrive near spawning locations ... I have found them to be solitary over schooling and at best in packs of 2 or 3. BUT ... I have always found them to be hungry right up until a few days before the spawn (or the 7 degree water temp mark for rivers). How this translates into useful information here I remain uncertain ... The bigger fish aren't always mixed in with the larger walleye schools and tend to be found in deeper water for longer periods but they do head shallow to feed ... how shallow depends on the water body I am certain, but they go where the food is ... perhaps this is why the bite lights up later in the day here. If you can find deep sand/mud flats near structure including vegetation I would continue to hunt for them along possible travel paths ... I think your spot still meets that criteria but it may be time to roam more freely! I know I will be until the season closes! God I hope I'm right! I need to catch an eye over 10 pounds to keep my 4 year streak going even if I did move here recently which has definitely skewed my odds of success!

[WayneChristie]

thanks for the info , I can still get one or two a day, Im probably the only one stubborn enough to stare at my camera for 9 hours to catch one walleye, but shes usually worth it, got a good number 10 pounds and up to a 14 pounder this season, at least they kill time waiting for the river to break! still learning them, I know some people like to punch a hundred holes and troll but thats not for me, too much work to drag my lazyboy around the lake! Im probably the only person to ever catch a 14 pound walleye sitting in a big recliner
didnt get the 15 pounder this season I was kinda hoping for, but its time to go looking for Moby again, see if shes grown any

[niwrek]

If you know where a walleye spawns,,,,, you will find them there about this time of year.... and they will bite

[TJG]

Originally Posted by niwrek

If you know where a walleye spawns,,,,, you will find them there about this time of year.... and they will bite

X2 find the perch and the walleye will b close around.
Aggresive action with a jigging spone triggers a big bite.
Dont forget to cover the whole water, top to bottom, dont forget to rum a dead stick too, they are not fussy.
and of course sunset is prime time.

[PerchBuster]

Walleye this time of year prefer not to expend extra energy unnecessarily. Shorter feeding windows characterized by brief flurries of activity and longer amounts of time between meals. Their activity level most of the time could be characterized as neutral to low. Their entire focus is on two things only, survival and reproduction. They may not chase bait fish during the day preferring to wait until the odds are more in their favor during low light conditions but they may hit a jig or spoon held in place under the ice if deemed easy prey.

[bucksman]

THIS is what the AO forum should be about! i wouldnt get out of that chair either, if YOU arent catching anything that day then i would just chalk it up to a slow day! me? well thats a different story, keep up the good work