Scouting for Walleye

Scouting for Walleye using Topographical Maps

You can save a lot of time, energy, and catch a lot more fish if you do your homework before you begin fishing.  To do this, not only do you need to do some research on the body of water you’ll be fishing, but also on walleye.

The more information you have about a body of water before hand, the easier it will be to determine where walleye are likely to be.  One of the best resources for identifying likely walleye hangouts is a topographical map, which reveals hidden features in a body of water.  Although you can discover some of the same information with a depthfinder, you can easily miss key features or misinterpret what you see on the screen. 

Topographical maps, combined with accurate information on walleye habits and tendencies, should help you find some prime fishing spots, or at least a handful of places to investigate with your depthfinder.  For example, you may suspect that, given the time of year and conditions, walleye will probably be in deep water, holding tight to sunken islands or other structure.  While trolling vast tracts of water with crankbaits, watching for abnormalitites, is one way to locate structure that attracts walleye, a topographical map can help you get a better idea of the layout of this structure, and potentially discover something about it that would be difficult to find by cruising over with your depthfinder. You can then vertical jig or backtroll with jigs to concentrate on the best features a structure has to offer. 

At other times of the year, you might feel that walleye are likely to be found close to points that run out into the lake.  If this is the case, you might be able to use your topographical map to locate a few points that coincide with other natural walleye attractants, such as the mouth of a feeder stream, or a bend in the lake’s main channel. 

Once you arrive on the scene, already having identified likely areas, you can investigate further in person, using your depthfinder, or pole.  Although all suspected spots may not produce, if you can identify several likely walleye holes, you are sure to find and catch at least a few fish, regardless of the time of year. 

After you locate the walleye, the next step is to figure out what you need to do to get those walleye in the boat.  The scenario and location of the walleye will determine what techniques are most realistic to use.  However, finding walleye and getting a hook in front of them is half the battle.  After that, you must use your walleye knowledge pick lures and presentation styles that will tempt walleye into biting.