The Minnesota Walleye Opener is a well-established tradition. Year after year, families and friends head to their favorite walleye lakes, or maybe plan to fish a new lake—and there are thousands of options! Anticipation is high for May 10, 2025. After the season closure on February 23, it’s finally time to catch walleyes again.

Days are getting longer, and the temperatures are mostly above freezing in northern Minnesota. With the sights and sounds of wave action, outboard motors and waterfowl fluttering around, there’s a lot going on right now. The cold, colorless decay of winter has turned to buds sprouting on trees, grass growing, and post-spawn walleyes.

Weather plays a big factor in walleye recuperation after the spawn. Cold fronts or water temperature drops may slow down the big females that lost a lot of body mass by dumping eggs. When water temperatures are in the low 40s to 50, they spawn. Most of the population will be done once the water reaches 50 degrees. Males linger near spawning sites, providing most of the opener walleye action. Mild weather and rising water temperatures spike the big females into feeding.

Another factor in post-spawn walleye recuperation: Spottail shiners start coming into the shallows to spawn when the water rises to the low 50s. Spawning on shallow sandbars with chara and other substrates happens in the mid-50s.

This is nature’s perfect plan to have shiners flood the shallows as the walleyes get their post-spawn feedbag on. And it’s a perfect time for anglers to hit the water.

Jig ‘em up

Using a leadhead jig is one of my favorite ways to fish walleyes. When anglers hear the words “jig” and “walleyes,” the first thing that comes to mind is the Northland short-shank Fire-Ball jig with a spottail shiner. Insert the hook point into a shiner’s mouth and out the top of its head with a short shank to hold the minnow tight to the jighead. If the walleyes are striking short, add a clip-on stinger hook to the bottom eyelet.

There are many to choose from, like Parrot, Parakeet, Rainbow and Gold. Consider water color and brightness of the day. Watch what happens when fishing with friends. Patterns and colors, as well as jigging cadence, emerge when one angler out-fishes others.

Jigging signals to a walleye that there is an injured shiner to be culled out of the school. Rip jigging with large sweeps creates angry hits from big walleyes during stable weather conditions. If a cold front comes through, deadsticking and dragging the jig with subtle hops would be better choices.

Tungsten jigs are very popular, and with good reason. Tungsten is 30 percent heavier than lead. I’m always amazed at how small a 1/8-ounce Tungsten Fire-Ball looks compared to a lead head. You can use a smaller-profile jig to achieve the same target depths. The Tungsten Fire-Ball is a huge success on windy days because it helps keep your line tight and sense bites.

Short shank vs. long shank

I get this question all the time: “Short- or long-shank jigs? Which do I prefer?” My answer is: I prefer the one that is perfect for the fishing situation.

The short-shank Tungsten Fire-Ball works fast for hooking on bait. Hook a shiner in the mouth, up and out the back of the head for aggressive jigging. Go through the mouth and up past the nostrils to have a live, swimming shiner to drag or jig with a light jigging cadence, or for use under a slip bobber.

Bro Pro Tip: When spring walleye fishing is tough, I fish a shiner under a slip, bobber, inserting a #4 red Gamakatsu octopus-style hook just below the dorsal of the minnow so it will swim freely. Add a split shot 10” above the hook. If you miss a walleye and it gets your minnow, try hooking your next minnow in the nose, or T-bone the minnow behind the neck without injuring the spine, with the point facing forward.

I use a long-shank, Tungsten Fire-Ball if I want to double-hook a shiner. This involves hooking the jig through the mouth and out the throat, turning the minnow and pushing the hook up through the back. Leave the tip of the hook buried when jigging in weeds, rocks or anything that will snag your hook. When fishing clean areas, push the hook slightly out through the skin for a better hookup. Wearing Fish Monkey Free Style Gloves protects my fingertips from dry, cracking skin caused by shiner slime and scales.

Walleyes grab the minnow and hold onto it. When we set the hook, the minnow is often pulled off the jig. Walleyes instinctively kill the minnow by squeezing down with their teeth. They don’t have crusher pads in their throats like bass, catfish or bluegills. So, when walleyes grab the minnow, pause for a second and then reel before you sweep the rod. Setting the hook with the reel causes the point of the hook to sink into a walleye’s bony mouth; then sweeping with the rod tip buries the barb of the hook. Quick hooksets on a walleye bite help bait shops sell more minnows!

I have watched walleyes in gin-clear waters swim behind my jig and grab it. Walleyes are not always fast biters and may follow it for a good distance. I have had to slow it down and even let it fall to the bottom. Once they pick it up and swim away with it, I reel and set the hook.

Visual hooksets

Water clarity is different on every lake. Some clear lakes have become even clearer in recent years, allowing anglers to see walleyes and sight-fish for them on calm days. If you can see the fish, they are able to see you, too, and it doesn’t take long for them to move away from your boat. I have seen large schools of fish chased completely out of area flats by too much boat traffic and walleye chasers.

Bro Pro Tip: When lakes are crowded and the fish are spooky, cover water with stealth by using Minn Kota drift mode. Set a path and cast downwind while using a downrod with MEGA Live 2 scanning. Quiet, controlled drifting through pods of fish will out-produce bearing down on a pressured school of walleyes.

Chasing fish and pitching jigs works for catching fish from a distance, but boats following closely and objects plunking into the water next to them kicks in their instinct to stay away. I use my Humminbird XPLORE with MEGA Live 2 to fan and see fish from 30 to 50 feet away. I then pitch past the fish with a jig and a shiner and swim it back through them. I watch the jig and the fish behind it. I can gauge their interest and pause or change cadence to get them interested enough to strike.

I use Humminbird Side Imaging every day when I’m cruising at low speeds, looking for a school of walleyes. Mark the fish and quietly set up upwind or downwind, pitching with a straight line just past the fish. I use my Ultrex trolling motor to slow down and see fish in stealth mode. My Minn Kota Talon anchors set up as deep as 15 feet deep, which covers most of the waters I fish in May and June. In heavy winds, I’m able to run or Spot-Lock my trolling motor all day using lithium batteries designed by Amped Outdoors.

Bro Pro Tip: On windy days, use a thin-diameter line to negate the effects of the wind. I use Sunline SX1 10-pound green braid, which has a .006-inch diameter. Then, using a back-to-back uni-knot, I add a 3- to 4-foot, 6- to 8-pound FC fluorocarbon leader to the jig, attached to the jig with a loop knot for better action. I switch from a 7-foot to a 6-foot St. Croix Legend Elite Medium-Power, Extra-Fast Action rod.

Drop it!

I’ve been dropshot fishing year-round. I like to use a Tungsten sinker at the bottom and then tie the hook on above at the distance the walleyes are off the bottom. (Check the internet for how to tie dropshot knots.) In spring, 15 to 24 inches often works to keep your shiner out of weeds or algae. Nose hook the shiner and use sinkers that are the same weight of the jigs you use, such as an 1/8-, 3/16-, or 1/4-ounce.

Pitch the dropshot past the fish. Then, with the line tight, slowly lift, hop and drag it in with a long pause. Wait for the rod to load up, reel down and sweep. If the walleyes steal your minnow, use a Gamakatsu light wire worm hook and double-hook the shiner like on the jig mentioned above. This will get the hook tip farther back in the body of the shiner.

Leeches and nightcrawlers are also staple baits for spring walleyes. I use them when I start seeing signs of midge flies emerging. This is also when the super-soft plastic comes alive. Northland Eye Candy Minnows or Jig Worms work well when walleye activity is higher, with or without scent.

I have seen snow and shoveled docks in May and have also seen 80-degree weather. I stay prepared by wearing an AFTCO Reaper hoodie every day and I keep a Barricade raincoat and bibs handy. Walleye activity changes daily, but you can’t catch walleyes at home or the office. No matter rain, snow or heat, carry on and get after walleyes!

Outdoor communicator Brian “Bro” Brosdahl lives in northern Minnesota and is a walleye guide in the Cass Lake, Leech Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish areas. Bro is a four-season fisherman and is especially known for his ice fishing knowledge and skills. For guide inquiries, contact: brosguideservice.com.