In most places where walleyes are found, the fish spawn at night on shallow, rock/rubble swept by current, be it the flow of a river or creek, or windswept current created by waves. The rocky bottom can occur naturally, or be manmade, such as along riprap on dams and culverts. There are some exceptions, such as walleyes spawning on flooded marsh grass in the Wolf River in Wisconsin, or perhaps in flooded woodlands on the Mississippi. But in most cases, they’re oriented to shallow, hard bottoms early in the open-water season.

After spawning, anything goes. Factors like depth, bottom composition, emerging weed growth and flooded cover all come into play. But the overriding factor in all cases is food. Post-spawn walleyes begin shifting locales toward the easiest, most accessible forage available.

In walleye lakes, this typically occurs in the form of yellow perch or shiners, which have also begun moving shallow to spawn. Perch spawn on shallow weed growth, typically in bays, shortly after walleyes finish spawning. Shiners, meanwhile, tend to spawn on shallow sand flats. So, depending on which forage predominates, and where it is located, expect post-spawn walleyes, particularly females, to begin moving to these areas almost immediately after spawning. The closest areas that offer these forage opportunities become logical places to check early in the season.

If walleyes are blessed with substantial numbers of both yellow perch and shiners in the waters you’re fishing, expect them to dine on some of each. Some walleyes may roam shallow, sand flats near their rocky spawning sites to dine on shiners. Others may shift down the lake to weedy areas where perch are about to spawn. With both on the menu, it’s a smorgasbord of two forage sources and fishing patterns. Bon Appetit!

In some instances, particularly on larger reservoirs, shad or smelt may also be on the menu, or in fact be major forage sources. In that case, expect to find both forage species in coves early in the season. Work your way toward the back ends of coves, either trolling a crankbait or pitching a jig or crankbait to shore. In areas where suspended baitfish are concentrated, expect to find walleyes somewhere nearby.

In shallow, fertile, stocked lakes, some of these options aren’t available, or may be scarce. In this case, shallow minnows of assorted types are likely food sources early in the season, even if walleyes must scrounge to feed on them in the shallows. Once mayflies begin hatching out of the basin, walleyes may do a quick turnaround to the main basin to feed heavily on mayflies emerging from the mud bottom.

Exceptions? Sure. In the Western Basin of Lake Erie, hordes of walleyes suspend off the Port Clinton reefs, feeding on emerald shiners as they move out of the shallows. And in some deep natural lakes, at least a few big females drop deep to feed in the main basin on ciscoes, which don’t move shallow to spawn until fall.

Thus, walleye location after the spawn can vary by lake type, although a few general rules apply. The more sloping the spawning area, and/or the more cover available in the shallows, the slower fish tend to disperse. The faster the drop to deep water, the quicker that big fish tend to leave the area, although smaller males may linger for a while. In rivers, females congregated below dams for spawning quickly begin dispersing downriver after the spawn in search of forage opportunities. So, structural features can affect the speed of post-spawn dispersal.

In all cases, however, the fish’s attention quickly turns to eating again after the spawning process concludes. Your job is to evaluate what a lake or river offers at that time of the year. Most of the time, the major forage, and thus the walleyes, remain in shallower water than anglers realize; it’s warmer, offers more forage opportunities than deep water at this time of year, and often provides cover for security. Thus, don’t be in any hurry to start fishing deep right away, early in the season. Chances are that post-spawn walleyes remain shallower than you think.

If you enjoy walleye fishing, you’ll find plenty of helpful walleye fishing insight in every issue of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.