During the spawning cycle, the best fishing often occurs at night. Dave Csanda explains why.

Lakes, rivers and reservoirs throughout the walleye range host spring spawning activities when water temperatures are between 40 and 50 degrees. Below 40 degrees, pre-spawn walleyes are gathering near spawning sites, feeding on targets of opportunity while on the verge of spawning. Once water temperatures rise above 50 degrees, you can assume the spawn has concluded. And that walleyes will be in post-spawn transition, filtering out of spawning areas.

Ideally, anglers attempt to hit conditions just right, timing-wise, to get in on the tail end of great pre-spawn fishing, when the fish are theoretically still actively feeding prior to spawning. Once spawning begins in earnest, feeding takes a back seat to the fish broadcasting and fertilizing eggs across shallow, rocky bottom swept by current or waves. And bites become much tougher to come by. Or do they?

Perception vs. reality

Realistically, it’s very difficult to fish actual pre-spawn conditions on lakes or reservoirs that freeze during winter, because it may take only a week to 10 days after ice-out for the water to warm sufficiently for walleyes to begin spawning. In effect, pre-spawn is a very narrow window of time. If you don’t live nearby, and instead need to plan a fishing trip, instead of just going on the water after work or on the first open-water weekend, that elusive pre-spawn condition sort of slips away in a hurry.

Fishing at night around inflowing creek mouths, channels connecting two lakes, riprap, causeways, shallow rocky shorelines and reefs—all potential walleye spawning sites—may allow you to cast for fish that are still actively biting, rather than just hanging around, waiting to spawn.

The whole “pre-spawn feeding binge” concept actually originates on rivers, where walleyes progressively collect for months below dams, prior to spring spawning. Huge concentrations of fish in open-water conditions, where you can reach and catch them, are available for weeks, if not months, as the water temperature slowly warms. Thus, it’s a lot easier to get on pre-spawn walleyes on rivers, rather than on lakes and reservoirs.

Fishing the spawn

During pre-spawn (in states where fishing for walleyes is legal), you’d likely be casting jigs or crankbaits across the tops of shallow rocks swept by current, trying to pick off actively biting walleyes. You might be backtrolling along the first drop-off outside these areas, vertically fishing with a jig and minnow combo or a livebait rig tipped with a live minnow. The fish are still in a mood to respond—and they will. Up until the time that spawning begins in earnest, that is.

Suddenly, like the proverbial light switch being flipped, the bite goes south. It’s not that the fish won’t bite anymore. But they’re now laser-focused on spawning in the shallows at night, rather than eating.

The night bite is the right bite

Fishing under the cover of darkness doesn’t come naturally to most folks; man is a visual creature, and once your vision is substantially reduced, things usually don’t come easily.

The simplest plan is to longline troll a minnow-imitating, suspending crankbait like a Rapala Husky Jerk across shallow flats adjacent to rocky shorelines, or across the tops of shallow rock reefs. Using your electric trolling motor for stealth, troll the lure about 75 feet behind the boat. Occasionally pump your rod tip forward, pause, and then drop it back, creating a surge-pause in the lure’s motion to trigger a following fish to strike.

Or cast to rocky shorelines or across the tops of shallow reefs, using your trolling motor to maneuver within casting distance of the fish.

Jigheads dressed with 4-inch softbaits—generally fluke-tailed minnows or paddle-tail shad imitations—are also effective. The trick is to use a slow, steady, swimming retrieve at about mid-depth between the surface and the bottom.

If you’re on foot, along shore, you want to fish an area that draws fish to you, rather than having to walk or wade long distances to make fish contact. The mouths of incoming creeks or the narrows or channel between two lakes funnel current that draws walleyes to distinct spots. So do culverts in rock riprap, as opposed to walking/casting or longline trolling long sections of a riprap dam.

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