Walleye
April thru November
Spawn– Beginning late March or
early April, the spawning exodus starts and continues for 2 to 3 weeks. With
only about 10%– percent of the walleye run up the Maumee and Sandusky rivers,
the rest spawn on the reef complex and need shore areas in Lake Erie Western
Basin. Making this period is an excellent time for jig fishing and producing
many nice catches.
Post-spawn- About Mid April, heavy
weight, female walleye start to move out of the reefs into deep water and stay
near the bottom. After a few days of recuperation, they then move
higher in the
water column, and begin feeding in earnest. This is when slow trolling crank
baits and spinners can produce phenomenal catches of big trophy fish.
Late spring/summer- From about mid May a walleye’s
entire existence centers on feeding in the open waters of the western and
central basin. Now with the weather finally becoming stable. A trolling
presentation of spoons and crank baits produce many outstanding limit catches of
walleye throughout the summer
Fall– With many trophy walleye returning from their
eastward migration to the area north of Huron, they begin to feed very actively
in preparation for the winter months. From mid
September through November
trolling methods have yielded the most consistent catches of trophy walleye of
the year.