Walleye Habitat, Feeding Tendencies and Seasonal Movements

Walleye are one of the most sought after game fish in North America. They are prized for their elusiveness and valued for their taste. Fishing for walleye's is hard for some people because walleye's are often found in relatively deeper water. The keys to catching them are understanding their habitat, feeding tendencies and seasonal movements.

Walleye's have very sensitive eyes that give them a great advantage as predators in low light situations. However, since their eyes are so sensitive they tend to inhabit somewhat deeper water. Normally walleye's are found in depths ranging from 15-30 feet. They will come shallower at nighttime but during the day they tend to stay deeper. Normally walleye's will often associate with the bottom of the lake or river. So fishing should be done in the proper depths near the bottom.

Walleye's are voracious predators. While they mainly feed on other fishes, they are very opportunistic feeders. They will also feed on aquatic insects, crayfish and worms. In river systems they are more opportunistic feeders, they will wait for food to come to them. However, many times they will act like lake fish and become active predators. Walleye's in lakes often key in on the most prevalent baitfish in the lake. They will actively seek the baitfish out and normally they will be most active at night. So a good understanding of a lake's baitfish population will increase your odds of catching fish.

Finally understanding a walleye's seasonal movements will increase your success. During the majority of the year walleye's are found around deep-water structure and sharp drop offs. They will come shallower at nighttime to feed, but then normally return to deeper water during the day. In early spring the walleye get the urge to spawn. The fish will congregate around stream mouths. In river systems they usually stage at the mouths of tributaries before they run the stream to spawn. The fish feed aggressively both before and after they spawn. Fishing a good spawning stream during their pre-spawn feeding often leads to catching very large fish. Remember, it is important not to keep fish during the pre-spawn to ensure good populations of fish for the following years.

Understanding the habits of walleye's will only lead to a higher catch rate. Study the body of water you are planning to fish and you should be able to locate likely holding areas for walleye's. Now you just need to understand proper fishing techniques. Be sure to read my article on how to fish for walleye's to understand the best fishing techniques for walleye's.