Andrew Martinsen's Walleye Fishing Secrets

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Andrew Martinsen's Walleye Fishing Update


Catching Walleyes in Timber and Brush

Finding the Biggest Catch

Walleyes are a very popular freshwater fish native to the northern part of the United States and most of Canada. Here, you will learn the best places to look for walleye and the best methods for catching them.

The best place to find walleye are in timber and brush near deep water. Walleye tend to rest in fallen trees, timber, and underwater brush in eddies, low-clarity water, slack pools, and off of banks with step drop-offs. These habitats are preferable so the walleye can move into the shallow water easily to find food and then dart back into deeper water with little to no effort.

The best time of year to fish is from early spring (the spawning period) to fall. You'll want to fish mostly in the springtime because the water will be high due to rain. But, as the seasons move to fall, water levels will drop, causing walleye to move to deeper water in search of shade and cover. Walleye will commonly look for food in the middle of the day, usually from mid-morning to late afternoon.

Look for calm, stable water to find walleye. Most anglers will try to sink their lures all the way to the bottom of the water body, but walleye sometimes suspend themselves for various reasons-water temperature changes and oxygen levels being the main two. Try keeping your lure one to two feet above the water bottom.

In water less than one foot of clarity, use brightly colored artificial lures so the walleye can spot them easily. Bright orange and greens work the best. In water with one to three feet of clarity, anglers should use live bait to attract their walleye. A spinner or other attention getter paired with live bait will yield the best results.

Be sure to keep your lures active to grab attention. Smaller walleye will quickly leap out of the timbers for food, but the biggest walleye will stay down in the thickest brush. You may risk losing lures to get the bigger catch, but it will be worth it.

You can build your own brush piles to lure walleye. Recommended places to build this habitat would be in channel intersections and bends, off of steep riverbanks, or even in deeper water right before a shallow water pocket.

These brush piles can be built by sinking hardwood trees into the water with leaves and smaller limbs removed, old Christmas trees. Some anglers even use old PVC pipe weighed down with cement. Whatever you do, please be sure to legally obtain timber for your brush pile! Cutting a tree down from the nearby woods is frowned upon. The best option is to find someone who is clearing a lot and ask them for one of the tees that have been cut.

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