Some of the pro walleye anglers like to head about five to ten miles downstream were they find the walleye that have not even made it up to the spawning waters yet. This is true because not all walleye spawn at the same time nor do they always spawn in the same place as other walleye.

If you find a river area that has rock structures, springs, and rubble flats or has a deep transition shoreline, you are going to find some good walleye fishing. In order to find the perfect place on a river to fish for walleye, you need to look for the area that has something that is characteristic of the walleye. Sandbars, a ledge or current break are habitats for the spring walleye. Do not try to fish a big area, fish sections at a time. If you start out big, you will lose the best spot and maybe the big walleye.

Another good tip for fishing the deeper rivers is that when the walleye are trying to fight the current upstream, they sometimes take rest in the deep holes underwater. Here you can use a heavier weight with a three-way swivel and a crankbait to drop into the deep holes where the walleye are staging. You will find the more walleye on their way upstream will be found in these areas if you are not finding them in the other areas of the river. The current in these staging holes is slower than that of the top water current.

Every river you fish is going to be different as well. You might fish with a crankbait in one river and find out that another river you are going to need a jig with a small minnow. The size of the minnow is going to depend on the time of year you fish the walleye. Before spawning, a tiny minnow is best, but after spawning when they are replenishing their food intake, you can start using bigger minnows. Right before winter, a larger minnow works because the walleye are gorging for the winter months and are going for the bigger baits.

If you find that the weather is slightly colder on a given day, you might want to give up the lake fishing and head to the river. Walleye will stay on the river side if the temperature cools down. The river water temperatures are slightly higher at this time and the walleye move around more in the river water than they do in the colder water. If you find some weed beds, you want to try using a tub bait, which will allow you to fish the weeds for the walleye. Using a three-sixteenths to a half ounce jigs works the best for this in the river.