Walleye bite correlation with reservoir releases

A while back, someone wrote on discussion board that the best walleye bite below reservoirs was very predictable day to day. This person said that the day to day rise or fall of the water level would dictate when the fish would put the feed bag on. Sounded like you could almost set your watch by this. Can anyone explain what the rule was as to when the bite would peak? Rising, dropping, post drop??

My cousin is an excellent river fly fisherman. He said the rule on trout is the bite is best when water levels are dropping or stable. Rising waters create more pressure similar to a high pressure system on the lake = tough bite.

Someone help me out here.

On southern trout rivers in Arkansas, like the White or Norfork, trout fishing improves almost immediately after the release of water thru the dams and stays strong until water levels are dropped again.

Food is flushed thru the gates (primarily shad, particularly late winter when winter-kills leave shad injured or dead) and the influx of water into the stream dislodges and disorients the existing food base making it easy pickings for the trout.

During my trips to Arkansas we learned to target the river nearby (there is a number to choose from) that was experiencing a water release and opted to ignore streams that weren’t seeing any significant amount of released water thru the dams. Once we learned this little trick from the locals our success rate skyrocketed.

I know the same approach works on in the dakotas on walleyes as well.

So, technically this would work for any predator species at any dam this takes place then?

I always take careful note of the time when bites are occuring and if there is a sudden increase or decrease in the flow – it is interesting to view the Corp information and see how it coresponds with the timing of the hottest tailwater bites I have experienced… I would hazard an educated guess that since this effect is buffered and “diluted” the farther one goes downstream – then the effect is decreased as one moves away from the tailwater areas. Now if I just had a laptop with me on the river – or control over the release – then I would really be on to something… Chuckles

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I would hazard an educated guess that since this effect is buffered and “diluted” the farther one goes downstream – then the effect is decreased as one moves away from the tailwater areas.Chuckles

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Chuckles,

Your educated guess is right on with what I experienced growing up in Ft. Pierre, SD which is situated right below the Oahe Dam on Lake Sharpe of the Missouri. If there was no “water running” then there was hardly a bite within a few miles of the dam. When the water was running, the bite would be good in those two miles below the dam. The flow amount did not seem to effect the bite further down stream.

The on/off bite was most evident when fishing at night right in the tailrace. You could just hammer the fish casting from shore when the water was running–walleyes, catfish, white bass, rainbow trout. As soon as the Corps shut things down for the evening, the bite would die instantly.

The knowledge of the release of water is very helpful info to have. On our trips to the MIssouri River in Chamberlain, we talk to the locals and find out what they are doing. Typically, in a hydrolectric situation, they will run more water through on Friday and Saturday to accomodate greater power needs, and you’ll find the fish more active as there is more current/food. On Sundays, when they close the dams, the fish more to predictable low-flow areas and while not as catchable, can still be had if you’re willing to adjust your location and possibly presentation. Just because “they were here yesterday”, doesn’t mean they’ll be in the same spot today, but they might be back tomorrow!

This is really good stuff. Thanks for all the replies.

So most of these responses are talking about tailrace situations. I could swear what I read a while back said it didn’t matter how far below the dam you go, the bite still correlated to the release of water…seems like it was just to a lesser degree. If you look at gage readings, the water level fluctuations decrease the farther you get from the release point. Here on the missouri below Sakakawea, it may vary per day 1.5-2 ft 15 miles below the dam and only 6″ 50mi below. It’s possible that the bite will correspond to the smaller water changes isn’t it, even though they’re quite small?

Thanks again for all the input!