Spring walleye

Had a day off work and been watching spring walleye fishing videos. needless to say I am ready to get the boat ready!just started fishing walleye when I got a new boat about a year or so ago. Been fishing the river a while but only now feel comfortable going out this early with a reliable boat. Any tips of areas to target? I usually fish about middle of pool 14. Should I head upstream closers to dam area. Techniques? vertical jigging, trolling upstream/ down, pitching. The water is getting high down here so any info on how that will affect things would be appreciated.

Keep in mind that the walleyes are fairly lethargic til the water warms a bit. One of my favorite rigs is a Dubuque rig fished as in dragged REALLY REALLY SLOW. After I know I’m on bottom with my bell sinker it might take me a full 1-1.5 minutes to raise the rod far enough that I couldn’t set the hook. A floating jig head in chartruse or pink have been my go to colors tipped with a fathead minnow. And for some reason it seems like sauger prefer hot pink. If I want to jig I go with the lightest weight that I can tickle the bottom every so often and tip it with a fat head minnow. This time of year start with bright colors cause your fishin stained water on a river. I could go on and on for plastics etc. but I am not here to write a book, just a few tidbits for you to ponder as I’ve fished the “sip” for over 45 years now. Hope this helps and go get em.

there are fish down your way. look for deeper water in slack pools. and vertical jig them. early on when you get a warmer day if there are any flats near those spots, you’ll find fish and usually a lot nicer fish. you get the benefit of the excelon plant pumping out warm water too.

Ok thanks for the info! I am off to buy some new batteries for the Trolling motor and I’ll be ready to go. Hnd where does the excelon pump water out is it in front of the facility? I usually fish from around there up to the upper end of beaver channel.

Been fishing that pool for alot of years. mostly at L&D 13 and down river wingdams. Used to believe that you had to use minnows or crawlers to catch walleyes. that was the old days. I rarely take live bait at all. it’s all plastics and hardbaits now. Mostly plastics. Ringworms and swimbaits. Even when the water is cold in the 30 – 40 degree range, they just inhale those things. Problem most people have is when these are rigged on a jig head, people try to fish it like a jig n minnow. Sure they catch some fish, but the walleyes don’t want that bait up n down, they want it horizontally. Almost like a 3-way. Pick it up about 3 or 4 inches off the bottom n just glide it along. drop it back every so often to make sure you are close enough to the bottom and then pick it up n glide it. Samething when you are casting it. Swimbaits seem to be better when the water is cold.