Walleye And The Flats

[Feathers and Fins]

One thing I learned about fishing years ago is catching fish is 80% Mental 10%luck and 10% of 100% of people catch 80% of the fish and 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. Ok you Math wizards figure that out lol. Anyway I always do a lot of research on a lake prior to fishing it and that research includes the fish in it. Use to be you had to go to the Library and scan through years of fishing reports in the old newspaper articles, but now we have the internet.

When I was tournament fishing the old paper reports would give me years worth of fishing logs in a few hours and then with a cross check of the weather for that week from the same paper you had a log worth millions of dollars. Hence the mental part of the game was being fulfilled. Then you just simply looked at the fishing days you had and compared it to the log you just made and you had a picture of what should be working. Next is understanding the lake itself, that is not hard to do with the vast array of maps available to people you could place the log you made with the structure on the map and eliminate 50% of unproductive water. Now you find the water temps for the target species which eliminates another 20% of the lake. Finally find the bait-fish and 10% more is removed to the 80% fish mark. Having confidence you have eliminated 80% will give you a mental edge to 100% so now you should be able to catch the fish.

When I moved to NWA this was the Formula I used as I have time tested it for years and it has never let me down. Taking apart Beaver Lakes Stripers and Bass wasn’t too hard using this formula. Recently I have been using it on the Walleye of the lake and having some success.

But onto the core of what I’m writing about (Walleye)! I fished for them before on vacation to more northern lakes and when I finally moved up here I made it goal to target them eventually. For the last year I have been doing my mental game researching and creating my cross-check guide. First is the research on the fish itself.

Interestingly the best article I read on the fish was from this forum and Phills article on them being at one time native to this region ( I always thought they were a introduced species ) Finding out they were a native was a bonus.

Beaver is challenge as most walleye fishing I had done is on much shallower lakes or ones with large areas of shallow water. Beaver as we all know tends to be deep and has more sudden drop offs than it anything. But she does have her flats and even better the structure of Beaver’s bottom is more like looking over the landscape of our country from years past. Think about it she has old farms and home steads and what lake has an amphitheater? You want to talk about a neat lake not only from the surface but from below, we have it in Beaver.

But with all that structure and habitat come a major challenge to locating her walleye on consistent bases. So I dissected the lake. First thing is to get a map of the lake and then take a picture of each section of that map in 6’’ grids so you can blow them up on a normal writing paper size. To do that I use Adobe Photshop. I then using Adobe color each depth contour a different color, this highlights key structure in a way you can imagine. Then next is to go out to the lake and use the down imager on the boat to mark key features (these can be as subtle as a rock on a flat that comes up merely 1’! Mark that on your map along with all other structure, use a range finder and mark three fixed points on shore so you know the exact distance to it from each point (gps is great but these are defined maps).

When you get home with it mark those on the adobe photshoped picture, finally print it out and laminate it. This wealth of knowledge will show you so much you never thought about or forgot about. The last thing I do is simply put it in a three ring binder to carry with me when I fish.

Of course you must know the habitats and feed of the targets species. We all know Walleye do not like light and We know how active they are around the full moon. I have talked about Stripers and the relationship to Shad they have, Walleye have that same relationship but more with bluegill I have learned over the years.

So when I started chasing them on Beaver only about 2 months ago I put the maps into action and the knowledge of the Walleyes likes of low light and the food source they want. I went looking for coves during the day that had large amounts of small bluegill and ones that had shad on it. I found 3 spots on the lake that fit these criteria. Then I started looking for the Flats!

Flats my friends are major feeding zones for all fish, I will never forget the first time I went for walleye the guide I was with told me we would be fishing flats but to trust him fish go to flats. I had to laugh as being from Florida and Flats fishing is a big past time down there I knew how productive they could be. So Taking all the knowledge I have learned or decoded I started targeting Beavers Walleye, You all have seen the pics I have posted. Days with heavy overcast or early and late low light hitting the Flats is productive and something anyone can do.

It takes a lot of time and effort to take apart a lake then to learn about the targeted species and even more to put it all together when you are dealing with a fish who doesn’t like light! There of course is other ways to fish for walleye and many lures and baits but I just wanted to touch on Flats fishing for them. Beaver has flats and in the right conditions they will pay off.

[wc1063]

Woh, Scott , slow down. I'm still try to figure out the bass, and you are moving onto the wally already!!!

[Guest]

Nice read,

there's a way to overlay topo quads onto google earth images.

I forgot the name of that service but its super helpful.

As a mapping specialist, I get access to lots of cool mapping software.

Why did I buy a down imaging unit? So, I could decode what the sonar was telling me for years.

I was in for a surprise. Money well spent.

I've never really thought about a rangefinder, but thats a dam good idea.

What kinda objects to you most use for triangulation? homes, ramps, bluffs???

I like the idea of plotting out your waypoints on an aerial photo or topo map and making a binder.

I keep a logbook that was written by Doug hannon, its old school and super simple.

Thanks for sharing your ideas, its a mental game especially at beaver,

Those bass seem to suffer from dementia. They forget where theyre supposed to be and what kinda fish they are.

Some days they hang out with stripers and the next with walleyes.

[rps]

The more often you post, the more I Iearn.

I read what you write carefully. I find what you say always agrees with what I have learned through observation, accident, and example. Your methodical approach to soution - fish in the boat -is inarguable.

Sometimes, however, we need an approach more similar to that from the old days of "Fishing Facts." => Location/Presentation/Reason explanaions. I find your conclusions soetimes leave me with a a "How did he get there?" feeling that would not exist in person.

In other wotrds, do not stop posting and teaching what you know and learn. Just remember, it is hard for the rest of us to process/keep up/ learn without a 1/2/3/4 explanation.

[rps]

In case my tone of voice was not clear, keep posting and explaining, but forgive us if we have a hard time keeping up.

[zarraspook]

F & F... You could be the LEAD instructor at the "FISHING UNIVERSITY"

Thanks for the fantastic information....

It great to be able to print out you information and read it again and again until it sinks-in .........................

[Feathers and Fins]

I've never really thought about a rangefinder, but thats a dam good idea.

What kinda objects to you most use for triangulation? homes, ramps, bluffs???

I try and find things that will not be moved, Large tree's Rocks houses ( Be sure its a solid foundation home) I one time used a mobile home not knowing it was one and when i went back a few months later it was gone! Also make user whatever you use is below the Corps line incase someone builds a house and clears the lot.

Randy the 1234 of it is I am naturally curious ( I know my mother hated the million "WHY" ""HOW COME"") I must have asked a million times. Then I look for anything possible to solve the problem so i get numerous equations and instead of disgarding any of them I use every last one of them to put togeather a solution. Thats why the Google Earth Map, Topo Map combined with Adobe to color shade an area then I go on to the on the water use and keep marking out the map. All things I think about get put on the map no matter how trivial they seem.

But I think my best advice to myself is ignore what all the tv shows tell you or the professionals. They seem to get locked into a mold of " this is how you have to do it" I dont like Molds I like to think outside the box and find the "Why;s and How comes" Dont worry we will get out togeather soon and you can pick my warped twisted mind apart lol.

To me there is no such thing as ELITE! I use to hear this all the time about venomous reptile keepers as being the elite ones! Horse hockey they were not anymore than those on pro fishing circuits are! The only differance is they put in the time and effort to needed to be better than others at what they do! The true Elite ones are not always the best winners or the most educated but the ones who can go outside the box and produce results and truthfully most of those guys and girls are the most humble people I have ever met and do it not for fame or fortune but the pleasure and relaxation they get from doing it.