Night time walleye tips?

[BenimusPrime]

I just recently bought a cabin on a lake in central Minnesota and have discovered the wind never seems to let up on this lake in daylight. But I'm also a night owl and after dark things calm down a lot so I figure trying at night fishing may be the way to go.

Looking for any tips on locations, gear, or presentations I should try. Should I fish the top of that 15 ft rock hump and just park on it with slip bobbers? Do I cast lipless cranks or paddle-tail swimbaits drifting over the 8 ft weed flat? etc.

 

[Bhoesl]

From my experience, it seems to depend on the particular lake. Some lakes they bite well at night, others they seem to completely shut off. Not sure why…. If your lake does have a “night bite”, I wouldn’t be afraid to try shallower than you might expect.

 

[Pagosa]

Ive caught them right at dusk casting crankbaits like husky jerks along rocky shore lines, esp if there is wind hitting the shore. Ive recently been fishing with ned rigs and seem to work really well on smallies, and heard they work well on walleye too. I dont have any experience with walleye in MN.

 

[duckhunt]

Haven't done it for awhile but used to get em right up against rockey shore lines on the Mississippi river right at sundown.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

I've heard that you can locate them by shining a light into the water looking for the glow from their eyes.

 

[BenimusPrime]

Ive caught them right at dusk casting crankbaits like husky jerks along rocky shore lines, esp if there is wind hitting the shore. Ive recently been fishing with ned rigs and seem to work really well on smallies, and heard they work well on walleye too. I dont have any experience with walleye in MN.

Well, I do like trolling husky jerks, but that has pulled up nothing but pike so far on this lake.

 

[R.K.]

Should I fish the top of that 15 ft rock hump and just park on it with slip bobbers?

If you like beer with your fish fry, yes. In the summer and fall, especially. Big leeches, big minnows, or a crawler. Don’t be afraid to fish 3’ off the bottom, as well.

Otherwise, rocky shores and points with depth nearby, big stickbaits and paddletails.

 

[Pagosa]

If you have a boat nothing beats bottom bounchers with a worm harness with slow death hook. Ive caught quite a few in the daytime with a floating firetiger (perch pattern) at a number 6 speed on the trolling motor. I think I usually was about 10-15 foot in depth with a 1 oz weight. Im not as experienced walleye fishermen.

 

[Gellar]

Look for a reef or a point in proximity to deeper water. Focus on areas the wind has been blowing from the deep side across the top of the reef. Start deeper at sunset and work your way in. Casting 1/8 oz jigs or shallow diving crankbaits might work. A slip bobber could work well too.

Also wind can be frustrating as hell, but a good Wally chop can help fishing. Work on your boat control. I like to point my bow into the wind and use the trolling motor to slow/control my drift. Be careful because if you lose focus you can get in a jam reel fast; whether that’s on top of the reef or just a tangled mess of fishing lines.

 

[BenimusPrime]

Also wind can be frustrating as hell, but a good Wally chop can help fishing. Work on your boat control. I like to point my bow into the wind and use the trolling motor to slow/control my drift. Be careful because if you lose focus you can get in a jam reel fast; whether that’s on top of the reef or just a tangled mess of fishing lines.

I do prefer trolling in some chop, but that stops at white caps and 10 mph wind in my book. When I say windy during the day, I mean 15-20 mph with gusts of 30. At least, those were the numbers for most of opening week. I'm also stuck with a pontoon currently, so that's gonna be twitchy even in lower wind, but you are right, I'll just have to get practice on that front.