Secrets of River Walleye Fishing

There are many rivers all over the country. So, from the Mississippi to the Missouri, anglers are catching river walleye all the time. They just have to know where and when to look.

A successful angler, for example, knows that the best time to fish for river walleye is usually in the early fall. No matter how big or small the river is, walleye can almost always be found, easily, in the fall.

Fall is a great time for river walleye fishing because walleye become more aggressive. They are much more willing to strike at anything that moves. Good anglers use that aggressiveness to their advantage. That's one of the ways they manage to consistently catch big walleye.

Depending on the size of the river being fished, finding the walleye can seem like a daunting task, even to a seasoned angler. There are many places for walleye to hide in rivers. A good place that most experienced anglers start, when fishing for walleye in rivers, is at current breaks.

Usually, current breaks are caused by some sort of blockage of the water flow. Behind dams and bridge pylons are classic places that walleye love to hang out. Of course, there are also natural current break causes, like a bend in the river.

Also, sometimes walleye like to be in pools and back currents near river rapids. So, fisherman who focus on such areas are usually rewarded with a good catch.

Some fishermen successfully fish for walleye in the main channel of a river too. The problem with the main channel is that it can be a large area with no obvious signs of where the good fishing is.

To successfully fish a main channel, a fisherman may need to resort to using electronic devices.

Electronics that can be used for river walleye fishing include depth finders and GPS units. Depth finders can locate where the river changes depth. Current breaks that a person would not normally be able to see with their eyes can also be found.

Of course, then there's bait. A float with a worm or a minnow is excellent for river walleye fishing. Rapalas, Thundersticks and other bait that can be reeled, slowly, is also usually effective.

Any angler who doesn't want a lot of frustration and aggravation should avoid using jigs in rivers, though. Jigs get easily caught on all sorts of things, like weeds and rocks, that are all over most rivers. All the technology and knowledge in the world won't matter, if the bait is bad, after all.