A normal season with ice. When the ice is finally gone in the spring. The guys who like to troll, getting to be more and more of them. Slow trolling lipped long stickbaits at a slow speed, under 1.5 usually. Prespawn walleye stage in the deeper water off the reefs, some suspended and some near the bottom.Sometimes you get some of the big females that wait for warmer water of the spawn during this troll time very early season. As the water warms near the shallow reefs and along the shore the males move in to get ready for the girls to come and lay eggs in the rocky areas.Once the water hits the high 30's this shallow water action gets going and the low 40's thru 50 degrees is the peak. Jigging early with minnows along the shallows and up on top of the reefs in the early stages through most of the spawn. Late April and early May we use plain jigs and follow the fish as they start to move out to the deeper water and the large reefs along the deep water and the first shelf break. Mid May brings sometimes has a lull stage for a week or so the the worm bite starts.
During the spawn the walleye go into the main large rivers and all the rocky shore and every shallow reef area. The rivers is all jigging with some DRN rules apply to fishing times and methods in the rivers during spring.