How To Catch Walleye From Shore

When you think of walleye fishing, it’s pretty common to think of hopping in the boat, going out deep, and jigging, trolling stickbaits, or dragging crawler rigs along the bottom. However, one overlooked way to get your limit of these fish is to simply catch them from shore. But how do you do it effectively? Let’s find out.

The biggest issue when fishing for walleye from shore is the lack of mobility you have. You can only fish as far as you can cast, so finding the right place to fish from becomes priority number one.

While many anglers think of deep water when they think of walleye, it’s not uncommon to find them in shallow water as well. You just need to know what to look for and when to look. Most of the time that walleye push to shallow water, it’s because they’re looking to feed.

These feeding windows are usually during low light periods (early morning, late evening, all night long), when wind pushes baitfish towards shore, or seasonally revolving around the spawning season. You’ll want to pay attention to these times, as this is most likely when the fish are going to be coming to you.

While it’s important to know what is going to push the walleye up shallow and where they’ll be at, it’s equally important to identify the right areas to actually cast from. Points that extend out into the lake can act as natural funnels for walleye, making them one of the best places to cast from. Rocky shorelines are another key place, as these areas retain heat and provide a lot of habitat for baitfish that walleye are going to be actively feeding on.

Shoreline near transition zones is a good place to try for walleye too. Look for areas where it goes from sand to rock or weeds, with drops from 4 feet to 12 feet. These areas allow walleye to push up and feed, then head back down to their deeper water. Areas with current are good to try as well, with bridges, culverts, and inflows providing this kind of moving water.

If you’re fishing the rivers, try to find some eddies, seams, and current breaks. These areas are great as walleye are going to hold just outside of faster-moving current.

So we know where the walleye will be, and we know where we should be casting from, but which rigs are actually going to work best when shore fishing for walleye? Here are a few that you definitely need to keep in your tackle box when chasing walleye from the shore:

The first rig you need to try when fishing for walleye from shore is a slip bobber setup. With this, all you need is a slip bobber, a hook, or a walleye jig, and some bait. Set it up so that when you cast out, your jig is just a few feet off the bottom. For bait, you can use worms, minnows, or leeches. Artificial can work, but might not be as effective as live bait.

This setup is great when fishing specific cover like rock piles or drop-offs. You just need to cast it out to this cover and wait. Jigging isn’t necessary; just let the bait and the waves do the movement for you.

Another solid option to use is a walleye jig with soft plastic. You’ll want to use a jig in the 1/8 to 1/4 oz range, depending on how deep the water is. You’ll want to pair this with a soft plastic like a paddle tail swimbait, a worm, or a fluke.

When fishing with a jig and plastic, you’ll want to try a couple of different methods. The first is to just cast it out and drag it along the bottom back to you. The second is to mix in some lifts and drops to your retrieve. You want to fish this rig in 3 to 12 feet of water, while maintaining contact with the bottom as much as possible.

When the walleye are more actively feeding and aggressive, you might want to tie on a hardbait. These are best used during low-light periods and during windy days. When picking the right hardbait, it’s usually going to be a decision between a shallow diving crankbait or a shallow stickbait. Both of these baits are designed to be used in shallow water conditions, diving under the surface just far enough so they don’t get snagged on the bottom.

When using these lures, you want to cast them out far and do a slow and steady retrieve back to you. These baits are designed to provide all the action and vibration needed by just retrieving them. You can mix in the occasional pause to help trigger a strike, but don’t overdo it. To keep these baits in their ideal strike zone longer, you can try casting parallel to shore rather than straight out. This helps keep them in a consistent depth for a longer period of time.

One of the most tried and true walleye rigs, the live bait rig, is another great option for shore fishing. You can set up a standard split-shot rig with a nightcrawler or a minnow, or you can even do a bottom bouncer rig if you can cast out far enough. When fishing a live bait rig, you’re going to want to look for 10 or more feet of water. Cast out your rig and let it sink all the way to the bottom. Once it hits bottom, you can either leave it sitting there, or you can do a slow and steady retrieve back to you. These rigs are great to try on pressured fish who are starting to get wise to some of the other common methods out there.