By targeting the deep slow moving water near shallow feeding flats we put ourselves on large numbers of feeding walleye during daylight hours.

The adjacent to shallow water is key, as walleye will move up into the shallows to feed on bait fish at night, and like to position themselves close to their nightly food source.

Walleye will use these areas to ambush whatever can fit in their mouth.Īs a general rule of thumb for most of the areas below dams that we fish in the spring and early summer we are looking for water 20-50 feet deep in areas with very little current, or just out of the main flow, adjacent to shallow water. Large points, islands, inside bends, rip rap, and other natural structures can create these current breaks. What we do is locate the areas of the river that are moving slower than the main flow and concentrate our efforts there. Walleye are not particularly strong swimmers and so they gravitate to the slower moving parts of the river. During this outmigration period there is often a lot of current in the Columbia. Walleye take every advantage of this and position themselves to make the most of these easy meals. The Columbia River is a literal conveyor belt of food for foraging walleye and positioning yourself in the correct locations can make or break your trip.ĭuring the spring and summer there are millions of out migrating juvenile salmon, steelhead, and shad making the downstream migration to the ocean. Walleye are an ultra-predator and they will always position themselves in the best possible locations to find food. It goes without saying that you need to “find fish to catch fish,” and when it comes to a beginner staring at the mighty Columbia River it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Catching good numbers of 14 – 20 inch Walleye on the Columbia River is easy, and with a little knowledge under your belt, you too will be putting lots of these tasty buggers in the boat. This is not an end all be all on Columbia River Walleye, just a simple article to get people catching fish fast. The point of this article is to be a starting point for people looking to take advantage of this great fishery. The Columbia River is known, not only as a possible location for the next World Record Walleye, but also as a great place to catch unbelievable numbers of great eating size fish. Anglers come from all around to target Walleye in the mighty Columbia River. The Columbia River in Washington State and Oregon is one of the premier destination walleye fisheries in the United States.

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