Go With The Flow For Big River Walleye

We didn’t see any trout being caught, but thatdidn’t put us off in the least. We were there for the walleyes that thrive in the same clear, cool flows, and walleyes often work a school of baitfish to the surface. Instead of a fly I cast a jig tipped with a frozen minnow into the commotion.

- Wes David

Before the jig had dropped 3 feet under the surface, I felt a solid tug and set the hook. The telltale head shakes told me I was fighting a big walleye, and I worked the big fish out of the way as quickly as I could so my fishing partner could cast to the same water.

His rod also bowed under the weight of a heavy fish. Maybe 10 minutes after launching the boat, we were battling a doubleheader.

We went on to catch at least 30 walleyes that day, almost all within sight of other anglers casting flies for trout.

From sea to shining sea, American rivers support healthy walleye populations, and the variety of waterways that do this may surprise you. The Bow River, which flows through the province of Alberta, Canada, is a world-renowned trout fishery. Yet portions of its glacierfed flows teem with walleyes, especially true the farther east it flows. Same goes for the western-flowing Columbia River and its largest tributary, the Snake River. Both are world-renowned for salmon, trout, and sturgeon. Both also produce enormous walleyes, and on rivers like these, walleye anglers often have their favorite fish all to themselves.

In river current, you may need to spool heavier line than what you might use for the same size walleye in a lake. Savvy anglers typically opt for the lightest line they can get away with because walleyes can be line-shy. However, in a river, you will not only be fighting fish but also current, and the hooked fish seem to somehow know to use that to their advantage.

When river fishing for walleye, I rig two rods. One is spooled with 12-pound braid and the other with 14-pound braid.