Do walleye eat during the spawning run?

Yes, unevenly — which is precisely why pre-spawn concentrations are so vulnerable where fishing them is legal. Males feed fairly steadily through their weeks on and around the spawning grounds. Females are the uneven part: they feed during the staging period, taper off close to the act itself, and a spent female may eat little for days to weeks afterward while she recovers in nearby deep water. Spawning itself happens at night, and feeding, such as it is, happens in the usual low-light windows around it. Practical translation where seasons allow: expect numbers of aggressive males with the occasional heavy, egg-laden female early, and know that the giant that eats your jig in the staging area is exactly the fish the fishery can least afford to lose.

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