When and where does the walleye pre-spawn happen?
It happens absurdly early by bass standards — under the last ice and in the first days after ice-out, as adults stage near the mouths of spawning rivers, below rapids and dams, and off windswept gravel shorelines, waiting for water to climb toward 6–10 °C (43–50 °F). Males arrive first and hang around; the big females slide in close to the event itself. Where the season is open — many jurisdictions, especially across Canada, close it exactly now to protect these concentrations — the staging areas just downstream or downslope of the spawning site, in 3–8 m (10–26 ft), hold the year's densest gatherings of large fish, best fished with slow jig-and-minnow presentations after dark. Check your regulations first; this is the most protected moment in the walleye's year, for good reason.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
Same topic, other species
- When and where do crappie stage before the spawn? — Crappie
- At what water temperature do largemouth start biting in spring? — Largemouth Bass
- Where are muskie before the spawn, right after ice-out? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- Where do perch stage before the spawn? — Yellow Perch
- Where are pike in the weeks before they spawn? — Northern Pike
- At what water temperature do smallmouth start feeding in spring? — Smallmouth Bass
- Where are trout right after ice-out? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)