Dams host the majority of river walleye angling, particularly in late winter and early spring. Fish migrating toward spawning areas stack up in massive proportions in the first mile or so of impenetrable barriers.
Most anglers fish dams during low to mid water levels, when walleyes congregate in easy-to-locate, easy-to-fish locations in the main channel. The edges or basins of holes, large slow eddies, tips or sides of wing dams, bridge abutments, and riprap railroad grades all hold fish at times, depending on water level and current.
A trained eye often is more valuable than a depthfinder. Look at the surface of the river. Telltale lines, indicating edges where slack water and moving water meet, betray walleye location. Fish stack up along edges, facing upstream, waiting to dash out and pounce on a meal. Vertically jig a bladebait, jig, or jigging spoon. Or drift or hover a three-way rig along the fast-slow edge.
During low water, lack of current may allow walleyes to spread across the basin of the river. Small dips and rolls hold fish. Scan the basin with your depthfinder, looking for subtle irregularities. Then drift across them.
During high water typical of spring floods, coinciding with walleye spawning, walleyes often penetrate flooded shallows, spawning or taking up positions in and around brush, rock, or other current-deflecting objects. It’s a better habitat option for them than attempting to fight roaring current in the main channel. Baitfish and walleyes simply shift location to adjacent areas offering a favorable combination of depth and current.
Walleyes within the immediate tailwaters area and those dispersing downstream after spawning often relate to the shallows until the water level drops, forcing them back into locations in the main channel. A good river angler must therefore be prepared to fish a variety of locations and presentations, according to water level, depth, current, and cover conditions.
The best walleye rivers tend to be rather large and support naturally-reproducing populations. Yet many of the same tailwater tactics and principles also apply to smaller rivers in farm country states like Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Winter and spring concentrations below dams provide some of the best fishing opportunities in these areas, especially for anglers fishing from shore.
The rest of the year, fish disperse downstream and may not be concentrated in any particular section in strong numbers, yet the basic principles apply—react to current and depth, and select presentations appropriate to the conditions. In many instances, anglers need look no farther than jigs, three-way rigs, bladebaits, or jigging spoons for fishing tailwater walleyes. These three basic tactics cover most deep-water river situations, under a variety of current conditions.
Jigs
Jigs are the most versatile of all river techniques. They can be fished in every condition from the shallowest flooded cover to the deepest, fastest current, if the proper head design and weight is selected.
Most river fishing with jigs involves slipping slowly downstream with the current, using a subtle lift-drop-pause of the rod tip to impart a 3- to 6-inch rise-fall to the jig. Round or oblong heads ranging from 1/8 to 1/2 ounce cover most conditions. Colors range from fluorescent orange and chartreuse for dingy water, to subtle whites or blacks for clearer flows.
