Edges and the Walleye Zone

Timeless Fishing Principles, Timely Updates

The structure fishing concept introduced in the 1950s by angling pioneer Buck Perry laid the groundwork for understanding fish location and behavior in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. In a nutshell, Perry surmised that all fish tend to relate to changes in the bottom. Drop-offs, timberlines, or weededges—visible changes due to cover or variation in depth—were called breaklines, since they formed edges or transition zones in the environment. Individual distinct changes along a breakline—like a point, turn, rockpile, weed clump—were labeled breaks, or interruptions along the otherwise consistent edge. Breaks on a breakline concentrate fish, providing some of the best fishing opportunities in any body of water.

Structure fishing theory has survived forty years of change, but not without evolution. While it provides much of our foundation knowledge, we’ve bolstered and expanded that foundation considerably. Several myths or misconceptions need clarification.

First and foremost, edges by themselves do not attract fish. Edges in the proper environment do. Just because a long point or hump exists doesn’t mean fish will use it. It must provide the right combination of cover, food, and feeding opportunities to attract baitfish and gamefish.

Such spots might produce seasonally, becoming a wasteland at other times. For example, a deep hump might be a great walleye attractor in fall, but during spring spawning season when walleyes are shallow, it lacks the proper characteristics to draw fish. Once fish are in an area, however, Perry’s edicts about breaks and breaklines still apply.

Want proof that edges aren’t the only key to catching walleyes? How about all the conditions where walleyes use flats lacking distinctive edges? The very idea upsets some hardcore structure-fishing devotees. They find it easier to believe that a walleye would suspend in open water, rather than inhabit a flat far from a discernible edge. But it happens.

For example, when favorable conditions occur on shallow flats, like weedgrowth or timber, roving baitfish schools, walleye spawning areas, or dingy wind-tossed water, walleyes may take advantage of them. Fancasting or longline trolling may be more productive in these conditions than fishing precise drop-off edges. Do whatever it takes to catch fish. If edges don’t exist, remember walleyes adapt to conditions, and so should you.

Another of Perry’s early theories doesn’t necessarily stand up to forty years of science and observation, however. Initially, to explain why fish appeared to be present and feeding, at times, and apparently absent from productive structures at other times, he postulated that active fish move shallower to feed on structure, dropping down into a nebulous deep-water sanctuary when they become inactive. They could be encountered under favorable conditions on predictable spots, and the rest of the time they’re more or less lost in space.

Modern advancements in electronics, tracking studies, and our ability to fish and interpret all lake zones from deep to shallow have largely destroyed the sanctuary concept. We now know that while fish may indeed move up and down on structure, to some degree, they tend to move laterally, maintaining a more or less consistent depth. And fish—even walleyes—may be residents of limited areas for long periods if conditions are favorable. For example, inactive fish may penetrate a weedbed, moving out to the edges to feed when they become active.