Think of April and May on rivers, and spring runoff comes to mind. Fluctuating water levels. High-water time, especially close to dams. Walleyes set up in predictable locations. It's generally one of fastest bites of the season, unless Mother Nature throws a curveball.

This curveball across the Midwest right now is a dry year followed by an extremely dry winter. Lakes and rivers are already at low levels, and spring runoff doesn't look hopeful. Spring water levels will be low. Dams will be holding back the water instead of letting it through.

In some systems, this could mean levels from five feet below normal to the drastic changes we're seeing in North Dakota and South Dakota: 20 to 25 feet below normal. This requires a whole new mindset for fishing rivers in spring.

Tommy Skarlis, a Professional Walleye Trail Pro from Walker, Minnesota, has been successful when water levels are low. Skarlis looks for three things: current, even in low-water conditions, subtle current might be present; water movement, whether the level is going up of down; and structure close to the deepest water.

"Current determines where walleyes are going to feed and rest," Skarlis says. "Find the right flow that walleyes can use to do both." In other words, find current adjacent to deep-water resting areas.

As water levels drop, fish move to deeper pools. If the water is rising, they move out of deeper pools to nearby shallow feeding areas.

Skarlis looks for structures reaching into the deepest water--points, wing dams, and other current-obstructing structures. Drop-offs coming off structure into deep holes are important, too. The tail of a hole, where the water becomes shallow again, shouldn't be overlooked, either.

Skarlis sticks with presentations that have won tournaments. He says that a jig is the ultimate river tool during spring. Skarlis starts by fishing the main drop-off, vertically jigging the edge and following the current around the edge of the pool. He keeps his jig as vertical as possible, which is accomplished by drifting at current speed.

As the day warms, fish tend to move shallower to feed. Skarlis now goes to a three-way rig to fish the flats adjacent to the hole. He rigs the three-way swivel a couple ways. If the area is fairly snag-free, he uses a 5/8- to 1-ounce Fuzz-E-Grub jig as a sinker. To his leader, he affixes a #4 to #6 Aberdeen hook dressed with a Power Grub and tipped with livebait. If the area is snaggy, he uses a Lindy No-Snagg sinker and a Power Bait-livebait combo or a shallow-running crankbait. Skarlis trolls upstream through the shallow feeding flats. If the flat is snaggy, he uses Berkley IronSilk line for increased abrasion resistance.

Find current, structure, and rising or falling water in one location, and the walleyes are bound to be nearby.