Walleye Under the Lights, Walleye

FISHING in the hot summer months for the elusive Walleye and Catfish can be a
frustrating experience. The extreme heat can push them into deeper water making them
hard to locate. But don't give up yet. If you’re looking for a different kind of fishing this
summer and don't mind cleaning a mess of fish, try fishing under the lights. Walleye and
Cat fishermen everywhere are finding they can beat the heat, wind, and water skiers, plus
have some of the most productive fishing they have ever experienced, by fishing under the
lights after the sun goes down.

While other game fish will suspend directly under the lights, Walleye and Cats are more
skittish of the light and tend to stay on the outer fringes of the light circle. But make no
mistake about one thing, light skittish or not, walleye and cats are still attracted to the bait
fish that surround the lights above. The key to catching Walleye and Cats under the light
is to fish the outer perimeters of the light as well as directly under the light. Walleye and
Cats will normally stay on the outer fringes of the light and will sweep the bottom under the
light every 10 to 15 minutes looking for bait fish that have been injured by other game fish.
Therefore, it's important to fish the entire area in and around the light circle.

The easiest method of covering the entire light circle is to fish with two poles. Everyone
has their preferred method of fishing for Walleye and Cats and the types of bait you use is
an individual choice. Our preferred choice is the floating jig head tipped with either a
minnow or night crawler. One pole should be set directly in the light with the baited jig
head floating just off the bottom, another pole can be used to reach the outer edges of the
light. Simply cast a floating jig head tipped with a night crawler or minnow to the outer
perimeter of the light and slowly reel the bait towards the light covering the outer dark
edges as well as the area directly in the light. Most bites will occur at the transition point
from light to dark water. The jig head should be set to float just off the bottom.

The key to catching Walleye and Cats during the day or during the night is setting up in an
area where the fish are. Fish ALWAYS relate to structure of some kind. This can be a
drop off adjacent to a river channel, submerged brush or a pile of rocks. Fish are
ALWAYS found near some type of structure no matter what time of year it is. If you aren't
fishing on or near some type of structure your chances of catching fish are greatly
reduced. Remember, 10% of the water holds 100% of the fish. The rest of the lake is
dead water for fishing. So always set up in an area that has good structure and different
depths of water for the fish to forage in. Attracting bait fish is a MUST! If the bait fish do
not show up in the first 30 minutes after setting your lights, move to another spot. Just
because they weren't at one spot doesn't mean they won't be at another spot further down
the lake.

Fishing under the lights has become one of the most popular methods of catching all types
of fish from boats, docks and thru the ice. Not only is the fishing fast and furious under the
lights, but fishing after the sun goes down lets the angler experience nature at its best.

Which color of light to use can vary on a nightly basis, so if you're not attracting a good
number of baitfish with one color, change to another color. Most of the time though, white
light and green light are the best colors to use in fresh water and blue light works well in
deep clear salt water. The key to attracting any species of game fish is attracting the
baitfish. Once the baitfish come to the light, the game fish will be close behind. You don't
need a large number of bait fish, but you do need some, so if you're not attracting baitfish
where you are, move to another location.

We recommend using two AquaStar lights for walleye fishing. Start by using one white light
and one green light to see which color attracts the most baitfish. You can then switch both
lights to the color that is attracting the most fish. For more information on colors of light
see "Color Matters"

Tom Payne

Walleye & Cats
Under the Lights