Minnesota fishing guide Brad Hawthorne shows you how to target weed walleyes depending on the type of weed cover the walleyes are in.
Weed Walleyes
There is a population of shallow water weed walleyes that often gets overlooked by anglers, because of the simple fact that most anglers aren’t confident in targeting them.
It’s one of those things where there is a multitude of different tactics and approaches you can take to catch these fish.
The first thing you want to identify is what kind of weeds your are fishing. Once you have determined what weeds you are fishing start by looking for any weed points that stick out along the break.
Any point or irregularity is going to hold walleyes. Other places that are going to hold walleyes are indents, pockets, or any depression. Any change in the weed line or weed bed is going to be a place of interest that is worth casting too.
Now when it comes to choosing the method of fishing for weed walleyes it all depends on the density or thickness of the weeds.
If you are fishing a long a dense weed line pulling a spinner rig across it is going to be your best option. You will be able to cover ground and fish will dart out of the weed cover and hit your bait.
If you are fishing in sparse weed cover rip jigging or snap jigging hair jigs is a great tactic to use. Fan casting crankbaits is another viable option.
Use baits that you can fish fast and move from patch to patch picking out fish.
If your fishing in heavy mill foil mats pitching drop shots and jigs in the holes of the mats is going to be your go to tactic. This type of scenario calls for you to slow down and really work your bait in each opening in the weed mat.
It all boils down to breaking down what types of weeds you are fishing, and then choosing the best method to target those walleye based on the thickness of the weeds.