Bay of Quinte Fishing

Night Fishing Walleye From Shore
By Tim Allard

In low-light and dark conditions walleye are ruthless and at their prime as predators. Evolution’s graced walleye with specialized eyes allowing them to see extremely well at night. Walleye will storm shallow-water areas in packs, snapping-up startled perch and minnows. The good news is that many of these areas are within casting distance from shore.

Top Shoreline Spots

Weed beds are excellent night fishing areas. The best locales are close to deep-water structures that walleye inhabit during the day. Retrieving baits perpendicular to weed edges will get the attention of marauding walleye. This includes outside and inside weedlines as well as the space between the top of weeds and the surface.

Structures jetting out into the water are also prime night-time fishing districts. Rocky points, bridges, marina break walls, and peers are four good areas. The other benefit is these places also tend to be accessible for shore-bound anglers.

Inflowing water is another consistent walleye attractor at night. This could be an incoming creek or where a culvert directs water flow beneath a road. These inputs create current seams. Walleye will hold in the slow-moving water.

Shallow-Runners are Deadly

Floating minnowbaits are the perfect lures for plying dark waters for walleye from shore. Their profile matches the predominant forage and the wobbling action helps walleye hone-in on and attack the lure.

Extremely shallow-running minnowbaits, such as a Rapala Jointed Minnow, excel at working the top of weeds. They’re also good for inside weedlines and extremely shallow water. Larger minnow baits between five to six inches are also good. They have a slightly deeper running depth. Use them for working over weeds, pulling over rock piles, or plying the edge of a current seam.

Get Down with Deep-Divers
I carry a range of deep-diving crankbaits to be prepared for shorelines near deep-water. It’s rare to want to achieve a bait’s maximum running depth from shore, rather the goal’s a slow and steady retrieve so the lure emits a throbbing cadence that’ll attract walleye. Good baits in this category include Rapala Minnow Raps, Storm Lures Deep Thunderstick, and Bomber Deep Long As.

The Advantages of Loud Colors
The majority of the baits I fish at night have bright paint. I’ve always been a fan of patterns featuring chartreuse (like firetiger or clown), but silvers, whites, and hot perch patterns are also good.

Another advantage to using baits with loud paint jobs is you can see them better than more natural patterns, which tend to dissolve into the black water. Using a headlamp and keeping a watchful eye you’ll often see the bait as it nears the shore. Seeing your lure helps you position it in productive areas, like beside a current break or a weedline, but it also lets you slow down the retrieve to avoid snags as the bait nears shore.

Presentation Particulars
The overall tactic when night-fishing walleye with hard-baits is to retrieve them relatively slow. A lazy cadence that emits plenty of vibrations helps walleye locate the lure in the dark. Long cast are also advantageous as they increase the amount of time a fish has to track down the bait on the retreive.

Tips on Tackle
Everything becomes more challenging in the dark so aim to keep things simple. This begins by opting for a spinning outfit. A spinning reel completely eliminates the possibility of having to deal with backlashes, which can happen with baitcast reels. Use a rod with a fast-action tip as it will allow you to fling baits a long distance. You’ll also improve your casting range by ensuring the reel’s full of line.

I connect the lure to the line with a snap. Using a slightly larger than average snap makes it easy to change baits, and I doubt walleye notice the extra hardware in the dark. Don’t skimp on snaps - part of the fun of night-fishing is the chance of hooking a trophy, something you’d hate to lose because of equipment failure. Lastly, ensure the hooks on your baits are sticky-sharp to boost hook-up rates as walleye don’t always have the best striking accuracy at night.

Night fishing from shore at night’s a great way to sneak in a few hours of fishing. Just be sure to pack bug repellant as mosquitos can be bad at times.