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by Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz

Early summer patterns for walleyes vary from lake to lake, but one of the most productive and overlooked fish locations this time of year are the "flats". Often thought of as mid to late summer areas, walleyes migrate to the flats to feed and rebuild their strength following the rigors of spawning. That makes these fish very catchable, when approached in the right way.

Depending on the lake and the available forage, walleyes will be set up on one of two types of flats ... those that are shoreline related, and those in the open water basin. While each style of flat will harbor numbers of catchable fish, methods of fishing each have their differences. Let's cover both types of flats scenarios so that you can apply the techniques to your favorite body of water this season.

Shoreline Flats:
Where the shoreline gradually tapers out for a distance before dropping off abruptly is what's called a shoreline related flat. These are typically large areas spanning anywhere from a few hundred yards to possibly a 1/2 mile. They're slow-sloping structures with depths going from, say, 4 feet slowly tapering to 30 or 40 feet. It is important to note that walleyes will tend to key in on a specific depth on the flat ... sometimes up in the shallows, other times along the deep edge, or somewhere in between.

When fish are holding on this kind of structure it takes a presentation designed to cover water to effectively contact numbers of them. Trolling is the name of the game and spreading lures with the use of in-line boards like Off Shore Side Planers will aid you in cutting a considerable swath through the largest of flats. Two popular bait presentations will dominate ... bottom bouncer/spinner combinations and crankbaits.

The walleyes' attitude and location will determine which presentation will be the best. As you comb the flat watching your electronics for signs of fish, take notice whether they are tight to the bottom (showing up as "bumps" on the bottom) or if you are marking fish above the bottom (as "arcs" suspended in the water column). Fish that are tight to the bottom will require a slower, more enticing approach, making them perfect candidates for the bottom bouncer/spinner technique. Running the bouncers and spinners, dressed with juicy nightcrawlers, on trolling tackle with boards spreading the baits, troll the flat at 1/2 to 3/4 mph. To get these ultra-slow trolling speeds, it's important to use a "kicker" outboard like a Mercury 9.9 or 15 hp 4-stroke. This will give you the optimum speed and boat control to methodically cover a flat for bottom hugging walleyes.

When fish are marked off the bottom, it means they are more aggressive. This situation is ideal for crankbaits. Keep in mind that water temperatures are still on the cool side, so your choice of lures will be those that would be considered "moderate action" baits like Storm's new ThunderCrank, Deep Jr. ThunderSticks or Rapala Shad Raps. Again, trolling rods like Bass Pro Shops Walleye Angler Signature Series models WA76T-T (7'6" Trolling) and WA86T-T (8'6" Trolling) teamed with line-counter reels, 10 pound line (Berkley Trilene Premium Strength mono or FireLine) and Off Shore boards will allow you to broaden your trolling pattern to cover water efficiently. This is not a "speed trolling" situation either, although you do want to run a little faster than with bouncers and spinners. Set the kicker engine to run at 1 to 1.5 mph, just fast enough to get the lures wiggling and diving.

Open Water Flats:
The second type of "flats" are those found in the main lake basin. It may surprise you how many lakes harbor strong populations of walleyes that inhabit these open waters. This is not strictly a "Great Lakes" location factor, but can be found on many large natural lakes and reservoirs. Lure choices are much the same as with the shoreline flats, with some important modifications when it comes to fishing spinners.

Since snags are not a problem on out in the basin, Open Water spinners are tied with two treble hooks in place of regular bait hooks. Also, larger blades are used, with size #6 and #5 being the most popular. Bright, shiny blades are also an advantage giving off more flash. The key is to draw the fish in with flash and vibration, so the bigger, brighter blades do a much better job.

Another difference with open water spinners is the weighting system used to get them down to the fish zone. Because you may be targeting fish anywhere in the water column, a more versatile system is needed than bottom bouncers. Off Shore Tackle Snap Weights clip on to the line ahead of the spinner to take them down. If you are marking fish on the bottom, snap a 3 ounce weight on about ten feet ahead of the spinner. This gives you precise control of the spinner allowing you to run it just off the bottom. In the case where you locate walleyes suspended, let out a 50 to 100 foot lead to the spinner before attaching the Snap Weight. Although these fish are active, they can be very spooky. The long lead cuts down the "spooking factor" the weight can cause.

Moderate action crankbaits are also very effective for open water walleyes. With a few days of stable weather, crankbaits can shine as the #1 lure choice. The same lures as we mentioned earlier will work great.

As is often the case this time of year, cold fronts abound. This will often drive these walleyes straight down to the bottom, and again, spinners will be the best lure choice.

Productive flats fishing for walleyes begins earlier than most anglers would believe. There's no reason to wait for the heat of summer to warm things up ... now's the time to seek out, spread out, and snag those scattered early summer walleyes.