Nebraska Walleye Fishing Tips

Nebraska walleye fishing can be a rewarding activity. The following tips apply to places like Lake McConaughy, Sherman, and Merritt, which are popular destinations, but also have plenty of other waters to explore. Most of these lakes will produce dynamite fishing if you are willing to change your ways and deviate from tradition. One secret that will really help walleye fishing in the Corn Husker State is fishing the right lakes. In early spring, you’ll find it rewarding to fish in smaller, shallower, dreary lakes. These waters heat up very quickly and it is child’s play to catch these walleye. Throwing jigs for ripping rap or rocky shorelines is a favorite at this latitude.

Otherwise, you have some great tailwater areas to investigate. These are good areas to visit if you only have an hour or two to fish, as you will be fishing from the shore. Another great tactic for spring walleyes is launching stickbaits from the shore at night along the walls of riprap dams found in many Nebraska reservoirs. Keep your recovery slow and steady and work 10 feet to 1 foot from the riprap.

As the waters warm, we find that the larger lakes begin to produce fish as they become post-spawning. A big misconception with walleye says that fishing is difficult during post-spawning. This is simply not the case. Post-spawning walleyes will bite and the fishing will be very good as long as you look in the right areas and do the right things. Most anglers fish too deep or do not run a good open water trolling program for suspended walleye. Suspended walleye are very common in reservoirs with tarpon or crappies for the main forage base in Nebraska. White Bass often point you to good locations; you just need to make a couple of small adjustments to get the walleye. Use big baits like number 9 Shadraps and keep adjusting your depths deeper and deeper until you run out of targets. You are now in walleye territory.

With dog days, you’ll see that the largest reservoirs in the state will produce some good walleye fishing. Lake McConaughy is the place to be at nearly 35,000 acres. Once again, many anglers struggle because they fish in good spots, instead of catching fish. During the summer period walleye will be distributed horizontally and vertically in the water column. Trolling crankbaits in structure and especially in open water is an effective method of catching mid-summer walleye in the Big Mac. Fall fishing is productive again for most of the Nebraska walleye angling public, simply because more fish are doing the same thing, groups are formed and you get competition within a group of walleye for the bait. Traditionally, slab buckets at depths of 20 to 35 feet become the popular method. However, learning how to mark on the lead core line with extreme precision will really put the walleye in the boat when they dive. Another great option for fall walleye on Big Macs is to cast cranks on rocky spots in 4 to 8 feet of water. It is a multi-species method that produces quick action for whatever predator is feeding.