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Trolling is how most walleye are caught across open water, and the reason is simple arithmetic: it covers far more water than casting, at a known depth, with several baits in the water at once. The craft is in controlling where those baits run and being able to repeat it once a fish eats.
Speed is the first setting
Walleye trolling speed is usually discussed in a range from around 1 to 2.5 mph, and where you sit in that range depends mostly on water temperature and what the fish are doing.
| Conditions | Rough speed | Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| Cold water, early spring, late autumn | Slow end, around 1–1.5 mph | Subtle baits, tight actions |
| Warming water, active fish | Middle, around 1.5–2 mph | Standard crankbaits and jerkbaits |
| Warm summer water, scattered fish | Faster, 2–2.5 mph and up | Wider wobble, covering water to locate schools |
| Negative, pressured fish | Slow with speed changes | Vary speed constantly rather than holding one |
Two points that matter more than the numbers. First, measure speed over ground with GPS and be aware that current and wind mean your speed through the water can differ a great deal — a downwind pass and an upwind pass at the same GPS speed are two different presentations, which is one reason trolling into and with the wind produces different results.
Second, do not hold a perfectly constant speed. Gentle S-turns speed up the outside baits and slow the inside ones, and a surprising share of strikes come on that change. If you are getting hit consistently on one side of a turn, that is your speed telling you something.
Depth control: the part that actually catches fish
A crankbait trolled behind the boat runs deeper the more line you let out, up to a limit. That relationship is the core skill of trolling — line length is your depth dial.
- Line out. The primary control. Let out more line to go deeper, reel in to come up. Count passes of the line counter or use a line-counter reel so you can repeat it exactly.
- Line diameter. Thinner line cuts water better and runs deeper at the same length. Changing line changes every number you have memorised, so stay consistent.
- Bait choice. A deep-diving model does the work for you. Baits rated to troll around 27 ft, like the slender jerkbait in a universal pattern, reach depths a shallow bait cannot with any amount of line.
- Added weight. Snap weights, inline weights and leadcore let a shallower bait reach depth while keeping its action.
- Speed. Faster generally means slightly shallower on a diving bait, because of lift.
For shallower passes over flats and early-season fish, a Walleye Shallow keeps the bait in the top of the column; for ledges and basin fish, a Walleye Deep-Ledge gets down where they sit in summer.
Building a spread
The purpose of a spread is to test several depths and several patterns at once, then collapse onto whatever works.
- Start wide. Put out different baits at different line lengths — one shallow, one mid, one deep.
- Use planer boards to push lines out sideways. They spread the baits away from the boat’s wake, which matters in clear or shallow water where boat noise pushes fish aside.
- Record everything when a fish eats: line length, bait, colour, speed, depth of water, and board or flat line.
- Collapse the spread. Once two fish come on the same setup, change the other rods to match it.
- Re-run the exact line. Walleye school. If you catch one, turn and run the same track at the same speed and depth.
Pay attention to the fish’s position relative to the bait. Walleye feed upward far more readily than downward, so running baits slightly above the marks on the sonar beats running through them.
Reading the season
Spring. Fish are shallow and relating to warming water, often on flats and near river mouths. Troll slow, shallow, and tight to structure. Small baits.
Early summer. Fish pull to first breaks and points. Mid-depth trolling, moderate speed, boards to cover a band of depth across the break.
Midsummer. Open water and suspended fish. This is long-line and deep-diver season, faster speeds, bigger spreads, more water covered per hour.
Autumn. Bigger baits, slower speeds, fish grouped tightly on structure. Fewer bites, larger average size.
Low light is consistently productive — dawn, dusk and overcast days — and in clear lakes night trolling shallow can be excellent. A luminous jerkbait is worth having in the box for exactly those low-light passes.
Tackle that makes trolling easier
- Line-counter reels. Not a luxury. Without one you cannot reliably repeat the depth that just produced a fish.
- Soft trolling rods. A moderate action absorbs head shakes on treble hooks and prevents pulled hooks behind a moving boat.
- Planer boards for spreading lines and for getting baits away from the boat in shallow water.
- Rod holders set at consistent angles, so the geometry of your spread is repeatable.
- A notebook or phone note. The anglers who catch consistently are the ones who write down what worked and at what line length.
Common mistakes
- Trolling too fast in cold water. The most common error in spring and late autumn.
- Running every rod at the same depth. You learn nothing from a spread that tests one answer.
- Not checking baits. A bait fouled with weed or a bent lip tracks sideways and catches nothing. Pull and inspect regularly.
- Ignoring the sonar. If the marks are at 14 ft, running baits at 20 ft is wasted time.
- Failing to re-run a productive track. One fish usually means several.
Frequently asked questions
What speed should I troll for walleye?
Roughly 1–2.5 mph, slower in cold water and faster in warm. Vary it rather than holding one speed, and note the speed when a fish eats.
How much line should I let out?
However much puts the bait just above the fish. Use a line-counter reel so the answer is a number you can reproduce on the next pass.
Do I need planer boards?
Not to start, but they help a great deal in shallow or clear water by moving baits out of the boat’s path and letting you fish more lines without tangling.
Should the bait run above or below the fish?
Above. Walleye feed upward much more readily than downward, so a bait slightly over the marks outfishes one running through them.
Crankbaits or crawler harnesses?
Crankbaits cover water faster and suit active fish and cooler water; harnesses shine in warm water at slow speeds. Many anglers run both in the same spread and let the fish choose.
Why am I not getting bites despite marking fish?
Usually depth or speed. Adjust line length first so the bait sits just above them, then change speed, then change bait. Also check that your baits are clean and tracking straight.
Does trolling direction matter?
Yes. With and against wind or current gives different speed through the water even at identical GPS speed, and fish often prefer one direction on a given day.
How do I repeat a spot that produced?
Drop a waypoint the moment you hook up, note line length, speed and bait, then turn and run the same track with the same settings.