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Expert tips for catching walleyes on WINDY days 
Outdoor Canada contributor Mike Hungle’s full write-up explains how to make the most of 6 common windy-day scenarios.
1. Troll the chop
> If there’s one windy situation most anglers know, it’s the so-called walleye chop. This occurs when there’s a moderate wind making the surface of the lake choppy, but not quite so rough that whitecaps form. A walleye chop does two things: it stirs up the water, and it scatters the light passing through the surface, which diminishes underwater visibility. This combination quickly starts a feeding cycle. Small aquatic creatures will prey on plankton and debris moving in the water, minnows will feed on those small aquatic creatures and swarms of ol’ marble eyes will move in to gobble up the minnows.
> Under such moderately windy conditions, your boat will rock a bit, but you should still be able to control your speed and direction. That makes a walleye chop great for pulling spinner rigs or crankbaits over large stretches of the lake to find hungry walleye.
> Prime areas to target include shallow water, underwater structures, shoreline flats and weed beds. Once you find the fish, you can continue trolling back and forth over the productive area, or simply anchor in place and jig vertically.
2. Probe the shallows
> During the summer, shallow water gets too warm for walleye. When a strong wind blows cooler water into the shallows, however, the water temperature will often drop into a range that walleye can tolerate. When that happens, some fish will return to their shallow, early-season haunts, where they can pick off the plentiful minnows and crayfish they left behind when they moved to cooler, more comfortable water.
> In many cases, the bite will light up as soon as the cool water arrives, and last as long as the temperature stays down. This could be quite a short period, or as long as several days, depending on the wind’s strength, direction and duration.
> When looking for a shallow-water bite on windy days, focus on smaller pieces of shallow water, as they will cool down first. Also look for shallow areas adjacent to the steepest ledges and deepest drop-offs, which hold the coldest water in the lake.
3. Drift around structure
> When the wind blows, it creates a current that pushes baitfish towards and past structure. Often, these baitfish get disorientated or injured as they’re pounded into and over top of the structure. Under these conditions, walleye will set up nearby and face into the current, waiting to snap up a quick meal.
> Some walleye will be on the upwind side of the structure, but the majority will be downwind, putting them downstream in the current. Since those downwind fish will be actively searching out food, try drifting over and around the structure, and continue a little downstream of it while dragging jigs, bottom-bouncers or crankbaits. You might need to upsize the weight of your usual jigs and bottom-bouncers to keep them near the bottom and in the strike zone.
> Since the fish will be holding fairly close to the structure, make short passes over it. When you turn around to go back to make another pass, be careful not to motor over the fish and spook them. Instead, make a wide loop around the structure, then float back over the feeding fish.
4. Troll windy shorelines
> I enjoy trolling bottom-bouncers and spinner rigs in the dog days of summer, and when the wind blows at an angle along a shoreline, it creates a great opportunity for this. Not all windswept shorelines will hold fish...concentrate on shorelines that have structure such as dips and humps, or bottoms that transition from mud to gravel. ...seagulls or pelicans feeding...can reveal the location of baitfish.
> While fishing windswept shorelines, my best success comes when I have the wind quartering over the stern of my boat. As long as the breeze is moderate, this lets me keep the boat speed in my preferred range of one to 2.5 mph, using just my bow-mount trolling motor. If the wind becomes too strong, however, you may need a drift sock to maintain a slower speed.
5. Brave the undertow
> After waves break onto a shoreline, gravity causes the water to rush back down into the lake, where it’s pulled into the next breaking wave. This powerful sucking action is known as a reverse current or, more commonly, an undertow. The area of water affected by the undertow is roughly double the height of the waves. For example, 3’ waves will churn up the top 6’ of the water column.
> Walleye will avoid getting caught in the undertow, so there’s no sense fishing right in it. But these opportunistic predators will work the outer edges below the undertow, feeding on creatures banged up by the rough water. ...try trolling crankbaits that run 1-2' below the churning water. You can also try other presentations that will stay close to bottom, such as bottom-bouncers with spinners, or big jigs.
> Last summer, I had guests at my cabin who really wanted to go fishing. The lake was rough, with 4’ rollers, but since my friends only had 1 day to fish, we decided to give it a try.
> Our only choice was a bay close to the launch that was somewhat sheltered, but still had big rollers coming in. So I kept the boat tracking along over 10’, just outside the undertow, while we pulled bottom-bouncers and spinners tipped with leeches. The walleye bite was absolutely insane. We had multiple hook-ups, making it one of my best outings of the year.
6. Work the murk
> When winds become very high or last for extended periods of time, the water can get so dirty that even the walleye can’t see well. When this happens, the fish stop feeding in their usual spots and move to parts of the lake that are less murky.
> ...your best fishing strategy in this situation is to move deeper or to adjacent areas not as affected by the waves. A buddy once told me that when he can’t see the prop on his big motor, there’s no sense fishing for walleye because they won’t see your baits.
> Since then, I’ve used that little trick to find suitable fishing areas when my preferred parts of the lake have gotten too churned up. From a few hours to sometimes a day or two after the wind has stopped, the murky water will gradually clear.
> When this happens, walleye will often move back, since the still slightly stained water will give them more of an advantage over their prey than the clearer water would. Even if the lake is now pancake flat, don’t hesitate to pitch jigs into the shallow water or close to shore and slowly drag them back to your boat.
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I could listen to him talk all day long.
such a pain in the butt unless you build yourself a big ol’ bait tank – basically a mini version of what they have in baitshops.
But in typical TW fashion, I promise you’ll get a laugh in while learning at the same time.
Wacky rig leeches, 36” walleye caught, Swimbait like a pro
Columbia River guide 
…and...
