Where's the walleye

[KsRancher]

I am needing a little help from some experienced walleye fisherman to try to find out where to start my fishing at for walleye this week. I am fishing at a local small state lake by my house. Barber State Lake in south central Ks. When full it's 51 acres with a max depth of 14ft. Guessing now it's around 40 acres with a max depth of 8-9ft. It would be a mud/dirt bottom over the whole lake with probably a few scattered trees laying on the bottom. I am fishing from shore and can't seem to find a topo of the lake. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks. Rusty

 

[WCB]

. hard to say where they will be in that sort of lake. I have fished lakes and caught Walleyes in 6ft of water in the trees and my sister was out in 30ft of water catching them at the same time. Also caught them in shallow 6ft of water with no structure to speak of like your situation probably 60 acres in size. If there is some sort of inlet fish in front of that. otherwise just walk the shore and cover as much water as possible until you find them.

 

[timberland]

fish first light and last light to maximize opportunity in shallow water

 

[wytx]

Heck at 40 A can you troll the whole lake and find them ? Good luck, walleye are the best eating!

 

[KurtR]

I would be looking for rocky shore line and pitching jigs with a minnow on one rod and then a lindy rig with minnow as a dead stick on the other.

 

[adieatrick]

They're not spawning, so I would ignore the rocky shore line unless there is immediate structure off of said shoreline. Do you have maps or are you familiar with the contours/structure in the lake? As others have mentioned, I would focus my efforts relatively shallow in the morning and follow the fish as they slide deeper. Same thing goes for the afternoon...start deeper on the leading edge of structure and as the fish move in to feed follow them up shallow. Really this time of year you are focusing on a very short active feeding window (typically). 1-2 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours as the sun is setting.

 

[KsRancher]

The only rock is the rip-rap along the dam. I have caught a few walleye out of the lake before, but it's always been in April along the rip-rap about dark. I figured they would be in a different area in winter. I will give them a whirl

 

[svivian]

I would try fishing at night if your daytime fishing goes unsuccessful. What are your planning to catch them on? What methods are you going to try?

 

[Wolverine]

I would just start walking the shore casting A Rapala X-Rap.....twitch and pause. They almost always hit on the pause. Start about a half hour before dark and fish for an hour or two after dark. If there are walleye to catch, this is the time. After a few evenings, a pattern should develop. Keep move till you find them.....they should be schooled up so there will be a lot of dead water till you find them. Full moon nights can be outstanding. Good luck.

 

[DanimalW]

Are there any weed edges to fish? Might be a spot to fish on a shallow lake like that. You mentioned a dam and that it’s been drawn down, so there’s probably current along the river channel through the lake, so anywhere that there’s current and a break from the current would be a good spot to look at.

 

[KsRancher]

No weed edges that I can see. The lake is low cause drought. No inflow or outflow. I don't have any idea of the topography of the bottom, but I would guess it’s just a gradual slope. I doubt if any drop offs or structure. Probably a few dead trees laying on bottom. I will get me a Xrap and try it.

 

[Z Barebow]

Cover water. Depending upon how deep you can get on a cast dictates a choices. Per above, I like casting Rapalas. My favs are shallow Shad Raps and Scatter Raps #7's. I also cast paddle tail jigs. A key with all of those is plenty of pauses in retrieve. Colder water generally equals less aggressive fish. What is water clarity? Clearer lakes are going to be twilight or night fishing. Murky water will be better once sun warms things up. Sometimes late afternoon is best.

 

[Laramie]

Walleye in December is tough. Only luck I have had is slabbing in semi deep water. Go bird hunting for a bit and wait for the spawn is my best advice.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Look for ledges. I find them frequently just a few feet off of the ledges. If it ices over, jig live minnows through the ice.

Pic for inspiration.

 

[Laramie]

Look for ledges. I find them frequently just a few feet off of the ledges. If it ices over, jig live minnows through the ice.

Pic for inspiration.

Heck of a walleye

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Heck of a walleye

Thanks. In hind sight, I probably should have mounted that one. Delicious though.

 

[Laramie]

Thanks. In hind sight, I probably should have mounted that one. Delicious though.

13.5?

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Weight? No clue. Was just shy of 32” to the tips of the pinched tail

 

[Laramie]

Weight? No clue. Was just shy of 32” to the tips of the pinched tail

At 32 with that girth it was likely 14. Yeah, probably should have mounted that one. My best was 11.5.