Light Levels and Walleye Behavior

Walleye behavior is dictated by many variables, but by far the single most important one is light. How much light is penetrating the surface and how quickly does that light fade as the water gets deeper will have a huge impact on walleye's ability to see and willingness to feed. I think most walleye anglers already know that walleyes have light sensitive eyes and that they will shy away from very bright light, but I don't think the idea is fully understood, which is why I am writing this short article.

The angle at which the light hits the surface determines how much of the light will penetrate and how deep its impact will be felt. That explains why fishing for walleye at noon on a lake with a still surface and clear water is a sure disaster, and why the evening bite starts when the sun hits the treetops. Evening fishing is so good because the light hits the water at such an angle that it cannot penetrate very far, hence the walleye become active in search of food.

Of course, murky water is excellent for walleye, as they can feed all day long, because the difference in light levels varies much less between noon and night than it would in a clear lake.

Note that the angle at which the sun hits the surface changes through the season, so if anglers only rely on time of day to determine whether or not the bite is on, they could be dead wrong. For example, on the first day of spring and fall, the angle at which the light hits the water on the Saint Lawrence river is about 30 degrees at 9:00 am. In contrast, on the first day of summer, the angle is 50 degrees. This means in morning and fall, the morning feeding period lasts quite a bit longer, and the evening bite begins earlier.

Weather conditions will also impact light levels, for example, on overcast skies, or windy days, the walleye will remain active all day long, while still peaking in periods of very low light, they continue to feed during the daytime as well.

Researchers in Canada have demonstrated that the speed at which light levels change have a huge impact on triggering feeding behavior. This explains why the early morning and late evening are the best, because these are the times of day when the light changes the fastest. Also, this explains why walleyes start feeding like mad when a storm approaches.

I hope this helped to clarify some common misconceptions on the impact of sunlight on walleye feeding behavior, nothing impacts walleye feeding more than light levels, they will go to great lengths to avoid light, diving down to 50 or even 60 feet if they have to, or travelling miles upon miles to find the appropriate environment. This phenomenon is most obvious on Lake Saint François where the zebra mussels have cleaned the water so much that you can literrally see your jig in 25 feet of water.

The next time you are having trouble getting them to hit, think about where you could go to minimize the impact of light. Once you find those areas, your success is sure to increase.