The time of year will make a difference. Consider Lake Erie where spring jigging is a very good approach while trolling takes precedent in the summer. You can also narrow down location by finding out where the majority of the fish are coming from. Once you have the how and where nailed down it's time to look at the weather patterns and see how this factor is going to tie into your approach. If the weather has been stable, preferably nice and mild, then you can anticipate that what has been working will continue to be the right ticket.
Cold fronts have a tendency to create tougher fishing conditions.
If the walleyes have been biting in 16 feet of water on the points using live-bait rigs and a cold front moves in chances are good the fish are moving deeper and hugging the bottom. My approach would be to shift the location to deeper water and modify the presentation by doubling the length of the snell on the rig, and slowing down the boat speed. Let's say the walleyes are suspending over deeper water, a situation that happens on every walleye lake not just the Great Lakes, and success has been good trolling crankbaits through the semi-lethargic fish. A huge storm has just barreled through with lightning and thunder and piles of rain. My guess is that now the fish have scattered even more and they're not in the mood to eat.