In the spring of the year, walleyes, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass inhabit relatively shallow water. Each species uses depths of 10 feet and less for feeding and spawning. Feeding is what we're concerned about when it comes to working stickbaits. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, where I do 90 percent of my fishing, the months of May and June are prime time for working stickbaits. Focusing on walleyes, the post-spawn period is when both male and female fish refill their bellies with forage.
Walleyes cruise the shallow sand, gravel, rocks, and emerging weeds pursuing baitfish.
A typical stretch of favorable shoreline consists of sand or gravel beaches that gradually taper to an inside weed edge, span out over scattered emerging weeds, and finally conclude at what is or what will be the outside weed edge. Outside weed edges vary greatly in depth from lake to lake. Shorelines offering the aforementioned features combined with inside turns and points are better yet. Resident baitfish populations invade shorelines that offer these characteristics, and walleyes naturally follow behind. And if you want to stack the odds to your favor even more, select a wind beaten shoreline.