Door County is a unique walleye fishery. If you are coming here to fish for walleye, the waters of Green Bay are loaded with them. You will definitely want to fish Green Bay and not the Lake Michigan side if you’re targeting walleye. This is a big numbers destination and it serves up some big trophy walleye too.
Trolling is King Here
While jigging and casting can put plenty of walleyes in the boat in the waters surrounding Door County, the best walleye anglers have found that nothing beats trolling up here. Trolling crawler-harnesses and crankbaits are the preferred baits to troll up here. A lot of the top anglers will use yellow birds to help get their baits away from their boats and it can make a big difference out here because the water is so clear. Fluorocarbon line, yellow birds and lighter line will help you get more bites when the walleye are skittish.
Catch Trophy Walleye
Walleye in the 22 to 26 inch range are very common and 30 inchers are fairly common. Door County is one of the best places in the midwest if you’re looking to catch a walleye 30 inches or bigger. Many anglers will catch their biggest walleye at night though due to the clear water.
Fish the Offshore Structure
Successful walleye anglers will target the offshore structures on the western side of Door County from Sturgeon Bay up north to Fish Creek and Sturgeon Bay. Even though you can catch walleye throughout the county, most people think of Sturgeon Bay when they think of Door County walleye.
Sturgeon Bay offers plenty of fishing opportunities from the deep, rocky shorelines on the south side of the bay to the shallow flats in the bay near the north side of the bay. Head out of the bay and you will find walleye up and down the shorelines on the Green Bay side. One of the most popular areas to fish in all of Door County is Larson’s Reef.
Fish the Points
There are several points throughout Door County and walleye will often move onto these areas as they search for an easy meal during low light conditions. Anglers will usually troll these areas early in the morning, late in the evening and at night.
Fish the Rocks
Because Door County is full of rocks, plan on fishing a lot of rocks while targeting walleye in Door County. Because most anglers will be trolling with crankbaits or bottom bouncers, you don’t have to worry as much about the snags as you would if you were jigging. The rocks can hold fish shallow at night and in deeper water all day long. If you’re fishing for walleye here, you will be fishing around rocky bottoms.
Fish the Wind Blown Structure
Wind blown structure will hold larger schools of walleye from summer through fall. If you have a big enough boat to get out here and cover some water, this pattern is one of the better patterns you can fish.
Best Baits for Walleye
Walleye eat a variety of different baits, however, when push comes to shove, it is much easier to catch them with live baits. Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for walleye.
While most anglers will just use live baits, many anglers will also target walleye with lures as well. Crankbaits and soft plastics are the best lures for walleye, however, you can catch walleye with a variety of different lures.
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Best Rigs for Walleye
When targeting walleye, there are many different rigs that you can use to catch them. While most anglers will keep it super simple and just use a simple jighead, many anglers will use a variety of rigs such as spinner rigs, 3 way rigs, bottom bouncers, drop shot rigs and many others.
To learn more, take a look at our best rigs for walleye page.
Best Techniques for Walleye
Jigging is by far the most popular technique for walleye fishing, however, you can catch them a variety of different ways. Casting, trolling and drifting are some of the other awesome techniques that anglers use.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for walleye page.
Learn More About Walleye
Our walleye fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our walleye fishing website to learn more.
