Like post-prom teen-aged boys craving a burger, shake and fries, post-spawn walleyes want a presentation that's a little snappier than a jig or rig slowly crawled along the rocky rubble bottom. We're talking about a presentation that practically screams crankbait!

Knowing that active fish have relocated higher in the water column is only part of the equation. Getting them to bite means homing in on a lure profile close to the forage base found in the river this time of year. Bear in mind, walleyes aren't the only fish with spawning urges pounding in their little brains. In many rivers, runs of other species like white bass come right on the heels of the walleye run. There could also be a dozen minnow species with more slender profiles that are also in various stages of making the pilgrimage upstream.

If you are on one of those rivers where white bass are the next species to be moving upstream, a chrome/ black or white Rat-L-Trap -- or a white twistertail on a jighead -- can keep your rod in a state of perpetual bendage. There are very few young-of-the-year baitfish swimming in the river in April. Walleye food on the way back downstream is primarily mature baitfish, smaller fish like little white bass, and possibly insects.

Chances are the water you are fishing is somewhat discolored by spring runoff. Post-spawn male walleyes may be sliding back downstream a little higher in the water column, but they're still passing through unfamiliar territory. Start by probing the mid-depths under a bright sky, and the top 2 feet of the water column at dawn, dusk and in between. If the fish are used to living in perpetually stained or dirty water, the bite may be in the top 2 feet of the water column at mid-day. But if you're fishing a tributary of a major river where the local landscape is already cleared of snow, those walleyes used to carrying out their evil deeds in the shadows may be wary until the sun goes down.

A number of lure profiles will work for these slip-sliding walleyes, with a common denominator found in making a steady retrieve rather than trying to animate the bait with little twitches of the rod tip. The key is putting your offering in the walleye's strike zone, which is probably just a couple of feet both horizontally and vertically, since the water is still fairly cold and the fish are most active at night.

About 30 years ago, the folks at Rapala came out with their Countdown model that sank at the rate of about one foot per second. This lure is still one of my go-to baits for post-spawn walleyes because it allows quick experimentation by using primordial math skills to probe depths until active walleyes are found.

The key is putting your offering in the walleye's strike zone, which is probably just a couple of feet both horizontally and vertically, since the water is still fairly cold and the fish are most active at night.