13. On spring and summer nights, walleyes often head to the shallows after sunset. Try wading, fishing from the bank or using a small, quiet boat to cast for these skittish fish. A thin-minnow plug from 4 to 6 inches in length is best, but shallow-diving crankbaits can also produce well. Cast and retrieve these slowly and steadily over shallow points, reefs, humps, and the edges of islands. And hang onto your rod! Some real brutes roam the thin water under cover of darkness.

14. For daytime summer walleye fishing, key in on these favored types of structure: reefs, primary and secondary points, humps, rock bars, flooded timber and depressions in the main lake. Also pay attention to inlets and outlets where the current can attract baitfish and walleyes.

15. Walleyes love weeds such as coontail, sand grass and cabbage. They can hide in the vegetation and ambush minnows swimming nearby. Weedlines with a sharply-defined edge are the best of all. Position your boat parallel to the break and cast your lure so it runs right next to the vegetation. Fish will lie along this edge and lunge out to grab passing baitfish - or your offering.

If the aquatic weeds lie several feet below the surface, you can also cast shallow-running crankbaits or spoons right over top and work them back so they run above the weeds, nicking the plants occasionally. Fish will surge up out of the salad and smash your offering from below.

16. Many factors figure into where you'll find walleyes. The presence of baitfish is certainly one of them, but all things being equal, you'll do best over sandy, gravel or rock bottoms rather than muddy ones.

17. Drift-fishing with a live-bait rig and slip-sinker is one of the most consistent ways of all for catching walleyes. Tie a size 4 to 8 hook to a 24- to 60-inch 4- to 8-pound test leader, and then attach it to a barrel swivel. Thread an egg or Lindy sinker on the main line from the rod with a bead above and below it; then, attach it to the barrel swivel. Use a live minnow, crawfish, leech or night crawler.

To improve this rig, use a floating jighead for the bait instead of a plain hook. This keeps the offering up off the bottom so that it's less likely to hang up and is more visible to the quarry. The extra color and bulk of the jig also adds to the attractiveness of the live bait offering. Another way to suspend night crawlers off the bottom is to use a worm blower (syringe) to inject air into the bait.

Be sure to adjust the size of the weight according to the speed you're drifting at and the depth of the water. You want the bait to stay on or just above the bottom. One-eighth to 1-ounce sizes are typically best. When a fish grabs the offering, feed line for several seconds and set the hook. Try sunken islands, reefs, bars, points, weedbed edges and sharp river channel dropoffs for this productive fishing method.

18. Maintain precise boat control when drift-fishing. If you drift too fast, your bait will lift off the bottom. Even if you use enough weight to keep it there, it may be moving too fast to appeal to finicky walleyes. A speed of about 5 to 10 mph is about right for a good drift.

If winds are too strong, use an electric motor to slow the drift. Back-trolling may be required. This means running your motor with the boat pointed backward, the idea being to slow your progress and allow more precise boat control. Walleyes generally want the bait just barely moving past them, and this offers the perfect way to present it in that slow, tempting manner.

19. Try slip-bobber rigs when walleyes are positioned near or on a reef, point, gravel bar or other structure but are proving finicky about taking a bottom rig.

This setup consists of bobber, hook and split shot. The only difference between this rig and a basic float rig is that a bobber stop is tied or slipped on the line and adjusted to block the free-moving float when it slides up to the appropriate position for the depth you want to fish. When walleyes are deeper than 5 or 6 feet, this is the only efficient way to cast and use a float. Try leeches, night crawlers and minnows. They all work great with slip-bobber riggings.

20. Choose your bait according to the season. Minnows are productive at any time of year. In summer, go with night crawlers or leeches. In fall, minnows, especially large ones, are the best choice for attracting and catching hungry walleyes.

21. Color can sometimes be important in lure choice - and sometimes it's insignificant. To cover your bets, be sure to stock your favorite lures in a variety of hues. Always carry a few lures in bright fluorescent colors. Those are particularly good in murky water.

22. Don't shun windy days for walleye fishing. Wind helps to move your boat along if you want to try drift-fishing. It also oxygenates the water and pushes baitfish schools into tight groups, enabling the predatory walleyes to ambush them. Look for walleyes actually feeding out on windswept points, bars and reefs, and on the windward side of the lake.

23. Trolling speed is critical when going after walleyes. At times these fish will nail a fast-moving bait, but they usually want it creeping along. Add a trolling plate to your motor, drag a bucket from a rope, or turn the boat backwards and run the motor in reverse to present your lure slowly enough if necessary.

24. A good rod for jig-fishing walleyes should be about 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet long and stiff in action. You want some flexibility in the tip, so you won't throw off the bait that's often used to tip the jig, but plenty of backbone in the rest of the rod for setting the hook. Medium- or medium-heavy-action rods are best for this fishing.

25. Keep a marker buoy handy when drift-fishing or trolling for walleyes. Chances are good that more fish are holding where you hooked that last one. Drop the buoy over immediately when you get a strike; then you can drift or troll through that same area again.