“I don’t sit in one spot too long,” said Johnson. “There are certain spots on these current breaks where the walleyes congregate, and when I catch a fish, I’ll work that spot because chances are good there are more fish right there. Sometimes just getting off a spot by a few feet will be the difference in catching fish or not.”

Let’s look at a few of Johnson’s favorite spring river spots and what he does to catch fish.

ST. LOUIS RIVER

Duluth

“Most of the spring walleye fishing on the St. Louis River takes place from the Highway 23 bridge to Duluth Harbor,” said Johnson. “There’s also some great fishing in Superior Bay right in front of Duluth.”

By opener there are still plenty of walleyes in the river that are migrating back to Lake Superior, according to Johnson. The main channel averages about 12 feet deep, which makes this river a perfect candidate for a three-way swivel rig.

“Keep the dropper line from the swivel no longer than 12 inches,” instructed Johnson. “Walleyes in current tend to hug the bottom and won’t come far off it to take a bait.

“The distance between the two banks is not much, so just get out in the middle of the river and let the spinner and minnow do the work,” added Johnson.

During high-water heavy-current situations, Johnson will slide the boat into a protected backwater area and cast shallow-running crankbaits.

“The walleyes are moving into the slack water to rest and feed, and a slow-moving crankbait that is wobbling just a foot or two below the surface will get the walleyes’ attention,” said Johnson.

Where the banks spread outward, like in Spirit Lake and through St. Louis Bay, Johnson will pull the three-way swivel rig along the edge of the channel or cast deeper-diving crankbaits to the edges of islands and around the pockets of vegetation.

“Of any of the rivers in Minnesota,” said Johnson, “the St. Louis ranks right up there in the top three for spring walleye fishing.”

ST. CROIX RIVER

Hastings To Stillwater

You’ll be competing with a lot of recreational boat traffic on the St. Croix River south of Stillwater, but the fishing is worth it. The channel is well marked, there’s a lot of current breaks to key on and the walleye fishing is at its finest in the spring.

“Some anglers like to buoy-hop on the St. Croix,” said Johnson as he described how trollers will just move from one marker to the next while pulling bottom-hugging crankbaits. “It’s effective, don’t get me wrong, but I just like to work shallower water and cast.”

Johnson will set up a drift using his bow-mounted electric motor to keep the boat in position, and he’ll cast a 1/4-ounce jig tipped with a white or chartreuse scented grub into 8 to 12 feet of water. The lure sinks to the bottom, and as it’s dropping, the boat is moving downstream along with it.

“When the jig touches bottom I start a slow retrieve back to the boat,” said Johnson. “I don’t let the lure get downstream past me. The jig stays between me and the shoreline.”

This bait will catch everything from sheepshead to catfish and the occasional pike, but when you do hook a walleye, move back upstream and drift there again, and again, until you aren’t catching any more walleyes in that spot.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Pool No. 4

The most popular spring river destination in the state is Pool No. 4 on the Mississippi River. While you may have to deal with some recreational traffic on the St. Croix in the spring, much of the traffic on this stretch of the Mississippi River is angler-related.

“This pool seems to stand up to the heavy pressure it receives,” said Johnson, “because every spring the success stories far outweigh the sad ones.”