Is Walleye Fishing Good on Cloudy Days & Overcast Conditions?
Walleye fishing is typically better on cloudy days as the overcast sky encourages these light-sensitive fish to feed more actively throughout the day and venture into shallower waters.
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Is Walleye Fishing Good on Cloudy Days?
Walleye fishing can be excellent on cloudy and overcast days because the reduced light gives walleyes a distinct visual advantage over most prey items they feed on. The cooler temperatures allow walleye to venture further from cover.
Walleye will typically be much more active feeding under these conditions making for excellent fishing. On most days, sunny skies limit the best fishing windows for walleye to very early mornings, late evenings, and nights. However, cloudy conditions extend those great fishing windows out for the entire day.
The threat of rain or poor weather will also keep a lot other anglers and boaters off the lake or river. This will result in better access to top spots, reduced commotion on the lake, and less stressed-out walleye more eager to bite.
Where to Find Walleye on Cloudy & Overcast Days
During overcast conditions, walleye are typically found in moderate depths, congregating around structure such as weed beds and submerged logs due to reduced light penetration. Target transition zones where the lake bed shifts from sand to gravel or rock, as they offer food and security to walleye.
Table: Walleye Locations in Response to Clouds & Overcast Conditions
| Environment | Location in Water | Depth Range | Features to Look For | Substrate Type | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River | Near current breaks | 3-10 feet | Behind large rocks, log jams | Gravel, rock | Walleye use these areas to escape strong currents. |
| River | Bends and pools | 6-15 feet | Outer bends, deep pools | Sand, mud | Slower moving water with less light penetration. |
| River | Inflows/outflows | 4-12 feet | Confluences of tributaries | Mixed | Increased nutrients and baitfish attract walleye. |
| River | Wing dams | 5-15 feet | Downstream side of wing dams | Rock, rubble | Walleye gather to feed on baitfish stunned by current. |
| Lake | Weedy flats | 4-10 feet | Submerged vegetation | Mud, weed | Cloud cover allows walleye to roam flats without direct sunlight. |
| Lake | Drop-offs | 10-20 feet | Edges where shallow meets deep | Gravel to mud transition | Walleye patrol these edges for baitfish. |
| Lake | Submerged structures | 8-25 feet | Sunken islands, reefs, humps | Rock, hard clay | Overcast skies keep walleye active around these features during the day. |
| Lake | Shallow bays | 2-6 feet | Protected bays with emerging weeds | Soft, vegetative | Springtime hotspot as walleye move shallow for spawning. |
| Lake | Near docks/piers | 3-8 feet | Shade-providing structures | Varied | Structures provide cover and a break from the light even on cloudy days. |
| Lake | Deep basins | 20-40 feet | Deepest parts of the lake | Silt, soft bottom | In winter, walleye can be found in these stable, deep areas. |
Seasonal Impact of Cloudy/Overcast Conditions on Walleye Fishing
Spring
Cloudy weather in spring can ramp up feeding in early spring after ice out as walleye are pushing into northern shallow bays. Look for larger walleye feeding along the deeper edges of emergent weeds and rock throughout the day.
During the spawn, walleye will push up into the creeks and rivers of these bays to spawn. Fishing (if legal) can still be good during the spawn on cloudy days.
Summer
Overheat cloud cover or overcast conditions can draw walleye out of their typically deep haunts towards mid-depth structure like reefs, ledges, and weed edges in the 8-20 feet range.
Cloudy conditions will improve walleye fishing and make them more likely to bite throughout the day rather than mostly early morning/late afternoon. Additionally, they will be more willing to chase trolled or casted swimbaits and jerkbaits.
Fall
The reduced light in fall (especially early fall) will offer some of the best walleye fishing of the year. Walleye will be packing on weight to prepare for winter, and overcast/cloudy conditions will extend their feeding windows and make them feed aggressively.
Look for fish on transitional zones between shallower and deeper depths. Inside turns, main lake points, and deeper humps can be great spots.
Winter
Winter fishing under cloudy skies can be great for ice fishing and for open water fishing. Walleye will be more active and venture into shallower water than they normally would be on sunny days.
Additionally, the lack of overhead lighting reduces the shadows cast by ice fishermen and boats on the surface of the water making walleye less skittish.
Click here to learn how weather impacts walleye fishing. To learn how to catch walleye on windy days, check out this guide. To learn how to catch walleye on snowy days, check out this guide.
Seasonal Guide: Cloudy Weather Walleyes
| Season | Best Fishing Time | Best Locations | Best Techniques | Bait Recommendations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Midday | Shallow northern bays, river mouths | Shallow crankbaits, jigs | Bright jigs, minnows |
| Summer | Dawn and Dusk | Weed edges, transition areas between depths | Weedless spoons, spinner rigs | Vibrating lures, leeches |
| Fall | All day | Sunken islands, deep weedlines | Deep diving crankbaits, heavier jigs | Larger soft plastics, crankbaits with significant profiles |
| Winter | Varies, check ice conditions | Deep holes, underwater structures | Jigging with bright spoons, live bait | Glowing jigs, live baitfish |
How to Catch Walleye on Cloudy Days & Overcast Conditions
Vertical Jigging
Vertical jigging is popular for cloudy summer, early fall, and winter conditions. It is by far the most popular ice fishing technique for walleye. Focus on deep structure like humps, drop-offs, deep rock, and ledges.
Vertical jigging mimics an injured, scared, disoriented, or dying baitfish. Focus on tight, brisk jerks rather than slower, drawn-out jerks. The faster reaction of the bait will catch you a lot more walleye.
On cloudy days, focus on bolder colors like chartreuse, oranges, and firehouse reds. These colors stand out when the light is reduced. If ice fishing or vertically jigging in cold water, slow your jigging down and only move the bait a few inches up and down.
Trolling
Trolling is the most effective way to cover a ton of water and locate walleye. Trolling is one of my favorite ways to find and dial in my setup for walleyes on cloudy days. Focus on a combo of inline spinners, deep-diving crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, and soft plastic swimbaits.
Spoons are great options as well. Set your baits up at different depths depending on how many lines in the water your state/province allows.
Trolling works best on cloudy days around deeper structure like humps, ledges, drop-offs, and inside turns coming on long main lake points. I like to focus on depths of 15-35 feet throughout the year on overcast days. Trolling is great for presenting a bait at a desired depth and keeping it there.
Unlike casting where you are limited by the sheer distance you can cast and how fast you can get your bait to depth, trolling keeps the bait perfectly in the desired strike zone. Lindy rigs and worm harnesses are great options for deep walleye trolling on reduced-light days.
Casting
Casting for walleyes on overcast days is also very effective, particularly when you know where the walleye are holding. If walleye are holding up in relatively shallow water (less than 15 feet), I would go with deep-diving crankbaits as you should be able to get the baits down deep enough to get strikes.
The tight wobble of these deep-diving crankbaits are deadly on walleye on reduced light days. However, fishing in water deeper than 20 feet requires baits that natural sink. The three best types of baits for deeper water are lipless crankbaits, spoons, and soft plastic swimbaits.
Blade baits are also deadly, especially in cold water bounced off bottom. You can also try a dropshot rig if walleye hold tight to rock or deep weed edges.
Drift Fishing
Drift fishing is the easiest way to catch a lot of walleye on cloudy days. The idea is to drift your bait naturally with the current or wind action flow with the strike zone near walleye-holding structure.
Look for deep weed edges near deep water, humps, channel edges, and ledges in the 10-30 foot range. Try live or dead bait like leeches, nightcrawlers, minnows, shiners, suckers, smelt, shad, or alewives. You can also use artificial baits like Gulp! Minnows.
They smell natural and do catch a lot of walleye. I recommend a drift sock to give your boat a natural smooth drift by the target structure. Most often, walleye will either be tight to the bottom or tight to structure.
Best Lure Colors for Cloud & Overcast Walleye Fishing
The best colors for fishing walleye under cloudy or overcast conditions are bold or dark. Bold colors like white, chartreuse, orange, and fire hydrant reds will stick out against the water and gray backdrop.
These can be effective if walleye are feeding aggressively. However, my favorite colors to fish with in these conditons are blacks and blues. These darker solid tones stand out against the drab gray background you’ll experience in cloudy conditions. These darker solid colors catch me the most walleye when the sun hides behind clouds.
I would avoid natural, neutral colors or ghost colors as these are less likely to be seen by walleye under these conditions. Colors like shad, mirror shiner, pro blue red pearl (Keitech color), and ghost-colors will struggle. Also, earthy colors like browns and greens will be tougher to see.
Cloudy Weather Walleye Fishing Tips
- Target Transition Zones: Focus on transition zones where walleye will gather. Really good cloudy weather spots are where deep and shallow water meet, such as dropoffs and ledges. You can also find good fishing where different bottoms converge, such as sand/gravel or sand and rock.
- Deep weed lines: Fish along deep weed edges in 10-15 feet of water where walleye hunt for perch, shiners, and bluegills.
- Fish Near Structure: Fallen trees, rock piles, or docks can be hotspots for walleye as they provide shelter.
- Fish the Windward Shoreline: These wind-beaten shores will push baitfish and hungry walleye into shallower water.
- Drop-offs & Ledges: Look for walleye suspending off these transitional zones on overcast days.
- Fish River Bends: In rivers, outside bends with deeper water can be productive as walleye rest and feed there.
- Focus on Outflows & Inflows: Find streams entering or exiting a lake that attract big numbers of walleye. These spots are great on overcast days as the incoming cooler water can add oxygen and nutrients to the lake inlet.
- Fish with Shiners: Lively shiners lightly skin hooked can be tempting baits on cloudy and overcast days. Their struggling action and reflective scales will draw in bigger walleye.
- Try Leeches in Warm Water: In warmer temperatures, leeches can be very effective, especially on a slip bobber rig. These baits are excellent for overcast days as the dark colors of the leeches contrast great with the reduced light and water conditions.
- Use a Slip Bobber: A slip bobber setup will allow you control the depth of your bait, which is especially important if walleye are suspended mid-column in the water.
Conclusion
Cloudy and overcast conditions offer some of the best walleye possible. The reduced like and cooler temperatures make walleye more ready to bite and more willing to feed throughout the day. You may also see a general reduction in the amount of other anglers and boaters using the lake, which will improve walleye fishing.
FAQ Section
Why do walleye prefer cloudy weather?
Walleye have excellent reduced-light vision and the darker conditions allow for walleye to actively hunt later into the day rather than just early morning, late afternoon, and nighttime. The reduced light of cloudy and overcast weather offers better walleye fishing.
What are the best lure colors for fishing in overcast conditions?
Two different approaches will work. Go bold or go dark. Bright colors like chartreuse and orange will stand out on cloudy days. However, my favorite two colors are black and blue for cloudy walleye fishing because these colors silhouette very well against a gray backdrop and stick out to walleye.
How do I adjust my fishing technique for walleye on cloudy days?
Slow down your presentation and focus on areas where the water transitions from shallow to deep. On the other hand, sometimes a more aggressive jerkbait strategy is just right, especially in early fall.
Are there certain times of day when walleye are more active during cloudy/overcast weather?
Even though walleye are more likely to feed all day long under cloudy skies, early morning from dawn until after sunrise, late afternoon from just before sunset until dusk, and nighttime until midnight will still be your best times to fish.
Does cloudy weather affect walleye behavior differently across seasons?
Walleye behavior shifts with the seasons; they prefer shallower waters in spring and deeper waters as the seasons progress, with cloudy weather amplifying these preferences.
