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Those of us, who have been patiently waiting for the warmer weather to get here, have gotten our wish.

This is the time of the year when the temperatures will start to rise, as will the humidity, making for perfect conditions for nasty weather and tougher walleye fishing conditions.

This time of the year, fish have a lot of different conditions they have to adjust or relate to including: rising water temperatures, rising/falling barometric pressure, high water, low water and the summers bright sunlight all making walleye fishing during the Dog Days of summer tough.

There are a few keys to locating and catching fish this time of the year.  Deeper water and areas with less sunlight penetration are where the fish will be located this time of the year.

With the rise in water temperatures, walleyes and other species of fish will head into deeper water searching out comfortable water temperatures.

These deep-water haunts provide the cooler water temperatures that the fish need to survive when things heat up.

There are several reasons that the fish will relocate into the depths. Another of these is that their food source, baitfish has moved down bringing the predator fish with them.

There are several methods that will allow you to take these Deep-water fish, those that have worked well for me are: leadcore line, snap weights or downriggers dragging crankbaits.

During this time of the year, the movement of the fish can vary drastically, especially just prior to a sever weather change.

Fish are able to detect a change of weather well before it happens using their lateral line, which is a series of sensitive nerve endings extending from behind the gills to their tail.

Since they know that a sever weather change is about to occur, walleyes and other species of fish will go on a feeding binge prior to the arrival of the storm, then move deep, lying dormant on the bottom until weather conditions stabilize.

If you are unfortunate to have to fish these dormant fish after a storm has passed through, you’ll need a lot of patience and a precise bait presentation, such as a Lindy Rig.

I’ve had my best luck on these inactive fish by presenting my bait right in front of the walleyes nose and staying there until I make them mad enough to bite.

Since the sun is at its highest point this time of the year and walleyes are very light sensitive, they’re going to be more active in periods where sunlight penetration is minimal.

These periods include: early morning and late evening, as the sun is at it’s lowest point and sunlight penetration is the least during this time of the day.

Not all walleyes will stay deep throughout the day, as there are times when the conditions are right, walleyes can be caught shallow.

One of these is on those very windy days as there’s a good chance that walleyes will move up shallow to feed in the on top of humps rock piles and sandbars.

Because the surface of the water is being rippled by the wind, reducing the sunlight’s penetration, it makes the shallow water areas more comfortable and walleyes will move up from the deep water to feed.

Another time that you’ll find walleyes shallow during the day would be when heavy winds are pounding into a point or shoreline.

With the wind hammering against a shoreline, a mud line is created, dramatically cutting light penetration along the shoreline.

It may seem hard to believe that even walleyes would be able to find bait in the muddy coming back off a shoreline.

Just because it’s muddy on the first couple of inches doesn’t mean that it’s that way the way to the bottom.

In many cases the water a foot or so below this mud line is cloudy or even clear allowing walleyes the opportunity to move up during the day and feed.

In a river, fish will also be in the deepest holes or in shallower areas where there’s heavier current as this cools and oxygenates the water making it a more hospitable environment for walleyes.

During the heat of the summer in a river, an increase or decrease in water, will cause fish to make sudden location changes that anglers can take advantage of.

With a drop in water levels, fish will be forced into the remaining deep holes, concentrating them in smaller areas.

If there’s an increase in water flow, fish will move up stream, up against the sandbars and shallower to feed, taking advantage of the new influx of baitfish and other aquatic creatures that are being flushed into the system.

The Dog Days of summer usually mean deep-water presentations, but under the right conditions, walleyes can be shallow giving anglers the opportunity to fish them with bottom bouncers and spinners, Lindy Rigs or by pitching jigs and crankbaits.