I've caught walleyes in water over 20' deep. Many times. One of my favorite tactics is to vertical jig with a feather jig and a crawler. I use a stinger hook and tail hook the crawler. It's a good idea to tie your own jigs as they don't last long fishing this way, but you get right down there in their faces and pull up some pretty good fish.

The reason shallow water is often the ticket is activity. When walleye go on the feed, they usually move shallower and are just so much easier to contact. On our spring and fall trips, the biggest fish of the trip is often caught in less than 4' of water. Also these fish are often caught on really windy days. The more wind, the better the fishing.

Try the wind beaten shorelines. Just be ready. Have the motor trimmed down and ready to move because stuff happens fast. Also, a good trolling motor is essential. I've had big fish hit on my last cast and I'm within 20' of rocks. The waves are pounding, you're fighting a big fish and your motor is about to start bouncing off rocks. Fire up the trolling motor, and oh yeah, welcome to the TFF!