Weather
is the number one factor for fall walleyes. If it's going to be windy,
cloudy or chilly, go hunting rather than fishing. When the sun warms and
brightens those October and November days and the wind lays flat, load
the boat and head out after big walleyes. The bite is on!
Just the fact that you're on the water fishing is 75 percent of the battle with fall fishing. Catching walleyes in the fall is easy if you just follow these four basic rules for lakes and reservoirs.
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Take Notes On Patterns Keep a journal on fall walleye fishing every year. Record the dates, locations, water temperatures and weather conditions. These patterns will hold year after year. |
Always locate walleyes with your electronics before you fish. Check all the main and longest points and stay out of the shallow bays. On long points, check all sides by zigzagging from deep to shallow water until you locate fish. Don't expect to find the mother lode of fish at this time of the year, one or two fish on your electronics will signal the time to start fishing.
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What Your Electronics Are Telling You Remember, you don't have to see a number of fish on your electronics for a school of walleyes to be present. Take into consideration that your transducer's cone angle is generally 20 degrees. This means if you're in 30 feet of water, you're looking at a seven to eight-foot diameter circle. For 20 degree transducers, divide the depth by four to determine the diameter of the circle you're seeing on the bottom. For a 16 degree transducer, divide by five. |
Slow is the key for fall walleyes. Walleyes are as cold as the water and their attitude toward feeding will also be cold. This negative mood of the fish requires longevity in your presentation. Try to keep your bait in front of the fish as long as possible and give him ample time to react to the bait, move up to it, and suck it in.
This deep water fall presentation means light line with light jigs. A good choice to use is a 1/4 ounce jig with a big minnow on four or six-pound test line. Use your bow mount electric to move slowly so you can keep bottom contact with a light jig. Try to keep your line as vertical and close to the boat as possible. Don't allow the line to go past a 45degree angle from the boat. If it does, you'll lose contact with the bottom. Again, cover the structure very slowly and concentrate on keeping track of the bottom with the jig.
Big minnows and big baits are very important in the fall. The ideal bait is a four to six inch minnow (chubs preferred) on a 1/4 ounce jig. Vertically jig your bait on top of the fish, and give the fish ample time to react by longevity in your presentation.
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Set The Hook On Anything You Feel When fall fishing, set the hook whenever you feel anything. What you may feel and think is a wet leaf, a piece of debris, or a weed, could very likely be a fish. Many times late fall walleye hits are so light they go undetected. Time and time again, what I thought was a snag on the bottom turned out to be a big walleye |
Always use light line
and light jigs. Remember, fish are very cold and need time to react to
your bait. He's not sucking in a tremendous amount of water and not flaring
his gills with the same power he would when the water temperature is warm.
Very light line and heavy concentration are required for fall fishing.
These techniques are worth it, and the reward is stretching your fishing
season another 30 to 60 days with probably the best chance to nail a trophy.
Editors Note: This article is one of the 50 questions Mike McClelland answers in his new book Walleye Trouble Shooting. It is available from Walleye Central for $14.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling at P.O. Box 1099, Fort Collins, CO 80522.