Fall Walleye Fishing
Fall Walleye Fishing
While hunting and steelhead fishing takes the prime interest of many outdoorsmen in the fall, for me fall is walleye time. As any die hard angler will tell you fall is definitely a time to get out on the water. All species of fish are on overdrive when it comes to feeding this time of year. The reason being is that fish are building up their fat reserves for winter, this is no different with the elusive Walleye. With this happening those who are willing to brave the weather and sacrifice some sleep have a great opportunity at some Walleye.
I like to get out just before sun down to as late as 2 or 3am and possibly even sunup if I’m feeling adventurous. Just being out on the water will not fill the live well, Walleye are very structure oriented fish so your first task should be to locate any possible fish holding structure. This can be rip rap shorelines, sunken islands, drop offs, and many other types of structure. My preference in the fall usually focuses on rocky areas and especially rocky windblown points. The reason being, that this is the only consistent type of hiding structure readily available this time of year for bait fish and other food sources. By this time of year weeds that would have served as a home for these food sources earlier have now died off pushing them into the rocks.
Now that we have found our structure we must now select a bait or lure to use. As most Walleye fisherman will tell say it is hard to beat a jig. I am a big believer in Northland Fishing Tackle Jigs and use them religiously. I usually use the Northland Fireball jig with a bigger profile artificial such as a 4″ Gulp minnow. With a jig I use a snap jigging approach which consists of simply popping the jig forward on a retrieve or troll. If your not that into jig fishing you can also try shad style Crankbaits or Stickbaits. Just remember natural looking baits for clear water and bright baits for dirtier water. With shad style baits its hard to beat a traditional shad rap size 5 or 7 and a Salmo Hornet. These two lures alone have contributed to many tournament wins in national walleye circuits. For stickbaits I prefer Storm Lures Thunderstick Jr’s, #9/#11 Rapala Minnows, and #12 Rapala Husky Jerks. These baits work good for me year round. Whether you choose a shad style Crankbait or a Stickbait both lures work great casted or trolled. If trolling shoot for a speed anywhere from 1.5-3 mph. You may find that on certain days you may need to go faster or slower than these speeds. Also at night you might want to consider using planer boards to reduce scaring fish if fishing shallow. If casting switch up retrieves until you get something to work. Anything from a simple retrieve to a stop and go retrieve can work.
These are by no means the only ways to catch Walleye this time of year and anglers should experiment as much as possible. However you decide to go about fall Walleye fishing always remember the guy out fishing always catches more than the guy sitting at home!
Article by: Cody Brown
Photo by: Jeff Herbert
Do you fish for fall Walleye? Do you target a different species of fish in the fall?
Let us know in the comments below.