What do Walleye do in the Fall?

[LucG]

I went out fishing on Sunday to an area that has produced great fish during the last couple weeks, but got skunked.

 

I was just wondering what the walleye do at this time of year?

[scugpg]

I think they start moving in shallow and towards rivers and creeks? I too am in the same boat and need to track them down. When do they start really slowing down?

[Headhunter]

EAT!

HH

[bushart]

Look for the sharpest breaklines you can from shore.

 

If your lake has a ciscoe base they will run up rivers soon and willy will follow.

 

Here Endeth The Lesson.

 

Bushart

[frozen-fire]

They eat in the fall.... following their forage.

[bushart]

Nudder spot to check depending on weather...look for weed patches---reason being---the weeds are dying underneath but a lot still are green on top---makes like a roof or canopy diffusing sunlight-----1/16 oz jigs and minno's good combo here.

 

K--now i'm dun

[bushart]

Oh yeah one more ting------if your fishin those sharp breaks---lean towards the 18-20 fow range plus

 

Now I'm really done

 

Bushart

[12footspringbok]

Guess it depends what water body you're on. I personally have decent luck in pockets than are 40-60ft deep close to bottom. From what i understand the water temperatures are alot more stable down there this time of year. But ya they put the feed on something fierce this time of year, don't be afraid to go out on those super cold crappy days, sometimes it turns them right on.

[solopaddler]

In your neck of the woods....that is northern shield country, they can be a tough, tough nut to crack.

You're undoubtedly experiencing a very common post fall turnover lull.

When the lakes turn over in the fall the fish scatter and the bite becomes tough.

Once things settle down the bite is generally still tough.

 

Yes they'll invade the shallows on occasion (look for any sort of semi green weed.

 

Yes they chase suspended baitfish and you can catch them trolling.

 

However the best advice I can give considering where you're from is fish DEEP with oversized live minnows.

Possibly deeper than you've ever fished before.

Many if not most of your favourite "classic" walleye spots, (points, saddles, humps) in 15-25' depths will seem devoid of fish. You'll fish hard all day at this time of year and come up empty.

That's because you should've been fishing depths of 35 up to 50'

 

You'll need a good stiff rod and braid of some kind. Easiest way to rig is a large jighead with a stinger hook.

 

Last week of September up at my camp I had great success using 3-5" sucker minnows on 3/4 to 1oz heads with an appropriate stinger (if you don't use a stinger you'll miss most fish 'cause of the minnows size).

I was fishing a deep clay/sand flat in water that was averaging 40' deep.

 

The problem fishing this type of water is obvious...if you reel the fish in too fast their air bladder will be sticking out their mouth. You have to try and reel the fish in slowly to avoid this.

If it happens you either have to keep the fish or "fizz" the bladder with a hypo before release.

 

I'll be up there this weekend and I can guarantee you I'll be catching 'eyes hand over fist using the exact same techniques.

 

Should note: use your fish finder on manual with the sensitivity punched up a bit and search for the fish.

Spend some time combing the bottom 'till you find decent concentrations of fish, then break out the minnows.

 

As an alternative to live bait sometimes jigging spoons work wonders. Fished clean right off the bottom, as vertical as possible with sharp snaps...the hits are violent.

 

Good luck man.

[LucG]

Thanks Solopaddler! Great advice.

 

You'll bet my ass I'll be out there again, it aint over until its over. lol

 

Besides, one last fish fry is needed before the snow flies.

[dunner27]

THEY LIKE TO EAT!!!!

[trout-eater]

walleye get fat in the fall!

[anders]

I like using the "bigger the better" thought process for the fall...and like Solo said...go deep...and when you think you are deep....trying finding deeper!

[pike slayer]

dont big fat momma walleyes come into the shallows at night in the fall(i know they do in the summer to) and go on the feeding fenzy before winter? ive always caught my biggest eyes in 2-5feet of water in the fall on cranks like x-raps, might just be the lakes im fishing.

[LeXXington]

Hiding

[Dara]

I'm heading out tonight to find out.

 

A guy was catching them like mad Sunday night. I couldn't get a hit.

 

I'm taking another shot at it tonight with some new weapons

[Dara]

Such high hopes....such dismal results

 

oh well...I'm gonna keep trying

[Dabluz]

Right now in the St-Lawrence River, Quebec City, the walleyes are biting in very shallow water. The shore fishermen are making good catches. The recent rains has dirtied the water and the walleye are cruising the dirtier water close to shore.

 

The fishermen are also saying that there are lots of gobies close to shore too and I know for a fact that here in the Saguenay river, the 2 inch smelt are running upriver by the millions. However, walleye season is closed in my region....I have to fish for the brook trout in the Saguenay river.

 

So....as you can see, it's a question of finding the walleye....they could be anywhere. At the end of our walleye season, I was catching walleye in 20 to 30 feet of water with a Walleye Diver which dives to about 15 feet.

 

In Chibougamau, the small ciscos are moving into the rivers and the walleye come right up into 1 foot of water after sundown.

Edited October 8, 2009 by Dabluz

[GBW]

I will be testing a 4" grub twister tail on a bullet head jig this weekend...

[kpm2k]

A guy I know caught 4 good sized ones off shore on the weekend, at a bridge.

 

I really don't mean to throw you for a loop, with people talking about going deep, just statin' the facts.

[dave524]

There are some areas where walleyes will target the frogs when they migrate to the shores of lakes for hibernation, get them quite shallow in the fall evenings then.

[Dabluz]

The real fact is that nobody can garantee catching walleye. Yes....experience is very important when it comes to fishing for walleye. Sure...some days you can't beat them off with a bat but there are lots of days when they are few and far between.

 

I'm a pretty good walleye fisherman. Been fishing walleye since I was about 3 years old. One day this year, I had the audacity to garantee walleye to 2 guys I brought fishing with me. I caught the only walleye. They were fed up and wanted to leave. It was about 1 hour before sunset when we left. Anyway, that's the last time I garantee walleye...lol.

[crappieperchhunter]

35-55 FOW...vertically jigging a jighead and a minnow or worm. Or an ice fishing jigging rapala with a dew worm impaled on the front hook then twirled around the rapala barber pole style and impaled on the back hook or the bottom treble...depending on the size of your worm. That all you need to know for the walleye spots I fish this time of year.

 

The deep water eyes tend to feed all day as well... with mid morning usually being the best bite. No need to get up early and no need to go out after dark. Gotta love it.

Edited October 10, 2009 by crappieperchhunter

[bushart]

The real fact is that nobody can garantee catching walleye. Yes....experience is very important when it comes to fishing for walleye. Sure...some days you can't beat them off with a bat but there are lots of days when they are few and far between.

 

I'm a pretty good walleye fisherman. Been fishing walleye since I was about 3 years old. One day this year, I had the audacity to garantee walleye to 2 guys I brought fishing with me. I caught the only walleye. They were fed up and wanted to leave. It was about 1 hour before sunset when we left. Anyway, that's the last time I garantee walleye...lol.

 

 

That's why I can think it but I never say it----Learned that lesson as well

 

Bushart

[muddler]

I tore a tendon in my shoulder (the casting shoulder) earlier this summer, so launching a boat and taking it out was very painful. Casting repeatedly for hours was out of the question. So, instead I went out every evening to a local (5 minutes from home) little bridge that crosses a local creek (it's over 100 feet wide and we call it a creek). Because this "creek" empties into a larger river and the level of the river is controlled locally by a dam the "creek" flow varies daily. This area is a well known catfish (called barbut here) spot.

 

I would take the kids out with me and we would catch a pile of smallmouth, pike and the occasional walleye. We rarely fished late in the evenings as the bugs would get so bad that we could not stand it. Now with the colder weather the flies are gone. I've gone out each evening for an hour before dark and except for one night(raining cats and dogs) I've caught a pile of walleye. I've caught 11 walleye over 26 inches (put back) and my largest was last night (31 inches). The water is 6-8 feet deep in the main channel and there are a lot of minnows by the bridge. The funny thing is that I'm the only one fishing there ..... every night. A local older gentleman come to vist every day and helps me keep the area clean of garbage. He still can't believe that there are so many walleye in this spot.

 

The point is, the walleye come to this shallow "creek" in the spring and the fall to feed. The fishing is just too easy then. I use a 4" twister tail on a jig and bump the bottom. That's it. I've tried rapalas but the jig seems to produce better. Some of my hits occured as I was lifting the jig out of the water by the shore. So they are in very close. About half of my strikes occur within 10-15 of the shore. With a bad shoulder I don't have to cast very far. This by far the best time of the year for shore anglers. Find where the forage is and a little structure in shallow water and the evening bite is on.

 

Having a shoulder problem may have been a blessing.

 

muddler