Walleye

If you are looking to embark on a walleye “trophy hunt” this fall, you might want to consider a fishing trip to Lake Erie. Beginning in October, the fall trolling bite starts to turn on. As it gets closer to ice-up, the bite heats up even more.

With fall upon us, rivers are typically at lower water levels and the walleyes are migrating into them. These fish are on the move and looking to feed. During this time, you'll find great places for jigging walleys like the smaller “spot-on-a-spot” areas such as holes and the washouts of wing dams.

by Pros4- 1Source's Dave Landahl

Eric Olson has been swinging walleye rods for years as a tournament pro. He loves chasing those golden toothy critters and has developed quite a skill set over the years winning at the highest level including an MWC championship.

This time of year can be challenging for walleye fishermen. However, jigging Moonshine Shiver Minnows over deep structure in late summer has proved to be a great tactic for provoking bites the past few years.

The Technique to Use

One of the keys to being successful when fishing walleye is finding structure that fish are relating to. It has been more than a decade since SD cards preloaded with lake maps were put on the market. They quickly proved to be a valuable tool in locating breaks, points and humps.

Pulling spinners for walleyes can be a very effective way of putting fish in the boat during the heat of summer. You can buy spinner harnesses already assembled or make your own.

Tips for More Walleye this Season

Not all bodies of water offer reliable after dark ice fishing opportunities for walleyes, but there are many notable fisheries where we have caught the majority of our fish (and many times the largest fish) long after the sun sinks into the horizon. From Montana's Fort Peck Reservoir to the Finger Lakes of New York, the night shift may be your key to catching more and larger walleyes through the ice.

The advantage of trolling crankbaits for walleye is twofold.  You can cover a lot of water and swipe through large areas and you can also trigger fish that might not respond to some slower and subtler presentations. On so many bodies of water, we see a transition that gains intensity as fall transcends into summer where crankbaits seem to trigger more fish especially if you are looking for big fish.

(Editor’s note: Ted Takasaki placed 10th in the NWT Walleye Tour on Green Bay July 24 –25.  This is his view of the tournament.)