The fall can be an exciting time for walleye fishing. With shorter days and cooler water temperatures, you will have a lot more options for catching fish. If you are comfortable fishing deeper water, go ahead and hit some of the same spots you hit in the summer. There should still be fish there, but you might find some of those deep fish heading up to shallower water. If you find fish deep, stay on them with your depth finder and keep catching them. Don’t be afraid to go shallower if the deep bite is a little slow. Find some shallow water close to your deep water hot spots and you will find some walleye. For the shallow water fisherman, you can target some of those same areas that you fished in the spring and have good success. Get out there on a cloudy day and you can have blast in the shallows. Find some cover such as rocks, wood or a nice weed line and you will boat plenty of walleye.
In the rivers, walleye and sauger will move back into the rivers. Shiner minnows are usually the main food source, so smaller crankbaits and jigging spoons tend to work well during the fall. As water temperatures drop below 50 degrees and head towards the lower 40s, it pays to slow down and vertical jig with a jig and minnow. It’s a simple, but very productive rig for catching walleye during the late fall. Walleye will feed into November, so don’t put the boat away too early if you want to experience some good walleye fishing.
Fall is Transition Time – Be Flexible
Walleye may be shallow. They may be deep. You really have to be flexible and open to fishing a number of different spots until you find them. On some bodies of water, there will be a huge migration with walleye moving to different parts of the lake or back into the rivers. One day, fish may be shallow and the next they may be deep. Be willing to cover some water to find the walleye and just know that they may not be there the next day.
As Fall Progresses, Find the Green Weeds
With weeds dying off, walleye are going to move away from the dying weeds and they will seek out the weeds that are still alive. Fish the green weeds and you’ll probably catch more walleye.
As It Gets Closer To Ice Fishing Season, Go Deeper
As the water temperatures get colder and it gets closer to hard water season, you are going to find most of the bigger schools of walleye in much deeper water. Try targeting the reefs with water from 20 to 40 foot deep. You may need to fish slower and use live bait to get more bites.
