Don’t put away your hot-weather gear for walleye just yet.
Cooling air temperatures by day, turning even colder at night… It’s hard to believe
autumn can already be felt making an appearance. Hints of color are starting to show as patches of bright orange, red and yellow are mixing within summer’s dark green leaves upon the deciduous trees.
When it comes to catching walleyes, fall is a grand time spans during the open water season. But even with that said, don’t forgo your hot-weather tactics to those you’ll be using later in the year just yet.
This is because throughout the Midwest, September is still summertime. Although fall is near, the waters in your favorite lakes, reservoirs or rivers haven’t quite chilled enough yet to be considered fall-like.
Nevertheless, the slow descent in water temperature does have the bite improving.
MIXED UP
This is the month walleyes can be found mixed everywhere within the water column. What method you use to target them will depend on where you find them.
First thing’s first, and that’s exploring what lies below the surface before ever wetting a line, even on waters you may have fished many times before.
Within an instant of turning of the key, my outboard is started and off I go in search of fish—all the while I’m sitting comfortably upon my Lund’s seats, which are connected to the flooring via Smooth Moves Seat Mounts. And why do I mention Smooth Moves? Because this is also the time of year the wind often kicks up, and the four springs and hydraulic suspension of Smooth Moves Seat Mounts cushion my back and legs as I ride over the waves. They have been a pain inhibitor, for sure.
Before everything else, I use my Lowrance HDS-12 Gen3—an all-in-one GPS and sonar—not only to locate fish, but find other areas that may hold even more fish.
How’s that?
Within the card reader of my Lowrance is a SD card filled to maximum capacity with high-definition maps from Navionics. Navionics has the most productive fishing lakes in the U.S., and even lesser known ones, jam-packed onto SD cards.
With the aid of the Navionics program playing in the background of the GPS screen, I can take note of the depth and type of structure I see fish via the unit’s high-definition screen, and then I can scan the map for areas with similar structure and depths to check out later. And I have to admit, what I’ve discovered because of the detailed mapping of Navionics, even on bodies of water I have fished for decades, is places where fish feed that I never knew existed.
FIRST APPEARANCE
As I scan for potential spots to catch fish, I make note of where in the water column the fish are.
Fish bellied to bottom may be an indication of walleyes in a neutral mood, while ones hovering just off bottom are more than likely fish on the prowl. Walleyes found high in the water column are fish hunting down prey, as well.
Now, you don’t always mark walleyes that are just under the surface with standard one-dimensional sonar; because the fish have skittered out from under the transducer’s reach. You will, however, see “clutter” just under the surface, which are the very insects and minnows walleyes feed on. In short: When I’m marking bait but no fish, I just have to trust the predators are there, but just off to the side of the boat.
CRANKS AND SPINS
If I find fish are high in the water column, then trolling is by far the best method for getting a lure into the strike zone. And crankbaits and spinners (crawler harnesses) are my top offerings.
For me it’s Fenwick trolling rods coupled with ABU Garcia line-counter reels filled with 12-pound-test Berkley Trilene XL (Extra Limp) monofilament that you’ll find in my rod holders. And I utilize Church Tackle in-line boards to get my lures out to the side of the boat.
I also deploy lines directly behind the boat, and then use Church’s newer TX-007 Stern Planer —an in-line device that allows me to set the lure out at just the right distance so it reaches the correct depth, then lets me let out even more line to get my offering farther from the boat without impeding its dive ratio. Stern Planers also keep my lines from tangling during a turn.
When it comes to picking out crankbaits, there’s no need to look any farther than the many styles offered by Rapala. From Rapala Original Minnows to Shad Raps, as well Trolls-To Minnows and Shads, Tail Dancers and Down Deep Husky Jerks, the choices are seemingly endless.
Northland also makes the picking of spinners a breeze with their many styles of blades and rigs. From Pro Walleye Crawler Harnesses to Mr. Walleye Willow Crawler Hauler and the many in-between, there’s a blade shape, style and color for every occasion.
Overall, crankbaits should be puller from 1.5 to 2.3 MPH, while spinners from .7 to 1.5 MPH.
SUMMONS THE BOUNCERS
When walleyes are near a lake’s floor in the 20 to 40 foot range, I like to use bottom bouncers and spinners.
Northland Fishing Tackle’s unique Slick-Stick is a bottom bouncer made from stainless steel, and which has a thin shape that lets it slice through the water easily, and, allows you feel every “tick” when it taps bottom; especially when using a superline such as Berkley FireLine. And I prefer 10-pound-test FireLine spooled onto an ABU Garcia baitcasting reel and a Fenwick Elite-Tech Walleye series rod for maximum sensitivity.
And if panfish are being pesky and nipping tails off my live crawlers, I’ll forgo picking fresh ones from my Plano Worm and Leech Lodge and, instead, thread on a Berkley Gulp! Night Crawler.
CAST, LIFT, REEL, REPEAT
Are the walleyes wandering within the shallows? No worries; when fish are 15 feet or less I like to cast jigs and crankbaits.
Tied on to the end of my 6-pound-test Berkley—spooled onto an ABU Garcia spinning reel and Fenwick Elite-Tech Walleye Series spinning rod— you’ll find either a 1/8- or 1/4-ounce Northland Eye-Ball Jig. (Hint: Always use the lightest jig the wind will allow. The slower fall triggers more strikes.) And nipped to the tip of the Eye-Ball is either an energetic minnow fresh from my Frabill minnow bucket or a 4-inch Berkley PowerBait Worm or 3-inch PowerBait Minnow. I’ll experiment with all, changing often, until I figure out what bait the walleyes want that day. And trust me, it changes often.
I’ll use the same spinning rod and reel when casting crankbaits, but will beef up to 10-pound-test FireLine. Clipped to the Berkley Cross-Loc snap that’s tied to my FireLine will be a Rapala crankbait, including Shallow Shad Raps and Countdown minnows. (Hint: Snaps are the better choice over snap-swivels, the latter adding too much weight and hindering a crankbait’s action)
OH NO YOU DON’T!
Don’t put away your hot-weather gear for catching walleyes just yet as September’s Still Summer. Find where in the water column the fish are and then pick your technique from there. Troll if they’re up high; bottom bounce for ‘em if their deep; jig and cast in the shallows.
Mark Martin travels the countryside while fishing in several different walleye tournament tours throughout the year; he’s also an instructor with the Fishing Vacation/Schools throughout the Midwest. Check out his website at markmartins.net for more information.
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