Fall Walleye Fishing

September, October, and November are the fall months. The days get shorter and the weather becomes cooler. Walleyes start to feed more as the cold weather approaching will limit the food supply. Every evening walleye move from the deep water to the drop offs to the shallow flats to feed. The last 1 1/2 hour of light and the first hour of darkness is prime time. For most of september the weeds are still standing. They are still pretty thick so a crankbait is almost unfishable. You could fish a Gulp 4" minnow or a 5" jerkshad on a 1/16 oz flats jig which is semi weedless. A live crawler on a Mustad slo death hook fished under a lighted slip bobber is an excellent choice. You can set the slip bobber so the bait just skims over the top of the weeds. Fishing the outside edges of the weeds in 10-14' is also very good. The new 1/8 oz and 3/16 oz spinning jigheads tipped with live minnows or with plastics are especially good.

In October the weeds lie down. 5-12' of water becomes very fishable. Shallow to medium crankbaits fished right over the tops of the weeds become very deadly, especially with a stop and go retrieve. Gulp 4" minnows and 5" jerkshads fished on 1/16 or 1/8 oz flats jigs become especiallly deadly. The 1/16 oz is for 5-8' of water and the 1/8 oz works best in 6-12'. This jig and gulp combonation has become one of the best walleye baits of all time. October is also a time to troll for walleyes on Green Bay, Winnebago, Peatenwell, Castlerock, and Lake Wisconsin. Small to medium crankbaits are really good, especially shad baits.

November is the best month for big fish. Nothing changes from October to November except that the walleye get bigger and bolder. You also can fish later at night with great sucess. Once again the 3-8' depths are the most productive. When using the Gulp minnows or jerk shads you will do best with 1/16 oz flats jig. This fantastic late season walleye fishing will continue right to ice up. Every November some of the biggest walleys of the year are taken. Dress warm, use the right tackle, and you can catch the biggest walleye of your life!

Best Of Luck To You All!