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ANDAs temperatures drop and the leaves begin to turn, many Great Lakes area sportsmen head to the woods to hunt. This year, consider delaying the start of your hunting season and go “hunting” for the biggest walleye you’ll catch all season.
Autumn is good for zander fishing for several reasons. First, most of the bait that hatched in the spring was depleted by the intense feeding of predatory fish in the summer. Second, walleyes feed heavily to store calories for the upcoming winter and spawning season.
Third, walleyes usually live in deeper waters and are basic to spot on electronic devices. Fourth, walleyes, especially huge ones, usually travel in schools, hunting for forage. Finally, walleyes are quite basic to catch once they are located. All of these factors add up to some of the best fishing of the year.
Locations
Just follow a few basic location keys and you’ll be fishing in the fall.
Walleye are starting to move toward areas where bait is plentiful and where walleyes will spawn in the spring. This time of year, deeper water (over 25 feet) seems to hold more fish. Deep water holds bait and tends to be more steady in the fall. Look for deep water near an incoming current, such as rivers, creeks, or shallow rock areas in the main lake.
One of my main keys to locating is taking the time to look for the right water color. In autumn, I definitely avoid “brown” sullied water. Although you can mark many fish in “brown” water, getting them to bite is usually a fruitless effort.
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I also try to avoid “blue” water. Blue water is usually too clear and devoid of plankton to attract fish. I call my favorite water color any time of year, but especially fall, “Erie Perfect.” Look for green water where you can still see the main engine propeller, then start looking for fish on your sonar.
In the fall, it is very critical to “hunt” before fishing. Walleye congregate in tight schools in compact areas and you can spend a lot of time fishing where there are no fish. Use your sonar to quickly find fish before you drop your bait into the water.
When you mark fish, save the waypoint in your GPS and get ready to fish. Also be sure to note the depth of the fish and be sure to release the bait about 2 to 8 feet above the fish. Walleye suspended at least 2 meters above the bottom are usually aggressive bites, and the higher the fish is in the water column, the more energetic it is.
Bait
At the beginning of the fall season we catch most zanders. Trolling with spinner/crawler combinations and trolling spoons work well in early autumn waters. However, when water temperatures drop below 60 degrees, the best presentation of huge walleyes is trolling with long, lean crankbaits that work well at low to medium speeds.
Lures like Reef runner, Deep husky jerk, 20 best, Bandits, Reapers, Deep RoguesAND Deep tail dancers they have proven over the years that they are great producers.
These baits perform well at typical trolling speeds of about 1 to 2 miles per hour. Since the water is usually clear in the fall, running baits to the side behind inline boards will aid anglers when fishing with multiple baits and enhance strike rates.
Remember to let the fish hang on the board for a while before reeling it in. Falling fish are not always aggressive, and allowing them to pull themselves towards the board for 10 to 15 seconds will aid ensure that all the stretch is exhausted from the line and the hooks are embedded in the fish’s mouth.
Most of the time I’m not a gigantic fan of bait color, but history has shown that baits with purple, red, orange or pink bottoms will catch many more fish most days than baits without those colors on the bottom. The amount of color does not have to be a lot, but it must be noticeable to the fish when it looks at the bait.
Experiment with different colors of the sides throughout the day, but remember to focus more on the color of the belly.
Favorite places
Some of my favorite places for fall trophy walleyes are Saginaw Bay in Linwood, Michigan, submerged estuarine lakes in western Lower Michigan (Pentwater, Muskegon, Mona, White, Manistee, Portage, etc.), Tawas Bay, Bay of Quinte, the lower Detroit River, Saginaw Bay and the waters of Lake Erie in Ohio.
Areas of other Great Lakes states that meet the above criteria should also see good walleye fishing in the fall.
If I had to choose my favorite place to spend October and November, it would be Lake Erie between Port Clinton and Vermillion, Ohio.
This area is the site of a mass migration of giant zanders returning to the Western Basin from summer feeding grounds in the central and eastern basins. These fish are huge and follow the bait, swimming to nearby rivers.
My favorite launch site is the public launch on the Huron River in the city of Huron.
The fish are found east to Vermillion and west to Sandusky. The fish typically live in water 25 to 40 feet deep, and when found in clear, green water, they are usually willing to bite.
Whether you call them pigs, toads, sleds, or just trophies, fall walleyes provide your best opportunity to catch the biggest fish of the year and lots of gigantic fish.
Follow the tips provided here, dress warmly, and you may discover a fresh kind of “hunting” in the fall!
