Fall Walleye Fishing Tips

Here are some fall walleye fishing tips that anglers can use to land more walleye and bigger walleye this year. As the heat of summer starts to give way to the cooler temperatures of fall, the walleye bite often heats up quickly. As the walleye bite starts to improve, anglers should be heading for the docks and banks with poles in hand.

Work the Shallows

After spending the summer avoiding the bright rays of the sun, walleye will begin to spend more time in the shallow water feeding on prey fish and will be much easier to catch throughout the day. Though summer walleye are often caught in low light periods and at night in shallow water, fall walleye can often be caught throughout the day in the shallows. Keep an eye out, if the water is clear it is even possible to sight fish for walleye.

Cover Ground Quickly

Fall walleyes will often strike quickly, meaning that anglers do not need to cast over and over to the same area. It is important to cover a lot of water to locate fall walleye, and then fish that area well before moving on. By casting and retrieving lures that can be worked fast, anglers should be able to quickly determine whether or not walleye are present in one area and move to another area if they are not found. Another way to cover a lot of ground is through trolling. When possible, multiple rods should be used with different lures that will run at different depths.

Crankbaits

Crankbaits are always a good lure for walleyes, but using crankbaits for fall fishing is ideal as they can be fished quickly when searching for walleye. Crankbaits of varying sizes, patterns, and actions should be carried in a tackle box and experimented with as much as possible. Rigging two poles with different crankbaits can allow an angler to present two different lures at each stop with a minimum of effort.

Match Prey Fish

Though matching lure patterns to the natural prey fish in the water is always a good idea, this tactic is easier in shallow water as the prey fish are easier to spot. Anglers should work to not only present lures that have a natural appearance, but also use lures in the proper size.