Some of the best fishing of the year happens in fall. You have to tough out the cold, but trust me, it’s worth it.
During the late fall months, walleye fishing is my favorite. With clients in the summer, I spend a lot of time fishing largemouth bass or northern pike, most often with live bait. In fall crankbaits are the go-to. With crankbaits, you have options to cast or troll and success can be found with either.
Trolling is a very effective way to cover water and catch a lot of feeding fish. I look for weed lines in the lake that still have live green weeds associated with scattered rock bottom. Main lake points are always a good choice. During day time hours, I will troll 15 – 17 feet of water. During night-time hours, I go for the shallower water, approximately 12 – 14 feet deep. At night, the walleyes slide up the weed line to feed.
My trolling rod preference is a seven-foot medium light casting rod, teamed with a bait-casting reel. The lighter action rod seems to keep the treble hooks of the crankbaits from pulling out of the fish. When fishing I will only use one pole per person, as the use of planer boards seems to be less effective. The fish are in small areas, so exact presentation is the key.
My second choice for Fall crankbait fishing is a jerk bait. For me, jerkbait fishing is almost exclusively done at night. In late fall, the water is clear after turnover making the walleyes spooky in the shallower water. My bait of choice is the Smithwick suspending rogue. I like chrome/blue or chrome/black for color choices.
The retrieve I find most effective is a couple fast cranks to get depth, then a couple cranks and a pause. With water temperatures cold, I don’t aggressively jerk the lure. Most of the time the strike will feel like extra weight or a weed.
