Fall is one of the best times of the year for walleye fishing, however early fall can be tough to dial in. The fish are in transition and sometimes it seems that the pattern is that there is no pattern. Fish can be found shallow, deep, and everywhere in between. The transition time simply makes it tough.
For Jason Mitchell early fall walleye on Devils Lake means it’s time to cover water. Throughout much of the year, fish hold to a ‘spot’, making it productive to target one area. However, come early fall, he recommends taking a bigger view. In this sense a ‘spot’ might be a 300 yard stretch along weed lines. Often weeds will hold fish well into the fall making trolling these stretches very productive.
During this time of year he also picks up his trolling speed to 2.5 to 3 mph. This is because fish can be scattered in early fall, and going a little faster helps cover just that much more water. The key is to put the bait in front of as many fish as possible and cover as much water as possible.
When it comes to targeting early fall walleye, don’t get hung up on waypoints. Instead, kick up the speed and don’t be afraid to cover some water. The fish won’t be piled on a spot and instead will be roaming through an area. By covering water the fish will start to add up throughout the day.
2 Comments
Thanks for the timely video, Jason. Do you find the walleyes also transitioning to a more live bait – minnows/crawlers bite from crank baits when trolling? Or are cranks still a good option in covering all that water? THANKS!
I find that some days the fish do want live bait but will run cranks whenever it seems like fish are scattered. Early in the fall, it seems like fish can be really scattered but than the patterns get more defined later into the fall where we start to use vertical presentations like jigs, jigging raps or chubs on rigs on specific spots.