Fall is the time of year that walleye begin prepping for a long, stressful winter. Much like a runner “carb loading” the night before a race, walleye feel the need to consume as much energy as possible in preparation for winter. Energetic demands are even greater in females as they are also budgeting resources for egg production. These factors combined create the perfect recipe for a trophy walleye at the end of your line.
Go Big or Go Home
Larger baits are going to shine this time of year. This is for a few different reasons. The first is that the young-of-the-year fish are going to have had all summer to grow and are significantly larger than they were at the beginning and middle of summer.
The second is because the fish, in particular females, are looking to stack on calories before winter reduces their forage options. Summer is a buffet table of bait, although once it begins winding down the buffet table begins clearing as well. The cooling water temperatures are lowering the fish’s metabolism making it more important that meals are worth the energy expended to obtain them.
The third and final reason is I am looking to target the biggest fish in the system and would rather go with a larger bait to appeal to those fish as opposed to a smaller bait that may catch more fish, but not the biggest fish.
There are a few different tactics anglers can employ when targeting these trophy walleyes. The first option is target shallow structure with shallow running crankbaits and jerkbaits. Generally this seems to be a better option when the waves are crashing across this structure or at sunrise and sunset when walleye are more likely to be shallow.
I have a few go-to presentations depending on the wind and weather conditions. If it is clear water, there is a slight to moderate wind that is not creating waves big enough to cause a mudline or stain the water and the sun has not fully set yet I like to go with a bit smaller, more natural presentation.
In this situation I like a #7 Rapala Shallow Shad Rap that is Perch, Yellow Perch, Walleye or Silver colored. Another good option is a #5 Phantom Lures VooDoo Shad that is Foil Perch, Ghost Pearl or Fathead colored. This also seems to catch more bonus monster smallmouth bass than anything else.
Once the sun sets I switch colors to Purpledescent or Hot Steel for my Shallow Shad Raps or will put on a #12 Rapala Husky Jerk that is Pink or Purple Chrome colored. If they are liking the minnow profile a #11 Phantom Lures Abyss can do some damage too. The more natural baits generally catch fish as well, the important factor here is the light levels are going down and that is when I generally expect to do more damage on walleye.
If the wind is blowing strong and creating a mudline, regardless what time of day it is, I plan to catch walleye shallow. The clock may say 3 p.m. but the light conditions say “walleye time”. In this situation I like to go with a larger, louder bait so that the fish can pick up on it in the dingy conditions.
I usually favor a #12 Rapala Husky Jerk, again in that Pink or Purple Chrome. I also have done well with a #9 Rapala Shallow Shad Rap that is Hot Steel or Purpledescent colored. A #9 VooDoo Shad in Purple Tiger, Firetiger or Big Lou can also work well.
The main thing I am going for is a big bait that creates a lot of vibration. The big difference between the Husky Jerk and Shallow Shad Rap is the Shad Rap is balsa, so it does not rattle like the Husky Jerk does. The Husky Jerk and Abyss are also longer, but more slender while the Shad Rap or VooDoo Shad has a shorter, but deeper profile. The main thing I am going for is a big meal that is worthwhile for a trophy walleye and both profiles accomplish that.
The second tactic that can be employed is pulling spinners on bottom bouncers. When conditions are not as favorable for walleye being active on shallow structure and you are waiting for the wind to pick up or the sun to set pulling the deeper water adjacent to these shallow areas is a good method to pick up a few extra fish. Often even when fish are not actively pursuing prey they will take the opportunity to snag an easy meal if they feel it is worth the effort.
In this situation, larger blades are going to excel because they look like those larger, easy meals. A size 5 Colorado blade or a 1.9-2.8” Mack’s Lure Smile Blade with a fair amount of beads and a minnow are great options for a beefy profile behind the bottom bouncer. The larger blades put out more vibration and add to the overall profile. The nice thing about the Smile Blades are they can be fished extremely slow and still give off the proper action. This is not a situation we want to be cruising. The active presentation is casting plugs as discussed above. In this situation we are targeting neutral fish and hoping that a larger bait at a slower speed can convince the fish that the meal is easy and worth-while.
The biggest surprise I had while I was experimenting with these presentations was is that they are not exclusive to trophy caliber fish. I have caught quite a few of the more “eater” class walleye while fishing these baits, but I’ve had two really eye opening experiences.
One September day, I was fishing in northeast South Dakota pulling spinners looking for a nice bag of fish to eat later. I reeled in one walleye that was 15 ½ inches long and had a partially digested walleye carcass in its mouth that I measured at approximately 7 ½ inches, but yet it still wanted the spinner and night crawler!
Then again, in the middle of summer I was fishing Snakeweed Lake on the Woman River system in northwest Ontario and I had a 17 inch walleye spit up a 5-6 inch, half digested walleye carcass. Check it out here in this video.
If the bait looks worth the effort these fish are going to eat, even when they are still trying to finish their previous meal. Every time I worry if a bait is too large I think about these situations and that gives me the confidence to either “go big or go home”.
Confidence is Key
I have detailed the kinds of baits I like to use for trophy fall walleye, but the most important part of targeting these fish is to have confidence. Trophy walleye fishing is a frustrating game, even when conditions may be perfect and everything feels right you might not get a bite all day. It is important to be confident in yourself, your location and your presentation.
I do not believe there is a “magic lure” on the market, but I do believe that there is a “magic lure” for individuals. The baits I discussed above are my magic lures. I feel confident when I have them tied up and that reflects in my casting, my retrieve and my general mood.
As an individual, each angler needs to find what baits, areas and retrieves give them that confidence and then use it! This may take some experimentation and a whole lot of failure, but that is the name of the game when hunting these giants. It only takes one cast to hook up with a fish of a lifetime.
It is critical to always have your knots, line and mind 100% ready to go because with this type of fishing even in the midst of your worst day of your worst season it only takes one cast to land the biggest walleye of your life. Good fishing!
Related Reading
Fall is an excellent time to target shallow walleyes wherever walleyes may swim, but the Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota is one of the best times to target these fish. Learn more about the baits discussed here and the areas to target in the readings below!
Shopping for hard baits can be tough. With so many options on the market, it can be tough to find the perfect hard bait for your situation. In Know Your Hard Baits, Nick breaks down the factors to look at the next time you go shopping for crankbaits, jerkbaits and everything in-between.
The most important factor in having success in the fall is finding the high percentage areas that the trophy walleyes are going to be. With football season in full swing, walleye anglers need to find their own Red Zone. In Staying in the Red Zone for Trophy Fall Walleye, Nick details everything you need to know to find your Red Zone for trophy walleye.
Related Videos
Looking to learn more about casting shallow crankbaits and jerkbaits? Check out this five part video series that details anything and everything you want to know about casting shallow crankbaits!
In the first video, I detail the type of structure you are looking for fall walleyes on.
In the second video, I discuss my two favorite lures and when I select each one.
In the third video, I discuss how to increase the life of your crankbaits and fish them the most effectively!
In the fourth video, we discuss the importance of knowing the specifications of your lures and how to make sure all your components are correct.
In the fifth and final video, we discuss the variety of other lures available on the market that can be effective in catching walleye.
Want to learn about casting tailraces for fall walleye? Check out these videos here!
