“Timing is everything.” This is a phrase we often hear throughout our lives, but it could not be truer for walleye fishing. In our daily lives, our schedule is everything. When we go to sleep, when we wake up, when we eat and when we do our daily activities such as going to work, school or other activities often revolves around a set schedule. Walleye are no different and once you learn this schedule, you’ll find that night time is the right time to target these fish.
Gaining the Advantage
Walleye are a unique predator in that they are prepared to feed at any time of the day. On the Missouri River reservoirs, walleyes may feed all day long if there is adequate current and/or wind. While these anglers are loading their boats up, anglers looking to fish from shore or on the eastern side of the state may be just hitting the water. These anglers may fish for a short time around sunset or they may fish all night long. The beautiful thing about walleye fishing, especially in South Dakota, is that anglers could find biting walleyes all 24 hours of the day!
The reason this bite is possible is because of a walleye’s eye itself. The walleye’s eye features a tapetum lucidum. This component is uniquely designed to capture all available light in an environment so it can be utilized by the animal for vision. While we are discussing walleye right now, this is the same reason that the eyes of mammals such as deer, cattle, dogs and even cats will “light up” when around flashlights, headlights or other light sources.
While the walleyes have this advantage, their prey do not. Walleye’s forage will vary from waterbody to waterbody, but the fish they are feeding on across the state will not have these lowlight vision capabilities and this puts walleye in prime position to strike! Walleye are often most active and feeding during the twilight period around sunset. This is because their prey is still active, but they are quickly losing the ability to see what is going on around them. This makes walleye the most equipped species in the area and therefore the most effective predator!
Where to Attack
South Dakota offers a wide variety of waterbodies that can all offer excellent walleye fishing. The Missouri River reservoirs of Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe, Lake Francis Case and Lewis and Clark Lake are all classic reservoir style fisheries, with the upper section featuring more river qualities and the lower section more lake qualities. Current is an important factor on these waterbodies and a healthy mix of current and wind can result in an all-day bite.
By contrast, the Glacial Lakes region of eastern and northeastern South Dakota features natural lakes and flooded sloughs with strong populations of walleye and other game fish in many of these waterbodies. While larger waterbodies like Bitter Lake, Waubay Lake, Lake Thompson and Lake Poinsett can stretch thousands of acres, other lakes and sloughs may only be a few hundred acres at most. A “deep” lake in this area would be considered over 20 feet deep.
The lack of current, shallower depths and small size makes these lakes very wind driven. When a moderate to strong wind is blowing the windblown shoreline can often produce fish all day long. This is because the wind is breaking up light penetration and waves are stirring up sediments and dirtying the water. Both elements make life below the surface darker and therefore prime conditions for walleye. During these conditions, the bite may extend for as long as the wind blows and the walleye are able to capitalize on their distinct advantage.
Elements like strong winds, storms and heavy cloud cover can disrupt the daily routine and trigger walleye to bite at various times of the day. However, when these conditions are not present a prime bite window builds for the hour surrounding both sunset and sunrise. During this time, changing light conditions offer an excellent opportunity for walleye to utilize this vision advantage on their prey and they will often feed heavily. When stable conditions persist, anglers may even be able to time this bite window within minutes!
The Perfect Opportunity
Fall is a busy time for everyone; between the return to school, fall sports, hunting and harvest season and more it is difficult to make time to sneak out for some fishing. Fortunately, the strong sunset/sunrise bite means anglers can often experience excellent fishing and many times spend less than an hour on the water!
Pay attention to the weather patterns throughout the day. Calm winds and sun often mean an excellent bite is going to be underway as the sun dips below the horizon. The next step is to identify areas that will likely experience this type of bite. Any clear water areas are often strong candidates. These could be the tailraces below any of the major dams on the Missouri River or simply any rocky shorelines with minimal current. Similar rocky shoreline areas on any of the lakes in eastern South Dakota can produce as well.
This pattern also presents an excellent opportunity to enjoy the “blast and cast” options South Dakota has to offer. Dropping a line in the water at sunset is an excellent way to cap off a day pheasant hunting and often enjoy a beautiful sunset as well! It is also a great way to unwind after a long day of work or school.
It is easy to make the argument that fall is the best time to be an angler in South Dakota. The strong fall bite not only can produce both excellent numbers and quality of fish, but the bite can fit into any schedule! Whether you are looking to spend all day on the water or just sneak out for an hour or two, there is a bite for you this time of year in South Dakota! Good fishing!
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