Fall patterns

[Justfishing]

I dont have any experience fishing for walleyes. I am planning on coming up to MN from Omaha in late September or early October. What will the pattern likely be.

Where should I be fishing shallow-deep. Crankbaits or livebaits etc.

[Justfishing]

Mistermom

I will probably head up around the central part of the state. Alexandria, Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes. Somewhere in that vicinity. I can take I-29 up and then head east. Pretty easy drive at night.

I just have a small boat with a 10hp motor and could use some suggestions for lakes. I wouldnt mind a larger lake if I had a fall back plan for a smaller lake if it was windy.

thanks

[This message has been edited by Justfishing (edited 09-02-2002).]

[mistermom]

You also might want to consider river fishing.
It sounds like you are going to cross the Minnesota river at some point. That could be real excellent at that time.

mm

[Borch]

There are a lot of smaller lakes and rivers that will be going good by then. All you need to do is decide on a general area.

As far as tactics it will very. The best bite might be in 40ft of water on a jig/livebait rig and a lively chub or up shallow trolling cranks day or night.

Hard to say.

[mistermom]

Hey JF!

If you know where you are going watch those forums and post questions. That is close to turnover all over the state and might be past up north. So the fishing could be extremely shallow to extremely deep and everything in between. Trolling cranks at night shallow on a lake like Mille lacs should be fabulous around that time. Jigs and minnows deep off of points during the day could be good too. A lot depends on how fast we start getting cold up here. Good Luck!

mm

[Havin' Fun]

I would suggest Detroit Lakes area for that fishing trip. That time of year is great. You could fish several lakes in the area that should really produce. I would start with Lida near Pelican Rapids. Big...but not too big. Fish points or the rocks. I have had great luck out there when it's freezing cold and the northwest wind is just a howling. Another good area lake would be Cotton. This lake isn't real deep so it would elimanate the deep fishing. Find the weed edges and work them hard with a minnow. Nice crappies in there too. Another good choice more in the Alexandria area would be Carlos. This lake is deep. Real deep. 160 feet. Here I would concentrate on steep breaks. There are quite a few, but look for those that are near weedy flats.

This should get you going. If you need anymore help, hop on to the forumns of these area later in September and they will help you.

[Jim W]

JUstfishing,

If your interested in just fishing, maybe you would be interested in just catching?

If your heading up near PArk Rapids I strongly recommend checking out Big Sand lake near Dorset or about 15 minutes from Park Rapids.

I fished it for the first time this year and caught some real dandy walleye! However, the catch is(no pun intended) there is a slot on the lake that protects and creates larger fish.

It isn't that big of a lake(1600 acres) and really doesn't get big(waves) with deep 135 foot water.

The mid lake structure is fairly easy to fish. The water is so clear that during the day you can visually locate the sunken islands. Then it is simply a matter of trying the saddles and edges of the submerged islands, trying out different depths until you locate them.(Check with the locals on the latest bite).

GOod luck!

Keep the rods bendin'!!!

Jim W