What should I do for these eyes?

[freebledsoe]

Hi folks, I would like some input.

I fish a small metro lake sometimes for walleye and northerns. There is a stretch of shoreline with a steep break, drops to 20+ feet within about 30 feet from shore. I was out the other night, trolled cranks. Caught one nice northern, but no more bite for several hours effort.

I was marking TONS of fish, some on bottom but most suspended. Also marked several schools of baitfish. I started just before sunset, and thats when the northern hit. Then sunset, and nothing! I know there are walleyes in there, and along that stretch. But, how deep on that break do you suggest fishing?

I am thinking of trying jigs/ lindy rigs along that stretch as well, but I thought the fall walleyes were suckers for trolled cranks. (This is my first year with a boat )

[gunflint]

That's a little shallower than I generaly fish this time of year. But I would try getting out a couple hours before dark and try a lindy and or a jig tiped with a minnow a the base of the vertical structure. If you use a rig give them a lot of line before you set the hook. Right now I'm giving them up to 30 seconds before I set the hook. That can be an eternity when you know there's a nice walleye on the other end of your line.

[loebs93]

If I find fish to be suspended off a deep drop-off, like you mentioned, I don't hesitate to use slip bobbers and fatheads. Yeah they can be a pain in the rear to set up, but that is a for sure way to figure out what is down there. Just set the bait at the depth of the marked fish, cast out and slowly work it back. I often find that there are crappies suspended rather than the walleyes I was anticipating .

For the fish on the bottom, I would start by tying on a heavier jig(1/4 and up) with a fathead and hopping it off the bottom from shallow to deep. This will get you to those fish that hold tight to the bottom.

These are two ways I would approach that drop-off.

Hope this helps and good luck

[zelek]

You stated you started just before sunset and fished for several hours....how deep of water were you trolling in after the sun went down and what type of cranks were you using?

[Northlander]

I would try a 3 way rig with a 1-2 oz. bell sinker or slinky and then a 3' leader and slow troll a large minnow of choice. Also use a bottom bouncer and troll a spinner rig and minnow. Both these can be fished on bottom or up higher. With the 3 way rig play with drop length a bit. If the fish are up high try a 3-4' drop but put a float under the 3 way swivel and that will keep it standing up when at slower speeds. As Gunflint said with the bigger minnows give them time to get it all mouthed. 10-30 seconds, maybe longer but not all that often.

If you get into active fish get the minnow off and 3 way a shallow Rapala or Smithwick. You can fish this faster and contact active fish faster. Good luck.

[Surface Tension]

If we had more details about lake depth, temps, structure, clear or stained and bottom content it would help. I guess what I'm getting at is are you looking in the right place. I think your looking to deep and trolling cranks at night over deep water for eyes in the fall doesn't make sense to me. Thats a pattern I'd do in the summer. Crappies love those steep banks this time of year, I'd be willing to bet your seeing suspended crappies with pike hunting them. With the water cooling down and in a time with turn over, I'd be reverting back to spring patterns to target eyes. We've had some temps above average, take advantage of those temps and hit the wind blown shorelines.

I promise you you'll have eyes stacked somewhere up along those shorelines come evening. Again it depends on the lake as to where those eyes feel comfortable sending their daylight hours. I start out looking for gradual breaking shorelines. In your case I'd move down the shoreline till that sharp break turns into a gradual taper.

While fall eyes have the feed bag on they aren't real aggressive, the bite is super light. I like a jig tipped with a minnow slow trolled or drifted, slow enough to give a near vertical presentation till I find a concentration. Then it might anchor up or continue that slow troll, just depends on how spread out the eyes are. BTW, the profile of Scenic Tackle's Angel Eye jig really helps to keep that jig closer to the boat and less line blow back. When the eyes are on a light bite this helps tremendously.

Back to cranks, of coarse they work and along with the jigs, rigging, spinners and floats its just one more presentation to add to your arsenal. Again I'd slow the presentation down and select a crank to match that. In spring and fall a #13 Original Rap is probably my favorite stick bait because the action is good when trolled or retrieved slow and thats the key IMO, a slow presentation.

If you want to take advantage of those suspended crappies I'd suggest a 16th or 32 oz jig tipped with a crappie minnow. I know plastics work but I'm still hung up on live bait. Anyway unless your vertical jigging and watching your suspended jig on the sounder your guessing as to your as to your depth your jig is at. I like to fan my casts out and search for crappies instead of waiting for them to come to me. Say I marking most of those suspended crappies 15' down. If you use a bobber stop at 25' up from your jig it gives you a visual reference point as to where your jig might be in the water column. After a few casts and retrieves you'll get an idea where that jig is in the water column and make adjustments.

Someone mentioned bobbers for a controlled depth presentation. Well that'll work but but you should be constantly moving the bobber around to stay on fish and for the action.

[freebledsoe]

Thank you for all the tips, folks! I did make it back out there once since my post... and most of the suspended fish were in fact crappies. Managed one very nice 18" walleye just off the bottom with a 1/4 oz. jig and fathead in about 16' of water.

I know there are some nice eyes in there, I'm still trying to find where they might be concentrating. This is the stretch of the lakeshore that I caught 3 four to five pound eyes in one day this summer... seems it has been taken over by crappies and the pike eating them.