Minnows?

[Kyle Sandberg]

The past couple of trips I've taken, my bait store has started running out of leeches and now I've been using minnows to some success. Anybody else getting them on minnows and is it about that time of year when the start feeding on minnows?

[PerchJerker]

I think there's two reasons minnows "get good" in the fall.

One is that as the year goes on, the young-of-the-year baitfish grow bigger and get thinned out, and just aren't as easily available to the fish --- to put it another way, in the middle of summer there's a lot more natural competition against your minnow.

The other is that as Fall sets in and the water cools down, the fish put on the feedbag big time to get fattened up for winter. And what better way to do that than a big oily baitfish

[palisade1kid]

Now that the big bug hatches are all done the walleyes are keying on minnows.

During my last few outtings I've been opening up the stomachs to reveal minnows that were eaten.

Some of the walleyes are also spitting them up while in the livewell.

Looking at the water temps ,I've notice it drop from the high 70's to the low 70's.This is also an indication that the bugs are done hatching forcing the walleyes to key in on minnows for their main forage base.

Finding aggresive walleyes is as easy as finding the minnows.

I'm working the tops of the breaks or around the humps on the deeper flats were the minnows are hanging out.Usually around weed patches in 10-12 FOW.

The low temps we are seeing are in the 50's at night so the water is cooling setting the stage for the fall bite.

This is a time when they throw on the feed bag. It will continue until around the end of December when the ice gets snow covered and the oxygen level drops.

Low levels of oxygen causes the fish to become finicky.

So get out there and target those minnow clouds you'll see on your locators.

Tis the time for some awesome fishing !

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[Kyle Sandberg]

Thanks for the replys. I thought that is what was happening.

[palisade1kid]

If the lake you are fishing has a bunch of crayfish ,then they could be hitting them too.

Also frogs will be hybernating soon ,so they could be a tasty treat for walleyes like in a river.

[Team Otter]

The frog bite is not far off.