Fall Walleyes?

[shae1986]

Ok i will come out and say i have never really fished fall walleyes other than one night. But i plan on making it out soon and not goose hunting so much. So what do i do, i will let you know my plan. I plan on fishing thinning weeds on top of humps that come up too about 12 feet of water. my other plan is to troll cranks over 12 foot flats using my electric troller. I really dont know what the walleyes do this time of year since i never fish them. Any help you guys have would be great. Oh i'll even spill the lakes im fishing. Pelican by Detroit lakes and Ottertail will be the main two, White Earth might be a possibility also. Thanks.

[Jim Almquist]

You also will want to give a jig and minnow a try. At this time of the year they can be in any depth of water so you might have to make adjustments according to light and water clarity but don't be afraid to go shallow.

[Team Otter]

You got started off on the right foot the one time you did do it by fishing at night. Long-lining Husky Jerks, Rattlin' Rouges and floating Rapalas are tough to beat after the sun sets. Water temperature dictates the activity level of the fish and trolling speed but as a general rule I like to hang around 2.0 mph until the water hits 50 - 55 degrees and then I'll start playing with slower speeds. I'll eventually be all the way down to 0.5 mph when the water temperatures gets to 40 degrees and under. Depth plays a role in locaton too but generally speaking, 4 - 10' is a good starting point. A good way to cover more depths in one location is to throw quite a few S-turns into your trolling run. For day time action, draggin' jigs and minnows is an option as is riggin' with big minnows. When the sun is out, focus in 15 - 30' of water.

[panhead]

On the subject of night trolling for fall eyes. When long lining after dark in water under ten feet can I get away with using the gas kicker or would I just be spooking them out of the shallows? Im camping for an extended period and charging a battery isnt an option. Thanks for your thoughts.

[Kyle Sandberg]

I have long lined when I had my old boat and using the main motor (15hp) was the only option. I got two walleyes and noone else got any.

[PerchJerker]

All of TOs advice is good, there's lots of good info in there.

In daytime if you're in thinning weeds in 12 fow a dropshot rig with a plastic is a good way to go too, same goes for a jig with a large minnow. Generally I like larger baits in the fall.

I always troll with my gas kicker, never with my electric motor, even in 3-4 fow. Speeds are slow and we're usually running 80+ feet of line out.

[scaup]

If you have a kicker don't be afraid to use it. I have talked to many guys that don't have the option of using electric or a kicker and have to troll with the main motor and they do just fine. I have pulled many eyes out of 4-7 feet of water with mine.

[Rost]

The only time I really fish in the fall is at night, especially during the full moon. This way I don't have to sacrifice my hunting. My favorite way to fish at night is a simple jig and minnow or casting cranks.

I've seen a lot of big walleyes caught after the sun sets..

[BobT]

My thoughts about whether to use the kicker or not. Sound in water travels considerably faster than through air. I believe its about 10x faster. This means that whether you make a sound over a fish that is 2' below the boat or 20' below the boat, it probably sounds about the same. So, if it doesn't spook them from 20' down, it probably doesn't at 2' either. What will spook them more is probably the presence of the boat itself rather than the sounds it makes.

Bob

[shae1986]

So from what i hear i should let the leadcore go and use straight fireline?

[Team Otter]

Don't sweat the "spook factor".

[Team Otter]

Straight Fireline.

[Kyle Sandberg]

Fireline.

[Northlander]

Power Pro for me.

[PerchJerker]

Stren Superbraid on most of my reels

PowerPro on a few

[Borch]

Straight Power Pro for me. In fact, I'm usually pulling 30 or 40 lb power pro for cranks and spinners. Walleyes have not complained even in clear water in several years.

[Navigator]

Depends: If I am running my plugs back a ways, anything over 50' then it's a braid. Anything over 50' and mono stretches too much and I have lost a few bigger fish to lousy hook sets. Otherwise I use mono for short distances. The thing about mono is it has a certain amount of give which is something you definitely need with any fish bigger than 28". They have a tendency of bull-dogging close to the boat and you need a little give to keep them from popping free.

I run my crankbaits at times close to the boat for example when I am following a contour and making relatively tight turns. The more line you have out, then less the crankbait will follow the path of the boat.

I am running power pro and cajun red.

[Nymph]

power pro on everything here.

[Mike Walerak]

I use a gas kicker year round and have very little problems with fish spooking. You would be surprised at how loud an electric motor is under water. Probably louder than a gas kicker. You will like that extra power when in shallow water and you are about to get washed up on the rocks.

mw

[Big Julie]

I remember a show of Al Lindner from many years back...

They were filming a night episode and demonstrating the spook factor of gas motors vs. electric.

They were filming the 'bright eyes' when illuminated by a light in relatively shallow water.

With the gas engine operating they did not spook.

They started the electric and 'POOF' the eyes were gone.

Moral of the story...

Electrics spook fish worse than loud (to us) gas motors.

[wishing for walleyes]

Learn something new everyday.Great post Big Julie.I have always thought the electric was quieter.

[BobT]

It might not be audible noise related. With the exhaust of a gas engine being ejected out the center of the prop I can't believe they are quieter than an electric. Electric motors are probably emitting some level of electrical noise, radio frequencies, magnetics, etc. and maybe that is what spooks them. Don't know for sure but just a thought.

Bob

[Sonicrunch]

That's what I was thinking. Or maybe simply the pitch of the soundwaves. The lower pitch of a engine would be a little closer to nature.

[james_walleye]

Its a very similiar situation to gas vs hand augers. I saw it also on the in-fisherman. Underwater they both sound the same. All you can hear is the sound of the blades. You cant hear the motor of the gas auger. The difference? Hand augers take much longer and in fact spooked more fish.

[BobT]

You know, you might be on to something there too. The pitch of an electric prop vs a gas powered prop may produce different sounds or vibrations in the water.

Bob