Fall fishing

I got a chance to leave the boat in an extra month this year, but have never fished this late into the year before and don’t have any idea where to start. A friend lent me a couple of lead core rods, but figuring out where that crank is I’ve found it’s more art than science. And until I actually catch something in that method I don’t have the faith in it yet. I’ve heard using suckers this time of year works, but are you jigging them? Using a bobbber? Even heard using a spinner rig for them. I’ve seen some resorts saying a leech and a bobber, which was the go to method it seems this year, but does anyone have leeches yet? Can you still pull a crawler rig? Neighbor says he basically uses a lindy rig set up but puts a crank 6 feet behind a 2 ounce weight.

Taking a friend out this weekend, also a nube to fall fishing, and any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Think spring. Fish are moving back to their spring locations.

Sucker minnow for smallies on the rocks works great. Will get walleyes too.
Use a Lindy rig set up.

Pulling crank baits will heat up as the water cools. As it gets later into fall stick baits long lined shallow will catch walleyes.

Plenty of other ways to catch em as well but these are my go to for fall on Mille lacs.

Jig and minnow jigging raps

FYI – Water temp was still 68 degrees on Sunday.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Sucker minnow for smallies on the rocks works great. Will get walleyes too.
Use a Lindy rig set up.

This is the way, find some rocks under 20′ of water. Pay attention to the depth when you catch one. Rinse, repeat.

Spinner rig or plain snell work better? That answer will probably answer my next question, but what speed are we thinking?

Appreciate the insights so far.

I don’t know if you like to cast or not but the last two Octobers I’ve done pretty well snapping a jerk bait. Walleye, smallmouth, and even the occasional pike mixed in. The best water temps have come when its between 50-60 degrees, so it sounds like we’re not really that close yet if its 68.

Alex Fox wrote:

Spinner rig or plain snell work better? That answer will probably answer my next question, but what speed are we thinking?

Appreciate the insights so far.

Plain snell.
.5-1.0 but can vary sometimes faster.

Alex Fox wrote:

Spinner rig or plain snell work better? That answer will probably answer my next question, but what speed are we thinking?

Appreciate the insights so far.

Plain snell .5 to 1.4 mph.
Waters still warm so that bite only gets better as water cools.

I was on a large lake in central northern MN last weekend, water temps from about 68 to 70, and I caught plenty of fish. Primary options were pulling a bottom bouncer, spinner rig set up with a crawler and pulling shad raps. Primarily fished 8′ – 12′ depths. Pulled the spinners between .8 mph and 1.4 mph and pulled raps from 2.5 mph to 3.0 mph. Fishing will only get better as the temps drop. Rivers offer a lot of options also right now.

While I am sure there are many ways to catch fish on Mille Lacs in the fall, my go to has been using sucker minnows. I have had good luck fishing rocks, typically somewhere between 8-14 feet of water. I don’t use a traditional Lindy rig though. I run braid to a mono or flouro leader, then use a larger hook and nose hook the sucker. I then place multiple small split shots on the leader spaced about 6-8 inches apart. This allows you to really dial in the weight without having to retie. It is almost like having a mini section of lead core on the line. It also seems to prevent hang ups, though some are always bound to occur when fishing rock. I learned this technique from a video years ago (Brosdahl maybe?) and have had good luck with it. Hard to beat getting a good strike, feeding the fish line and setting the hook. You will typically know after the first fish or two how long to feed them line for. Of course, too long and you risk gut hooking, so typically I will start with a shorter lead time and if I am missing a lot, give it more time. I like to try and mark each spot I get a solid strike. Sometimes you’ll get a pretty obvious pattern that you can then replicate.

Plastics-Plastics and more Plastics.

nord wrote:

Plastics-Plastics and more Plastics.

On mille lacs?

For walleyes, troll cranks until the water cools then troll some more cranks.
Faster and deeper now, slow down and go shallower as the water cools.
Trolling OFR’s and HJ’s in 4-10ft after dark is a blast in October.
Live bait is hard to beat for smallies and a few walleyes as already mentioned.
Weedlines are another option. 1/4oz Jigs with plastic or minnows.

Deuces wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>nord wrote:</div>
Plastics-Plastics and more Plastics.

On mille lacs?

You bet