Fall Walleye Fishing?

Just out of curiosity why do so many people get so excited for fall walleye fishing. Everything I read makes it sound like walleyes are jumping in the boat.

I would consider myself a good fisherman I always do well in the spring and summer for eyes but have yet to crack the shell when it comes to fall fishing in the metro area (east metro). Pre-turnover I have focused on fishing weeds and shallow sand spots after dark trolling raps but have yet to do well. I know post turnover there can be a really good deep deep water jigging bite which I yet to experience.I find myself driving around alot trying to locate fish in all different depths bet yet to really find much. I know leech and winnie and most othern norther lakes can be quite easy and fun to fish during this time of year but I’m really curious on what tactics and areas guys concentrate on pre-and post turnover in metro waters.

The last thing i can think of maybe the lake I’m fishing isn’t a good walleye lake. But from the DNR stocking records it seems good.

thanks again!

Jigging raps or live bait rigging a red tail along the outside weed edges is working right now. Rock/weed transitions can be a good location too. Trolling or casting shallow rock piles or weed clumps can be effective too. Hours on the water marking specific rock piles and inside weed edges really pays off this time of year.

Fife wrote:

Jigging raps or live bait rigging a red tail along the outside weed edges is working right now. Rock/weed transitions can be a good location too. Trolling or casting shallow rock piles or weed clumps can be effective too. Hours on the water marking specific rock piles and inside weed edges really pays off this time of year.

Thanks Fife! The lakes I fish have very little rock. I’ve searched for hours looking for structure on side imaging but have been unsuccessful.

Big fish come and play in fall. Especially the metro. All my usual spots turn into hog bass, northern , and eye spots. Numbers are usually cut in at least half, except for the night river eye bite, but the size makes up for it.

I’ll take one big fish over 10 lil ones all day long.

Because fall fishing is the best fishing. This was last night. Metro also. 2 guys casting into the shallow.

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Nice looking eyes! You’ve inspired me….

I’ve got a few hours on Sunday to get out and plan on fishing into the evening. Normally I would hit pool 2 but I’m thinking about switching it up to some other locations.

Any thoughts on other options? I’m thinking about trying either Harriet or Calhoun or potentially the St Croix. Only rule for the weekend is no live baits – either plastics or raps.

Pool 2 is always tempting because you always have trophy potential but I feel like I should broaden my horizons a bit.

24″ metro fall shore eye saturday

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I don’t fish your area, but for me fall walleye fishing is all about the thump when a walleye crushes a jig and plastic.

Couldn’t have been inspired on a nice calm night with the moon out, had to be windy and rainy with junk raingear which left me with chaffed nipples, and well….this girl

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YOWSERS!!!! What a catch. Way to go!

hmm, fall walleye. On the river its a blast, takes a bit of time to find but when you do its light out. I’ve been pounding sand for the last few weeks and for two hours of fishing each time 3-5 for the box, with biggest at 27 and 25. They are feeding heavy!!

I just got a delivery of flukes and jigging raps so I’m hitting it hard this weekend for big fish in pool 2. Best time of the year!

Fall metro lakes for me equal big live bait, and very color specific jigs, livebait rigs, and ninja tactics. Fish are there, with good size, but they have seen hundreds if not thousands of lures and become very picky. Once you figure it out its game on. Short biters are clues to what is/aint working. Lots of line out, keep the boat away from the spots, cast into, whatever it takes. Natural colors have worked really well for me, bare jig with no trailers. Wish I had more time to scope out trolling runs for nighttime, but just not the case yet, so have caught most fish on main lake humps and points, again these are smaller/medium sized metro lakes.

River is where I concentrate most my fall fishing. A lot of fishable waters from here to the Monticello plant. Bad night if I cant bring back at least a couple. Once the freezer gets restocked I exclusively fish for hogs at night with big loud baits. HJ-12 usually a starting point. Shelves with deeper water with light current on it is good, typically the bends, worked last night. Didn’t even mention the 21″ smallie I got last night either along with above. Takes a few years to find good shore spots but kind of nice for us family guys who have limited time and usually cant get out until dark anyways. Once the cold hits most the ghettos leave the outside areas, and hobos tend to congregate towards the shelters. Only thing you got to worry about is aggressive rutting bucks coming at ya, which has only happened once to me so far, and beavers, hate those dam things.

Maybe fish the lakes/waters Walleye Thai or Nick are fishing?
Nice bag Thai! Nick, how big was yours? Looks nice!

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Nice bag Thai! Nick, how big was yours? Looks nice!

26″. Been a stellar year for fish over 23″, but those river fish just get thick and bellies are freakin wonderful. Had a day boated several in that slot on leech from 23-26 but none come close to river fish.

Above the St.Anthony falls, one tip only bc blueberry stoli tastes so wonderful, forage in cold water is mostly baby bullies. Every single fish got poky lil monkeybutts in their tummies.

Do you put in at boom island? Never used that launch but I run by it a couple times a week. Never a boat in that lot.

Boom, the one up on Camden, 694 here and there, and the Brooklyn Park launch as well. Ever since upgrading the boat not sure id be able to launch at any of those now the majority of the year other than Boom. Most people launch then park down the side street by the open field there to avoid the $1.50hr fees. They do patrol! Although if you ever get ticketed for it in Mpls, a park officer told me you can simply buy a $30ish yearly pass and that will void out the ticket. I always pay, its a nice launch. The navigation channel goes up to the 42nd bridge and stays pretty consistent, although with no barges going up and down will be interesting to see how that plays out.

The river night bite is good all the way through Monticello. I used to live in Champlin so getting out that way was shorter than, but will venture up time to time. Google maps is your friend, found most all my spots either looking for park adjacent to water, or seeing every public launch sign, park sign, etc on the road and pulling in fish things out and see if theres any structure worthy of coming back to during certain time periods of the year. Wish they had more big fish up there though, big cats and smallies, but big eyes are FAR and few in between. Chart ring worms or jig and fatheads, small raps. Leave all your moxies, pulsers at home, have yet to catch one eye on those things up that way.

I’ve never fished north of Ford dam so this should be interesting. Looks like some good structure and Islands so I’ll give it a try tomorrow and report back. I’m going to go up there with raps, live bait, and a few other things and see what happens. Thanks for the tips.

Plenty of smallmouth but no walleyes. Probably hit 10 spots and caught smallies on most of them. Raps, plastics, and jig/minnow all worked. Water was still really cranking…I was surprised it was still moving that fast. Temp was about 52 in most spots.

What kind of size to em? That pool has steadily been getting bigger fish. Nothing crazy, but alot of the 2-3# cats have become 5-7, 12″ smb are now in that nice fighting 15-16″. Look forward to this time of year those bigger bass bunch up on the deep bends and can be a good ol time.

Finally got the trailer rewired and boats all set to go. Been so much lil crap to get done with it anxious to get it out hardcore starting immediately.

Biggest was 17″ and smallest was 12″ so pretty decent. I worked north past 42nd street but hit a real shallow patch and didn’t venture any further. Caught them off of pretty much every point and slack water on the edge of some of the islands. Was surprised I didn’t even scare up a walleye but didn’t really mark many fish. They might be pretty spread out given how fast the water was moving.

Anyone had luck fishing lakes lately or mostly on the river?

we went out to a sunken island mid day yesterday small central mn lake had nice sunfish hitting only two other boats they were also catching fish. slipbobber and a leach they were hitting pretty good.