The arrival of Fall brings mixed feelings for me. While I love, and look forward to the cool, crisp days of fall, the changing leaves, and the arrival of hunting seasons, this year I find myself torn, and slightly saddened to see summer starting to fade away. Our little girl is a serious outdoor loving toddler, and we spend a great deal of time outside. With fall showing, it’s a reminder that winter isn’t far behind, and our days playing outside all day in the sun may be drawing to a close, or at least changing. It’s the first year I really wish summer would stick around.
BOUNTY OF OPPORTUNITIES
Fall however, does bring some wonderful things. Aside from hunting seasons, the crisp cool fall air, the spectacular fall colours, pumpkin spice coffee and other wonderful pumpkin treats, it also offers some great angling opportunities for those wishing to get out on the water. It can be a great time to be out in the boat, and often times you can have lakes almost to yourself. And it isn’t because the fishing slows down. Fall can bring a bounty of angling opportunities, with great fishing for fall smallmouth bass, pre spawn lake trout, spawning salmon, walleye, and stocked lakes can produce some great action with cooling water temps.
Walleye will move from shallower water in late summer and early fall, into slightly deeper water. They will be chasing bait fish and getting ready for fall and winter ahead. Typically, I find fish in the 25 to 30 foot range, and this is where I like to start looking. Cruise the edge of rocky points and shorelines, or mid lake reefs and humps, looking for underwater structure, often near deeper water. Wind direction can be a big help, fishing wind swept shorelines where bait will likely be pushed into.
Conveniently, for fall walleye, there is no need to rush out to get on the water, you don’t need to fish early mornings to find fish. They seem to get active during the day, and smack in the middle of the afternoon can offer some of the best opportunities.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Our moose hunting group has been fishing fall walleye the last several years, with some great advice from Kyle Vescio, who runs Kashabowie River Resort on Shebandowan Lake, where we stay for our moose hunt.
He’s given me some great tips about fall walleye, and also encouraged us to get out mid afternoon. It’s perfect when paired with a hunting trip, as it allows you to hunt the morning, return to camp for lunch, go catch a few walleye, and then return to the woods for the afternoon/evening hunt.
AFTERNOON THE BEST
If you aren’t hunting, then it makes for a relaxing trip, giving you a chance to sleep in, enjoy your morning coffee, and get a leisurely start to the lake. No 5 a.m. cold, dark wake up for these fish!
Last fall we were lucky enough to finish our moose hunt on day one, and thankfully there was plenty to keep us busy for the week. Chasing whitetails and grouse kept us entertained and having the opportunity to slip out for an hour or two in the afternoon to catch a feed of walleye was quite the treat. Once we located some quality fall spots several years ago (with the help of Vescio), we cruised these shorelines looking for fish, and using the Humminbird always found them somewhere in the vicinity each time.
It seems once you locate a productive piece of fall walleye shoreline, they tend to congregate in these same areas year after year. Once you find walleye in the fall, make sure you drop a pin on your GPS, as you likely won’t have to look far the next time you’re out.
Fall is a wonderful time of year, and although I may not be able to spend long sunny days outside, and splashing in the pool with my little girl, it is a pretty wonderful time of year, and I’m looking forward to her seeing and appreciating what fall brings!