Anglers in this part of the world eagerly await the fall walleye run into some of the major river systems. There are a lot of key variables in triggering these fish to move to these tributaries. Understanding those will help determine when to go and where to find the fish.
CURRENT FLOW A KEY
While we had a lot of rain in August in this part of the world, it still hasn’t improved the flow on the Red River and other areas. With a low flow you won’t get a large number of baitfish moving in which will affect the walleye run as well. Do your homework and find out what rivers have both decent water levels and flow. If there is none close to where you want to fish, I would recommend sticking to lakes or reservoirs. Those could include Tobin and Last Mountain or Lake Winnipeg.
Don’t overlook some of the smaller bodies of water either. When looking for walleye in natural lakes, walleye location will change with the temperatures. Once things start to cool down baitfish start moving shallow and a percentage of the walleye will be right behind them. In some cases it has started already.
I fished Lake of the Prairies recently and I found the walleye from five feet to 22 feet. The most active fish were the shallow fish and casting a 1/8 oz. jig with a swimbait worked well. This is especially effective when there is shallow vegetation that is holding fish. We also found a good schools of fish using the sand and rip rap edges in 12 feet of water. What is critical to success is finding the fish first on your electronics. I was still marking these fish under the boat but in real clear water, fish will move away from the boat and then side imaging starts to play an important role.
FISH MOODS CHANGE DURING THE DAY
On our first day at LOP we caught all our fish on jigs, mostly tipped with a ribbon leech. A massive rain system had dumped more than 50 millimetres of rain the day before along with an intense thunderstorm overnight. It wasn’t surprising the bite was off a bit in the morning, picking up as the day stabilized. I have learned over my many years of fishing that if you grind it out and stay on fish, you will catch some.
DAY TWO
I decided to try new water on our second day and it took awhile to find fish. It was worth the wait though as a large flat that extended into a main lake point was loaded with fish. What was interesting is that we couldn’t buy a fish on a jig. Instead of moving, it was time to change tactics. I rigged up my two friends with my line counter and steelhead rod setup I use for walleye. I gave each one a #9 Flicker Shad.
We covered the 12 to 20 foot mark, hooking walleye non-stop. I decided to put my lead core line down with a shad coloured Flicker Shad when all hell broke loose.
My lure had gone slack. Standing up, I suddenly felt the weight of a heavy fish. One minute later a huge pike came out of the water, walking on its massive tail. While I didn’t have the heaviest rod in my hands, the fish was well hooked. I almost lost him when he dove under the boat in a massive power dive. When he emerged on the other side, he leapt out of the water again, trying to shake the hook in its mouth. Another power dive later I managed to get him turned around in the waiting net. While I have a large net, this fish barely fit. He ended up measuring 106 centimetres, qualifying for a Manitoba Master Angler.
He cooperated nicely for a picture and then a quick release.
BONUS FISH
At this time of year all species are feeding more actively as they get ready for a long winter. By being versatile, you can turn an average day into a good one. After I fought that large pike the spot had turned off. You can hardly blame the walleye after that commotion. I decided then just to move to the edge of the breakline in 20 feet of water and put on a Shiver Minnow. I soon had three walleye in the boat while my friends were shut out on a jig. I gave my rod to one of them and he landed one in quick order, then three more as I rigged up two more similar lures.
Fall is a great time to be on the water!