FALL WALLEYE By Brian ‘Bro’ Brosdahl
I I
t’s true that the walleye bite slows down throughout the summer. Bug hatches and crayfish molting mean fish stomachs are filled with mayflies and soft shell-less crayfish. With water temperatures in the mid-to-high 70’s, walleyes lay low in the shade of vegetation or on the edge of the thermocline, mostly feeding at night when it is cooler without the intensity of the sun. The day-bite then picks up when their stomachs are empty. Walleyes feed hard when the pressure changes and won’t open their mouths if the barometer reading goes too low (and sometimes too high). Overall, they’re simple creatures. That doesn’t mean fishing is easy!
A couple of consecutive cold, long winters froze out minnow and leech ponds. An explosion of winter pressure and traffic on most large inland lakes created a high demand for minnows in the wintertime. Add it all together and there are not enough minnows to keep up with the modern minnow demand. Perfect timing at the bait shop will leave your bucket full. If not, be sure to have good plastics such as Northland Tackle Eye-Candy.
When I take a guide trip for walleyes, I have no control over Mother Nature. But I do know that you can’t catch fish at home or in your office. I enjoy a good challenge when the walleye fishing gets tough. You can put the odds in your favour by having the right tackle, good bait and the right presentation. The proof is in the live well – or your camera – at day’s end.
WALLEYES BY THE NUMBERS As summer is drawing to an end and fall is just around the corner, water temperature becomes the most important number of them all. The barometer is still a big player, but as the water temperature drops below 60 degrees walleyes will bite better on bad pressure readings. When the water temperature gets into the low 50’s, you can practically just wiggle your SUPER PLASTICS finger in the water to get a walleye bite. Until then, we are left with one issue in I have found that a 3.5-inch Eye-Candy northern Minnesota – the lack of minnows Paddle Shad or 4-inch Eye-Candy Minnow and other types of bait. works just like live bait. You can jig
aggressively or rip them. You can go slow and pause. Or you can swim them – they are so soft they never stop moving. Treat it like you have a real shiner or chub hooked on your jig.
Eye-Candy is made with a TPE plastic that is virtually indestructible, plus super absorbent. It is packaged in a tray with a lid so added scent stays in the bait and not all over the boat. How long will it last if you glue it to your jig head? I had one jig crawler on a 1/8 oz. MVP jig survive for two weeks of guiding and catching fish all day, every day until a northern pike bit it off! I play with colours. It is surprising what colour triggers bites from day to day. Try Purple Chartreuse, Pearl White, Black, Green Pumpkin and Purple Gill. Add a Black, Parrot, Sunrise Tungsten Fireball or MVP jig head to complement the entire presentation adding contrast or bulk or making it smaller. There are so many things to consider along with jigging cadence. If I have three different clients in the boat, I try four different colours at a time. When one colour becomes hot, I switch all client lines to that colour. My line stays experimental all the time.
SUNLINE LIGHT I recommend going as light as possible with line. I use Sunline FC leader material, made of 100% fluorocarbon 8lb. – but will go to 6-or-7 lb. test when walleyes are being difficult. I attach the leader to SX1 green braid or (Continued on page 4.)
Fall 2023
Just Fishing . 3
