Fair-weather fishermen may stay warm at home this time of year, but that doesn’t apply to Eric Olson. Cold breezes or not, more likely than not you’ll find the professional walleye angler on the Mississippi River somewhere near his home in Red Wing, MN.
“The walleyes can be big, and they are putting on the feedbag,” said Olson, 44, a Land O’ Lakes pro team staff member and a member of the pro staff at Lindy Fishing Tackle. “And whether it’s walleyes or sauger, the fish can be very aggressive at this time of the year.”
Olson recalled one autumn day when he filmed a television show. They put fish in the boat up to 9 pounds and had one break off at the boat that would have made 12 pounds.
Finding Fall Walleyes
Locating river fish in autumn is a matter of understanding how they’ve evolved and the combined effects of current and temperature, explains Olson. The fall bite gets underway when the water cools and the daylight periods shorten. Originally a river species, walleyes know instinctively the time has come to migrate upstream until their progress is stopped, usually by a dam. They’ll set up house for the winter near the open water the dam provides, and the hard-bottomed areas they’ll use to spawn in spring.
The sun warms the water and the solar effect draws baitfish, which draws the predators. No need to rush to the water. The best fall and winter fishing on the river permits anglers to sleep in.
“Let the sun do its work,” says Olson. “Nine or 10 o’clock in the morning works for me.”
Water warms most when rocky riprap is present. That’s especially true on the east or north side of the river that receives direct sun for the longest period of the day. Deep water nearby gives fish a safety zone. And, as in any river situation, fish take advantage of current breaks that create slack-water eddies where they can rest near moving water and ambush prey swimming by.
In short, warm water plus current breaks near dams equals fish.
One likely spot is any eddy created on the sides of the dams just downstream. Shorelines in this zone are usually covered with rocks. The logistics give walleyes plenty of spots to herd and corner baitfish. This area can provide consist action all day long as schools of walleyes arrive and depart.
Catching River ‘Eyes
The dam area is also one of Olson’s favorite spots, because he can use the tactic he enjoys most â flipping jigs and plastic bait to shallow water, from only a foot to perhaps 5 feet deep. Use a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce Max Gap jig dressed with a Thumpin’ Ringworm; or Techni-Glo Fuzz-E-Grub jig tipped with a minnow. Best colors generally are purple/silver, silver, black/silver and chartreuse.
Choose the lightest jig you can and still stay in contact with the bottom. Lighter jigs are easier to free from snags in the rocks. He uses 6 1/2- to 7-foot medium action rods with fast tips for pitching.
Olson said a key is to use 8-pound-test, high-vis, low-stretch monofilament. Unlike braided line, monofilament can be broken free if a snag does occur. The thin diameter offers less water resistance, and flipping underhand gives the wind less chance to interfere with accuracy than casting overhand. The low-stretch gives greater feel. The high-vis gives him an early tip-off when a fish takes the jig. “I’m a line watcher,” says Olson. “Watching the line is everything.”
Here’s a tip â Olson has noticed many anglers make the same mistake during their retrieves. The lift-reel-drop motion is fundamentally correct. But, they allow slack in their line during the drop. Keeping line tight during the retrieve can mean the difference between fish or a missed strike.
Olson also uses the information he feels through the tight line â bumps, smooth places and drops â to develop a picture of what lies below. That way, when a fish takes his bait, he can tell what kind of bottom it prefers and whether it was on the top of a break or at the bottom. Patterns emerge over time. Armed with that data, he can seek out other places just like the ones that are producing that day.
Watch for baitfish breaking the surface. This means predators are attacking the school. “Get a bait in there ASAP,” Olson stresses. “You’re seeing actively feeding fish when you see that.”
Wingdams near the dam will also hold walleyes. Anchor above the wingdam and cast jigs or lures to the face. The water is usually low in fall so the walleyes will generally be closer to the bank, so start there.
Try jigs with plastic. But, if live bait is needed, use willow cats or nightcrawlers, both favorites of river walleyes.
Three-way rigs and live bait also work. Use a Lindy NO-SNAGG sinker as your dropper sinker to avoid hangups. Try quarter-casting to the current side and let the moving water carry your bait downstream to the base of the wingdam where fish will be holding. Or use your electric trolling motor to move your bait along the front face of the wingdam.
As winter arrives, sauger will stay active longer than walleyes. But, there’s still fish to be caught. The sun shines even fewer hours than before and snow often covers the rocks on shore, limiting their influence on fish location, according to Olson. Rather than look for them in the shallow water, move out to the 18-21 foot range, switch to shorter 6-foot rods for faster hooksets and vertically jig below the boat. Vertical jig and slip with the current.
In the fall, you should never stay home to be warm. Instead, warm up on the water with some hot river fishing!By: Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
