To reduce tangled messes of line and lures when trolling at night, I carry a library of St. Croix Eyecon trolling rods in the 7 to 10 foot range. When trolling multiple lines with a boat-full of fall walleye anglers, hand the anglers in the front of the boat a 10-footer, and ensure that rod is held straight out to the side; anglers toward the rear of the boat should use shorter rods, and present their lures off the corners of the transom on shorter lines. This array of rod and line lengths, coupled with slow, gentle turns as you troll, will minimize the amount of time spent picking apart a moonlit mess.
Focus on outside weed edges as you start your evening runs, but don’t be afraid to fish inside weed edges as the moon gets high. Shoreline rocks and even soft-bottomed flats adjoining expansive weed beds will also produce their fair share of moonlit walleyes If you’ve never listened to a World Series game on the radio while battling a trophy walleye under the light of the full moon, you owe it to yourself to try night trolling this fall!
Go with the flow. Large river systems, like the Mississippi, Missouri and Fox, that are famous for pre-spawn walleye action, also host an outstanding, albeit less-pressured, fall walleye bite. With many outdoor enthusiasts trading their walleye boat for a deer stand or a duck blind, fall fishing offers an excellent opportunity to tangle with a true river monster, but without the crowds of spring. Vertical jigging with soft baits is a technique that river rats have had in their back pockets for years, one that is now entering mainstream walleye consciousness.
Tie on a 3/8 oz jig head equipped with a wire bait keeper, and dress that jig with a 3-4” soft bait, like the Z-Man MinnowZ, in a bright color pattern to offset the turbid waters of fall. An exceptionally robust bait like the MinnowZ combats the tendency of short-striking walleye and sauger to surgically remove the bait’s tail, allowing the cold-water angler to catch large numbers of toothy fish on a single bait. I prefer to jig soft plastics with 20 lb test Seaguar Smackdown as my main line; an ultra-thin 8-strand braid, 20 lb test Smackdown has the same diameter as 6 lb test mono, which means that it cuts fall river current better and provides enhanced lure control at depth. I use a 24” leader of Seaguar AbrazX 100% fluorocarbon to maintain excellent feel and high sensitivity, while dramatically reducing line visibility at the lure.
Vertical jig with soft plastics using a short, stout and sensitive St. Croix Premier (PS60MF) or Eyecon (ECS63MXF) rod. Keep in mind the “less is more” approach when vertical jigging with soft baits: the less you move the bait, the more fish you’ll catch. Let the current do the work; hover the bait 3-6” above the bottom as you slip downstream with the flow, and enjoy the results of this emerging technique for river walleye and sauger.
Spring walleye fishing gets all the press, but the fall bite is truly the most enjoyable time of the year to chase ol’ marble-eyes. Pleasant weather, technicolor shorelines, campfire smoke drifting through the air, and big walleyes on the line all go hand-in-hand as nature prepares for a long winter’s nap. Take advantage of these last open water fishing opportunities of the year; you’ll be drilling holes in the ice soon enough!