End Of Year Walleyes

Doug Stange takes you on a crash course of when he thinks it is best to catch walleye’s. From time of day to water temperature, and lures to prime spawning locations. Be sure to take notes and test them out yourself!

“Some of my best walleye fishing of the year often coincides with the rapid crash in water temperature on large Brainerd, Minnesota, area lakes near our In-Fisherman office, including famous 130,000 acre Mille Lacs, which lies 20 miles to the east. By the time the water temperature drops to about to 42.5°F, shallow rocky-gravelly shoals will be visited by schools of prespawn ciscoes, which spend most of the rest of the year roaming open water. Soon enough, as the water temperature drops another degree, ciscoes go into full-scale spawning mode. Of course, walleyes—big ones—move right in there with them. This pattern typically unfolds in our area during late October and into November.

Some of the best fishing transpires at night, when ciscoes often push very shallow, within range of boot anglers or anglers long-line trolling. Over the years, I spent more than 20 nights each fall doing both. The fishing predictably peaked near the end of each season. On a calm night, especially during one of the nights surrounding the full moon, ciscoes often dimple the surface of the water right around you. Wading anglers often have them bump into your boots.”

Read more at In-Fisherman.com.

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