Fall-fishing: A Value-added Component to Autumn Hunting
By Gary Roach

This fall, force yourself to sneak in a couple hours on the water.

Every year about this time, the fishing writers and magazines publish stories proclaiming the missed opportunities of fall fishing. “It’s some of the best fishing of the year, and the lakes are empty!” they write. And year after year, the lakes remain relatively void of anglers despite a good bite under the surface.

Problem is, too many of these writers have one hobby: fishing. They fish one species (sometimes one lake), and can’t understand why everyone else has other priorities.

Well, Mr. Walleye is here to tell you he feels your pain. I just spent a beautiful September weekend ­ we’re talking two days sun-up to sundown ­ getting deer camp into shape. Didn¹t touch a fishing rod all weekend, and angling conditions were prime. Those who have closely monitored my writing through the years know my little secret: I’m a multi-species angler, and when autumn rolls around, I chase my fair share of game -- big and small -- too.

But that doesn’t mean I abandon fishing. On the contrary, it gives me an excuse to maximize my outdoors recreation on a given day. It’s a simple equation: Go grouse hunting in northern Minnesota, pheasant hunting in eastern South Dakota, or deer hunting in the Wisconsin river country. Just bring the boat with you!

Shorter days and cooler temperatures activate the fish come October. Weeds are beginning to die back, thus exposing more baitfish, and predatory gamefish sense a key feeding opportunity during what’s left of the growing season.

Then there’s the turnover factor. As I write this piece in mid-September, I’m already seeing scattered signs of lake turnover around Minnesota. You’ve read extensive explanations of turnover before, but a quick outline breaks down like this: During the summer, most lakes stratify into a cooler lower layer and a warmer top layer. The thin layer where they meet we call the thermocline. Come late September and through October, cooler nights mean temperatures of that warmer layer plunge, which affects the water density. Eventually, that upper layer flips with the lower layer, resulting in rapid mixing of the water.

It must feel pretty bizarre to a fish when turnover occurs. All of a sudden, they’re breathing turbid water ­ gunk from the bottom frequently appears on the surface. Go figure that fishing shuts down on a given lake for at least several days post-turnover. I remember at least one year when Al Lindner pushed back the In-Fisherman Fish Jamboree in Walker because of an ill-timed turnover. All the water was green, and the fish were keeping their mouths shut!

For you, it means giving lakes time post-turnover to settle down. Fish other lakes if turnover has occurred on your favorite waterway. Then watch for water temperatures in the high 50s to kick the bite back into gear.

A friend lamented to me recently about his dad refusing to take any advice about using live bait in the fall. Maybe he’ll listen to me. Especially in those cold, clear lakes of Canada and Minnesota boundary waters country, live bait virtually is mandatory. Always follow this general rule: Add meat as the weather cools. Earlier in the fall, I was using crawlers and leeches.  By early October, I’m done with crawlers and sticking almost exclusively to minnows, and to a lesser extent, leeches. We had great success at a September event in Red Lake, Ontario, fishing with the biggest chubs we could find. Redtails, big rainbows, even big fatheads ­ when water gets cooler, fish go meat. Double leeches are worth a shot, too.

During that Ontario event, I also saw walleyes moving shallow. It happened in a matter of days, even hours, that fish were leaving the deep water of 30 to 35 feet and holding in the 17- to 18-foot areas. Why? Because the lakes are cooling, the food sources are moving shallow, and the walleyes are meeting them there.

Back to that well-balanced sportsman theme. Go ahead and hunt grouse in the morning because peak of the day is prime time for fall fishing. Especially on a calm day, walleyes usually are easy to mark just off the edges during midday, before scattering into the shallows (11 to 12 feet) come evening. If anything, they’ll be tougher to locate at dark. Yeah, there are exceptions, and windy days offer a caveat here. Wind stirs up the water, so forage (and those following walleyes) may take to the shallows earlier than on a calm day.

Generally, I’ll drop a minnow rig first, especially on the inside edge of a weedline or breakline. My favorite artificial right now - I had great success with it on Lake Erie last month -­ is a Rattlin Rogue, crankbait. It’s deep-lipped, and trolled slowly it rattles well and has great action. It’s really an excellent fall lure, especially in stained water.

On our stocked lakes, you’re usually going to find good numbers on the weedline. On our big natural walleye lakes, like Mille Lacs, I find larger fish monitoring the shallows (they can go anywhere they want!) and the numbers running a little deeper.

To summarize, start on the edges, then work your way shallow, especially as the afternoon progresses. Use those electronics to check the points for schools of baitfish and big fish. Though you¹ll find no bigger cheerleader for underwater cameras than yours truly, I probably use my camera less in the fall than at any other time, simply because of water clarity this time of year. In clear lakes, however, I still check things out with it regularly.

Don’t look at fall fishing the way you view summer fishing: as an all-day adventure. By viewing it as “value-added” to your hunting excursions, you’ll sneak in a couple of hours here and there. Yeah, you might miss a nap or that extra-long lunch, but you’ll savor some of the best fishing the calendar has to offer. We’ll see you in the grouse woods - er, I mean on the water!

For more of Gary Roach’s fishing insights visit www.keepfishalive.com.