09/15/2000
- Article
The
race is on for tailrace walleyes
by Rick Olson
Let
the games begin, and may the best man win.
OK, maybe it’s not a race, and it’s not just for men, but
if you’re into great walleye fishing,
the time is now. From here on out, tailrace angling should be good ,and getting
better, as we move into the winter months.
By
late summer and early fall, walleyes start to make a move that leads
them on an upstream migration. Quite often, that migration leads to
a dam, and can help concentrate fish.
Only the walleyes know for sure, why they do what they do,
but it really doesn’t matter.
We know it happens, and it’s this knowledge that can put
anglers on the proverbially mother load.
The
stretch of river below a dam, ( a.k.a. tailrace), can hold walleyes
all season long, but
come fall, they’re joined by many of their downstream
brethren. As more and
more fish show up, the action really starts to heat up. All those fish, in a necked down stretch of water, makes
finding them a piece of cake.
Just
knowing your on ‘em can make a big difference in your confidence,
and quite often, confidence is the deciding factor in
determining your success. When you know you’re in their neighborhood, you can
spend more time working on technique, and less time worrying about
where you’re doing it.
Catching
tailrace walleyes doesn’t have to be fussy,
and can be as easy as dragging a jig tipped with a minnow.
However, there are a few things to look for, and lookout for.
And even if your fishing the mother of all schools of
walleyes, you’ll still
come home skunked, if you don’t put all the pieces of the puzzle
together.
The
first, and most important piece of the puzzle, is already in place,
which is location.
However, the
location piece can move, and can change how the rest of the puzzle
fits together. It
doesn’t usually change much, but enough so that small adaptations
in how, and where you fish, are an absolute must, to be
successful.
The
deciding factor, that can necessitate adjustments in location, is
current, or the lack there of.
Current is a positive force, in tailrace angling, and can
make for favorable fishing conditions.
Current can do a couple of things, including bunching fish up
in small, easily identified areas, and secondly, it can really turn
fish on.
Tailrace
walleyes can become programmed to
feed with the increase, and decrease, of water being
released. If for
example, water is being released at a specific time of day, that is
a peak period for activity, and
definitely a time when you should be on the water.
The
amount of water being released has a definite effect on walleye
attitude, and location. Heavy
flow brings fish up
close, and pushes them
into current breaks, and slack water.
An absence of current, tends to spread fish out.
Although good fishing can still be had, you can expect to
cover more water, to be successful.
During
periods of heavy flow, look for the first shoreline current break you encounter,
below the dam, to be holding fish..
The very break that occurs where slack water meets moving,
can concentrate fish. To
work a current break, point the bow of the boat upstream, on the
edge of the current, and allow it to slip downstream, while
maintaining contact with the bottom.
If you’re not getting to the bottom, you’ll have to
adjust the speed of your drift, until you do.
After you’ve worked an area over, pick up and move down
stream to the next, until you start to catch fish.
It’s
hard to beat a jig and minnow for working cold water walleyes,
especially when they’re holding
on current breaks. Plain
round headed jigs, in the 1/8 oz to 3/8 oz sizes should get the job
done. Good minnow
choices for tipping jigs include creek chubs, red tails and rainbow
chubs. Late in the
season, suckers seem to really pick up,
and can out produce anything else.
Although minnows are the top choice for late season tail race
angling, don’t be
afraid to try any crawlers you may have left.
The reason crawlers aren’t used, is the simple fact that
they aren’t available. If
you have some left and they’re in good shape, give them a try, you
might be surprised how effective they can be.
During
periods of light current, walleyes can be almost anywhere.
Current breaks can still be a good place to start, but if
they’re not there, don’t be afraid to work right into the middle of the river.
They can also pull out, and move downstream, where you may have to keep working
and moving, until you run into some fish.
Walleyes can often be found miles from the dam area, and
the only way to find them is to fish.
Working
mid stream walleyes isn’t all that different than fishing the
shoreline breaks, it’s just less defined. You can’t just put a
finger on them, and all of the river may have to be fished.
A good plan of action includes
making controlled drifts, downstream, keeping constant contact with
the bottom. If you pickup a fish or two, get back upstream and make
the run again. If
you don’t, keep working downstream until you do.
Tail
race angling can be a great way to soothe an open water itch,
especially when everything else is iced over. It can also
keep you fishing, before safe ice has developed.
Current may keep fishable water open well into the dead of winter, depending on how severe the
temperatures drop. And
if it does freeze over, it will probably open back up when warmer
weather conditions return. Good
tail race fishing can be had all fall and winter long, and you might
as well get your share.
Rick
Olson
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