Must-Try Tactics for Walleye Rigging
Fall season is thought to be the best walleye rigging period of the year. During this season, walleye have the tendency to be more congregated as they mostly focus on deep structures.
As the majority of the water gets colder, walleye tend to move deeper and deeper to find more stable temperatures. The majority of them will concentrate at drop offs and steeper shore regions. There might be exceptions to this, but generally speaking, this is the way walleye behave.
When looking for an excellent drop off, search for areas with larger flats or reefs commonly extending to the shorelines. These parts are known to be the spawning areas for walleye baits. As walleye approach the flats, they usually set themselves up on the drop off sides and then move into steeper shorelines where winds usually blow off. If there are longer wind blows, there will be better chances that they will stack.
Anglers must be aware that a pile of walleye won’t be an easy catch as these windblown shorelines make them biters. In this case, electronics are helpful because you can easily mark the walleye at depths of twenty feet or more. This will allow visibility. When in shallow bodies of water, marking walleye can be very difficult although it is still a possibility. They move very slowly during the fall season. Using electronics, you can easily zoom to the bottom at approximately ten feet. It is important to take note that you should never fish for walleye unless you have actually seen them on deeper drop offs to be able to save time.
Another consideration when using electronics is to start from the deeper side and then move up to shallower bodies. If you luckily marked a walleye, jot down a note and continue moving on to another sector of the chosen drop. If another walleye has been marked again, fishing for them should be started. Marker buoys should be placed atop of the drop or on the particular depth where you marked them. This will then create a reliable visual guide for you as you work on the structure. You can always move back to the place where you started even if you accidentally blow off a certain spot while fishing.
The best thing in walleye rigging during the fall season is to get comfortable when searching for depths of any lake. The season’s turnover is favorable as the water is cooler forcing warm water to the top. The blowing wind also contributes to this and when turnover comes to an end, most conditions are stabilized which makes easier ways to pattern their behavior.
Tags: fishing tips, rigging, walleye