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Fishing
articles by John Kolinski on Walleyes Inc. Your one stop internet
fishing source |
| Editor's note: John Kolinski is the 2002 Professional
Walleye Trail Angler of the Year, the 2003 Illinois River
RCL winner and a 17-time championship qualifier. He is the
only angler to fish the PWT and B.A.S.S. at the same time.
His articles can be read in numerous Midwestern outdoor
publications and at several web sites. Kolinski is sponsored
by Triton Boats, Mercury Motors, Humminbird Electronics,
Yo-Zuri fishing line, Normark/Storm Lures, MinnKota, Uncle
Josh, Tempress Rod Holders, Off-Shore Planer Boards and
Optima Batteries |
For much of the walleye season on our Midwestern rivers,
anglers get locked into fishing conventional patterns in
traditional locations. We go with the flow, fishing community
holes where somebody is always going in the wrong direction,
but we can usually count on picking up a few fish.
October is time to break away. With cooler water temperatures
and transitioning walleyes that eat like Joey Chestnut,
a proactive, run-and-gun approach will often put more and
better fish in the boat.
Why fight a dozen other boats as they troll crankbaits across
a sand flat? Why play bumper boats below a lock and dam?
Why race up and down a river trying to get on your favorite
wingdams only to find another angler anchored up, eating
a sandwich and listening to a football game?
Why share a limited number of catchable fish when you can
find walleyes that you can have to yourself? And why not
do it your way?
For me, that means fishing with a rod in my hand as opposed
to a rod holder. It means casting jigs and crankbaits to
structure. And it usually means some jarring strikes and
bullish battles with some of the largest 'eyes in the system.
The environmental deck is stacked in our favor as the days
become shorter and the trees begin to take on their autumn
color.
Foremost, walleyes are aggressive and hungry as they build
reserves for the coming winter. They'll be active more often
throughout a day and forage for longer periods of time.
Meanwhile, our rivers are typically running at low levels
and water clarity is at its best. Low flow reduces the number
of areas where walleyes will concentrate and makes it easier
to read the current breaks and eddies they favor. High visibility
means they'll be able to identify and react to our jigs
and crankbaits from a distance.
Ultimately, many fall walleyes will end up in the tailwaters
below the locks and dams on systems like the Mississippi,
Missouri and Wisconsin rivers. However, there isn't any
rush to get there, and some of the best angling can often
be found miles below these barriers.
Rip-rapped shorelines are a great place to start. Big boulders
provide ideal ambush points for walleyes where they don't
have to fight the flow and can lie in wait for the current
to deliver their dinner. When the sun is shining, those
rocks retain heat and attract baitfish. And when the wind
is blowing into a stretch of rip-rap, it dislodges some
of the aquatic life that the minnows, shad and chubs walleyes
seek can feed upon.
Two features make some rip-rap better than others.
Look for rock shorelines that drop sharply into water 10
feet or deeper. These stretches provide shallow water where
walleyes can slide up to find an easy meal and the security
of deeper water that will keep them in the area. They give
an angler the bonus of fishing the shallower shelf to pick
off the most active fish, then probing the break for additional
walleyes.
Look, too, for sections that are directly exposed to current,
which creates pockets of slack water or eddies where fish
can also rest comfortably while their food is catered by
the river. The top of these stretches seem to produce best.
 |
Inside and outside bends in the river channel are
also good locations to find October walleyes because
they also create current breaks that walleyes favor.
Look for turns with a hard bottom such as sand, gravel
or rock.
Sandbars are another of my favorite locations. While
many are extremely shallow on top, they usually feature
edges where they fall sharply into deeper water and
provide additional places that hold walleyes. |
The mouths of feeder creeks can't be overlooked, either.
The convergence of different currents creates eddies and
these areas often feature submerged stumps or logs where
walleyes can rest.
All of these areas will hold fish for extended periods.
Some live there year-round. Others are passing through.
Either way, they are there for reasons related to food and
comfort.
It's like a cornfield that consistently attracts migrating
ducks and geese. Even when one group leaves, another usually
moves in behind it.
Whether you are casting cranks or pitching jigs, it's critical
to visualize your lure at work beneath the surface. Make
is appear as natural as possible, which means casting upstream
and working it downstream like a baitfish being carried
by the current to fish that are positioned upstream to intercept
it. Fishing a bait across or against the current isn't as
natural this time of year.
In most of the rivers I fish, it's hard to beat a Shad Rap
with its tight wobble and natural appearance. The No. 5
Rattlin' Shad Rap casts like a bullet in nearly any conditions
and I like the way they work across rock, bumping the edges
but seldom hanging up. I've also had good success with No.
5 Glass Shad Raps, and a No. 7 is a good option when you
need to get just a bit deeper.
Jig fishing is more related to weather fronts and the mood
of the walleyes. Sometimes, during cold fronts, high pressure
systems or sudden changes in their environment, walleyes
just don't respond as well as I'd like to a crankbait. Then
I turn to hair jigs, short-shanked jigs tipped with live
bait or jigs dressed with plastics.
I usually start with a Fin-Tech jig head tipped with a 3-
or 4-inch Kalin grub tail. It's a durable presentation and
eliminates the need to handle live bait. There are times,
however, when the subtle action of a hair jig triggers more
strikes and other times when a slowly fished leadhead tipped
with a minnow or a piece of crawler is the best presentation.
Mix it up when you've got company in the boat. If I'm fishing
a Shad Rap, my partner is working a jig. If we're both fishing
jigs, we're trying different combinations to see what the
walleyes want on a particular day.
Vary your retrieves to learn how a fish wants a bait on
a given day. With crankbaits, start with a straight, steady
retrieve, but don't hesitate to try a stop-and-go technique
where you let your lure pause for a couple of seconds. That
can be deadly for indecisive fish.
With jigs, a gentle lift-drop technique is usually best
while letting the current do most of the work, but don't
rule out an aggressive snap-jigging approach or a straight
retrieve with plastics when the lift-drop doesn't seem to
be getting it done. Sometimes, I've had to adjust my jigging
stroke midway through the day to stay hooked up.
Most of these October river locations can be fished fairly
quickly. If there are active walleyes in the area, they
will usually let you know. I use my MinnKota Terrova 101
to keep my boat positioned off the structure I'm fishing,
but I let the current move me downstream as I work over
a section of water.
Another reason I like a run-and-gun approach to autumn fishing
is the presence of other species of gamefish. You may well
encounter largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white bass,
northern pike, muskies, crappies, perch, catfish and possibly
even an occasional platter-sized bluegill. Seldom is the
day when you don't hook up with something exciting on these
outings.
Give it a try. Get away from the crowd and do your own thing.
You'll like the results.
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