The fall is a great time to get to a river near you and catch
some walleyes as they start to move up towards the head of the
pools or start staging along the various breaks as they head
towards the dams. River walleyes bite all year, if you
know where to look and how to fish for them. In tailrace
areas below the big locks and dam systems, drift fishing is
the method of choice for most anglers. Concentrate on
keeping the boat near places where the current changes, such
as eddies and current
breaks. Watch for moving water; it will contain baitfish
and fish washed through the dam system. The bigger fish
hang out at the edge of the current, where it takes less energy
for them to hold in place, and it is an ambush place for bait
that floats by. Keep an eye out for rock formations under
the surface; these edges might also hold a few lunker walleyes.
In the fall of the year the turbidity of the water subsides
and walleyes are more visually stimulated as they see food floating
by the slack
water areas. This is not to say that all walleyes see
their food before they strike and in some cases they strike
more out of vibration and smell than they do from visual identification.
One reason that I like to use jigs while fishing for fall walleyes
in a river system is the control an angler has. Vertically
jigging for walleyes gets my blood pumping and believe me on
those cool crisp fall days, when it would be nice to be on shore
burning a campfire, I’ll take the tug of a walleye before I
go to shore.
With the proper head design and weight, jigs are the most versatile
of all river techniques, from the shallowest flooded cover to
the deepest, fastest current. The majority of river fishing
with jigs involves either slipping the current or drift fishing
the current breaks. The presentation is a simple lift-drop-pause
method of jigging, raising the jig some 3 to 6 " as you slip
downstream. The jigs that I prefer to use are 
Fireball jigs because of the rounded head. The rounded
head allows the jig to bump along the bottom and not get hung
up in snags or brush. If you are as vertical as possible
the jig will stand up allowing the hook to be exposed away from
the floor of the river. When you tip the jig with a fathead
minnow the minnow stands up and looks like it is trying to pick
up the jig. As the minnow struggles against the weight
of the jig it sends out wounded signals and the natural scent
attracts the walleyes and allows them to hang on just that much
longer. If the walleyes seem to be just biting the tails
off the minnows the
Fireball offers an additional eye so you can easily attach a
stinger hook. The stinger hook is a great addition in
the cold waters
of fall and spring. Colors of the jigs should be bright in dingy
water. Colors such as fluorescent orange, chartreuse and
my all time favorite gold are great for fishing those fall walleyes.
Anytime that you can bring attention to your bait it will help
you up your odds for catching those fall walleyes.
Weights may range from 1/8 to 1/2 ounces, but usually stay with
the weight that is the lightest so you have contact with the
bottom. River walleyes have a tendency not to suspend
as much as the walleyes in the lake and you don’t have to worry
about missing a strike zone that is in
the fish column. I will tip my jig with some plastic if
I want to slow down the rate of fall, but current usually fights
gravity faster and defeats the purpose of vertical jigging.
In tailwaters, jig fishing is a little tougher than live bait
rigging for fish. You’ll need heavier equipment for this type
of fishing. Go
with 10 or 12 pound test 
Sensor and a stout 
fishing pole.
Your rod should be stout enough to take the abuse of freezing
temperatures, yet sensitive enough to feel the 1 pound sauger
that just took your minnow.
Fall fishing on the Mississippi is just getting underway.
When you get tired of the TV or your mother ? in ? law pick
up you rod and hitch up your boat and do some fishing below
the dams. |
