The kids are back in school, football season is underway, and the nights are definitely getting cooler. Autumn begins on September 22 by the calendar, but from a fishing perspective, I view September as roughly the midway point of the transitional period between summer and fall. This process starts in August on Lake Wisconsin and progresses through October in most years.
Change – The days keep getting shorter and nights progressively cooler. These changes are significant as it affects how we attempt to locate and pattern fish on a given day during this period. It is common now to see day/night air temperature fluctuations from 20°-30° Fahrenheit which can cause water surface temperature swings of 5°-10°F. Add to that the shorter days causing weeds to die and consume rather than create oxygen, and the abundance of forage, and fish can be downright difficult to pattern.
Where did they go? – The easy fishing and big numbers we put up on most days in May through July are only memories now. Pulling crank baits and Slow Death rigs along and off the edges of 15’-20’ break lines just doesn’t work as well now because walleyes are on the move. While you may still find some fish holding on these deeper locations on certain days, keying on 15’ or less will likely find you getting bit more often. Fishing the tops of structures such as humps and sand bars at the mouths of bays that drop off to deeper water can provide good fishing. Use your lake map to identify structural features such as humps, points that extend far out underwater, and sand or rock bars in close proximity to deeper water. Walleyes will not be uniformly dispersed on these areas however, so look for some kind of subtle change like the presence of rocks, a rock to sand transition, or some other feature that is “different” from the surrounding area –“the spot on the spot”. Deep flats will also hold some fish but again, try to pinpoint areas where hard & soft bottom meet, or some other irregularity that might hold fish. Live bait is a good idea along with a slower presentation. Casting a jig & ½ crawler to the top of a hump and slowly dragging it down the side is often effective. Lindy Rigs dragged slowly along the tops of a break with wind or electric motor can be good as well.
Gary Sanders
Lake Wisconsin Walleyes, LLC
www.lakewisconsinwalleyes.com
