It’s that time of year when your most recent open water fishing trip could be the last open water fishing trip of the year. We never know for sure what Mother Nature has planned for us next week. A bright, warm today can turn into a cloudy, snowy tomorrow. Weather changes fast this time of year, so we need to make the most of our time on the water. Following are some ideas for catching walleyes late in the open water fishing season.

The first thing you should do is a little homework on the bodies of water you have access to. Rivers are usually good for walleyes year ‘round.

However, some lakes are better in the spring, some are better in the summer, some are better in the fall.

Along those same lines, some lakes are better in the day in the fall, some are more productive at night. Generally, the night lakes are clearer bodies of water while the day lakes have a little more color in the water. Take all of these things into consideration when deciding where and how you will go after the walleyes.

On a lake that has a distinctive day-bite, a jig or rig presentation will usually be best late in the season. Expect to find the fish near deep water. In some lakes deep water might be seventeen feet; in other lakes deep water will be thirty or forty feet deep, maybe more. Do some sonar work to determine where most of the fish are holding. Often small areas will hold lots of fish. I like to use my Humminbird Matrix 97 to find the fish. This is a color unit and does a great job of revealing the walleyes that are tightly hugging the bottom.

Once the fish are found, drop a Fire-Ball jig and minnow to them, or drag a Roach Rig tipped with a minnow through them. Usually one of these will get them to bite, and often the best bite will be at mid-day.

If you’re going to be fishing a night-bite lake, take into consideration how you will be fishing. Some anglers troll, others have great success casting from shore.

If you will be a shore angler, get to your fishing spot early and familiarize yourself with the area. Watch for rocks, stumps, or anything else that could trip you as you wade.

If you will be fishing from a boat, make sure everything is where you can find it easily. Keep tackle and equipment to a minimum. The less stuff you take, the less chance for tangles.

Minnow imitating baits take a lot of really big walleyes every year for night anglers. The Suspending Frenzy Firestick Minnows have accounted for lots of trophies. Firetiger is almost always a good color, but experiment with colors until the fish tell you what they want. There are times when there will be a distinct color preference.

The open water fishing season is winding down for sure. It can be cold on the water this time of year, but when the bite starts, you can find some hot action. Now is the time to find out for yourself.

For more fish-catching information, visit fishingthemidwest.com