Walleyes Inc. Your one stop internet fishing resourceDaiichi Hooks Try the Bleeding Bait series for the best hooks on the marketLindy Little Joe Fishing TacklePanther Marine ProductsDual Pro Charging Systems the Chargers the Pro's UseRAM MOunting Systems the Ultimate in Electronic Mounting systemsBait Rigs TackleRanger Boats Still buidTrojan Batteries Simply the strongest battery on the marketThe only underwear you need for extreme cold weatherBedfors Sales Illinois # 1 Ranger Boat DealerDaiwa Fishing ReelsDrift Control The Best Drift Sock AvailableWe Didnt Invent Planer Boards we just made them easier and better to useWalleyes Inc. Your one Stop Internet fishing ResourceWalleyes Inc. Your one Stop Internet fishing Resource

Walleye Insider Save 58% Buy Now wa

Bass & Walleye Boats Magazine Save 64%  Click here

Check out our T-shirt Line Now in colors and long sleeves

Survivior Livewell Intake System on the Run
Survivor Livewell
Intake System on 
"The Run" 

Click Here For 

More Information

Walleyes Inc quick Change Spinner Pack Special only $5.95
Walleyes Inc. 6 
Pack Spinner 
Pack Special
Only $5.95
Click Here

Pathfinder Scent Dispensing Crankbait Kit

Click here to See New Scent dispensing Crankbaits

Quick Scent Bait Stick
The Ultimate Bait Scent
Click here for more information

Welcome to Walleyes Inc.com Click Here to Check Out Our On-Line Tackle Store

Tailrace Walleyes this Fall
By John Campbell
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.
First check the hole and determine its size, shape and location, by slowly motoring over it while watching your depth finder closely. Identify the upstream lip of the hole, and then motor upstream 50 to 70 feet and anchor. Use enough rope to position your boat about 10 to 20 feet up river from the front lip of the hole.
Using light Shimano spinning gear with 6 to 8 lb. test Original Stren line, tie a small plain snap and attach a crankbait that is sometimes referred to as a stickbait. About 18 inches above the line attach a rubbercor sinker just heavy enough to keep you bait on the bottom. The rubbercor weight is relatively snag-free, and it’s very easy to change the sinker size without retying knots or damaging your line.
Toss the lure downriver into the hole, and let it sit. Don’t move it! It’s usually best to position the lure so it’s slowly rolling, swinging and wobbling in the current, right on the lip of the hole. On occasion, with slight shifts in current, the bait darts a few inches to either side. From time to time, it’s a good idea to drop the bait into the hole or to move it slightly forward, in order to check out a little different territory. Every once in a while you may elect to move it a few feet, but generally it’s best to leave it sit and allow the current to do the work.
The bait will often sit among the walleyes for 5 to 10 minutes before a reluctant fish rolls over and decides to grab it. You may move to a different hole or simply stay stationary over this hole awaiting an influx of new walleyes as they move upstream.
Lindy Max Gap Jig One key area to start vertically jigging is a current break adjacent to a hole. This is where the most active fish will be. I like to start out with a Max Gap jig tipped with a minnow and a stinger hook. This type of presentation is a great cold water walleye bait for active or neutral fish. One reason that I like to use jigs while fishing for fall walleyes in a river system is the control I have. 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 Max Gap 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.
John Campbell with a nice Walleye 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 but still maintain 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 Stren Sensor and a stout Shimano 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.
G Tailrace fishing 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. If you happen to connect with a bushel basket of fish drop me a line on the web at http://www.walleye.info Hope to hear from you soon

Register for Walleyes Inc. Email updates, discounts free drawings and more

Fish Clix Banner Exchange

International Fishing Banner ExchangeInternational Fishing Banner Exchange
International Fishing Banner Exchange