As predator fish begin their fall feeding habits, their focus centers on large forage. Young of the year Perch, Cisco, River Shiners and Chubs, along with other forage, such as frogs, crawfish and even their own off-spring will be targeted.   Successful trophy hunters will match the hatch, almost scientifically, at this time of year. Imitation of the forage base is very critical and a key to productivity during the fall feeding binge! 
Feeding forays are anything but mysterious! The fish have to eat a lot as summer activity increases.  The perdition cycle is in high gear on reefs, large points and adjacent flats, and in neck down flowage areas. Veteran anglers can predict these movements, and position themselves for hot late summer or early fall action on the biggest fish of the year.
Walleyes love live bait, especially in the fall, and there's no more practical way to present live bait than behind a slip sinker slowly dragged along the bottom.  Rigging allows an angler to comb a lot of water quickly.  It's a great way to search for walleye schools that are scattered along a drop-off.
Fish activity is also different at this time of year.  Largemouth bass begin to form larger schools and start feeding voraciously.  Northern pike move in from larger schools where they were feeding in deep open-water locations, and actively cruise weed flats.  And walleyes shake off their summer lethargy and begin to enter shallower feeding waters.
This sets the stage for all kinds of fishing.  These fish are in a process of transition also.  These conditions work together to create one of the year's peak fishing times.  It's as if the game fish suddenly realize the long winter is approaching and know they have to chow down in preparation for the hard times ahead.  The most important aspect is that all of this will occur before the colors really form on the trees.
This period is not identifiable with a specific weather occurrence.  This time of the year comes as the trees start to show a sign of ending of the summer and just before the major frost starts to blanket the ground.  The dramatic changes are going on under water, but on the land the clues are much more subtle.
The best example of how I stumbled onto this was on a late October evening.  Fishing had been poor for about three weeks and it didn't seem this evening would be any different than the previous ones.  

Lowrance’s new X-15

As I motored across the lake I noticed from my Lowrance depth finder that the water temperature had fallen from the low 60's to the mid 50's.  I didn't give it much thought, but what I didn't realize is that this was enough to start the fish on their fall transitional patterns.  I motored over to a small point where I had caught a few walleyes during the summer months and I cast out my  Lindy Rig tipped with a minnow.

Orignal Lindy rig

I prefer to use the Lindy Rig in this case because it allows me the versatility of getting the live bait right in the face of suspended walleyes.  A plain VMC, hook or the colored hooks are great, usually number 6 or number 8 finishes off the rig except for the bait.  Let the fish show you, which form of live bait to use.  A general rule is to use smaller minnows in the spring and larger minnows in the fall, with leeches and nightcrawlers being most productive in the warmer months of summer.  However, I've found that walleyes don't always adhere to the rules.  I like to have a complete selection of bait in the boat with me whenever I go fishing.

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