No Need for a Boat in the Fall to Get That Trophy By: Jim Chamberlin When comparing the eyes of a walleye to the eyes of other fish they are a bit odd looking, kind of glassy like a marble. They get even stranger at night, especially when the light hits them, they seem to glow. Walleye’s eyes have a unique membrane, sort of like a cat’s eye, that allows them to capture every bit of available light and then use it to see when other fish cannot. This explains why some of the very best walleye fishing happens at night. Fishing for walleyes after dark can be a little different than fishing for them during the day, especially in Lake Erie in the Fall. These fish are actively feeding and are often on the move, chasing schools of baitfish up Erie’s shoreline. At night walleyes hunt in loose packs and they will often be spread out over large flats, along drop-offs, along old river channels and in some cases, roaming open water. Instead of fishing out of a boat this is the perfect opportunity for those of us without boats to target these great eating fish. During late October thru Thanksgiving, Erie’s walleye roam the shoreline at night feeding on shiners and shad that are spawning. In most lakes fall walleye are scattered and constantly moving, and you could spend hours casting or jigging over a flat or along some other large piece of structure before finally finding the fish. In Erie the fish normally come to you! In most cases, I would prefer to troll, at least until I’ve found some fish but, in the fall, I target points and shallow structure all within walking distance of the shore. Again there is no need for a boat this time of year. Groups of actively feeding walleye, come in to feed on the massive amounts of baitfish that occupy Erie’s shoreline in the fall. What you need to be concerned with is the wind; offshore winds will produce more fish than an on-shore wind. Be patient there are a lot of relatively calm evenings in the fall. The key to fall walleye fishing at night, whether you’re casting or trolling, is to make a slow presentation. If you are using a boat you need to literally inch along without presenting the bait just below the surface. This is especially important at night because walleyes will most often be suspended just under the surface, or located in very shallow water. Most of the outings I do in the fall are wading and casting in areas near the shore. I’ve absolutely cleaned up on the walleyes by fishing crank-baits like bomber long A’s with an ultra-slow, steady retrieve. Although walleyes have excellent night vision, you still want to make it as easy as possible for them to find your bait and a slow, steady retrieve with a big crank-bait is definitely the way to go. Slow cranking allows the lure to wobble widely, which in turn sends out a lot of vibration that walleyes can sense through their lateral line. With that being said using lures that rattle is a must. A fast retrieve makes it tougher for walleyes to zero in on your bait and a twitchy, erratic retrieve can cause the fish to miss the bait altogether when it tries to strike. A stop and go retrieve can be good at times, but when you pause, you lose the vibration that comes from a big bait wobbling from side to side. That can actually fool a walleye into thinking the bait has fled the area or been eaten by another fish. My experience over the years has proved that a good mix between the slow, steady thump and pausing a big crank-bait just turns walleyes on. Map of Sterling State Park