Fall Walleye

[Ryan549]

My oldest son loves to fish and last night I took him out to Oneida Lake for some walleye. I grew up wading out into that water from my grandparents house there and catching them right at dusk. However, I am far from a professional, but I can usually scrape up my limit.
He had never caught a walleye, but that ended last evening when he hooked into his first….a 13”, followed up by a 15” walleye a half an hour or so later. They could’ve been state records if you judged by his excitement. I only had hip waders for him so he was extremely shallow. Chest waders are on the way.
Just curious what people are using in similar situations. I toss stick baits mainly, but I’d love to hear from anyone who may have suggestions.

[NorthStar]

My oldest son loves to fish and last night I took him out to Oneida Lake for some walleye. I grew up wading out into that water from my grandparents house there and catching them right at dusk. However, I am far from a professional, but I can usually scrape up my limit.
He had never caught a walleye, but that ended last evening when he hooked into his first….a 13”, followed up by a 15” walleye a half an hour or so later. They could’ve been state records if you judged by his excitement. I only had hip waders for him so he was extremely shallow. Chest waders are on the way.
Just curious what people are using in similar situations. I toss stick baits mainly, but I’d love to hear from anyone who may have suggestions.

In this situation and this time of year, my favorite is a Northland Fireball Jig tipped with a minnow. Just pitch it out and slowly bring it back in by bouncing off/near the bottom. Sometimes you have to retrieve painfully slow. I also will use a jig and a Mr. Twister if the fish are a little more active. Hope this helps!

[Jonny]

Jig and a minnow from mid March til ice up. Fall fishing hands down is the best fishing all year for walleyes from my experience, just hard to give up hunting time for them.

Just gotta find them but they normally are putting on the feed bag now so it can be great fishing. I do like warmer days as well. This week would be a killer time to fish the river.

[Ryan549]

Jig and a minnow from mid March til ice up. Fall fishing hands down is the best fishing all year for walleyes from my experience, just hard to give up hunting time for them.

Just gotta find them but they normally are putting on the feed bag now so it can be great fishing. I do like warmer days as well. This week would be a killer time to fish the river.

Tomorrow will be 57 here, water temp is right around 46.
Winds out of the south and we will be fishing the south shore. I haven’t explored too many places on the north shore and it’s a sizeable lake where it is a decent drive to get to the other side.

Main thing is getting the kid out there, he’s addicted

Gun opens Saturday here- I’ll give it the old college try for a day or two and then back to the walleye until ice.

[Ryan549]

Last night was a bust. Lake was like glass and there had to be 20 people out there and I don’t think anyone even got a bite in the 2 hours we were there.

Conditions just weren’t right to catch them there last night. Going to get pretty cold here soon- will need to make another trip

[Ryan549]

Full moon last night- clouds covered the sky as there was heavy lake effect snow north and south of me- the lake was in a clearing for a few hours.
West wind clipping along at 15mph, making conditions perfect to pull up the waders, bundle up and walk on out into the 41 degree water.
Bite was hot for an hour, landed 6 and ended up taking 3 home. All of them were legal, but there were a few skinny ones that I had no use for. The wind shifted from west to south and the bite turned off.
Best was 23” and just over 3 pounds
Got out out the water and snow was starting to accumulate.

[Ryan549]

Enough for a meal

[Huntress13]

Woohoo! Nice! I'm not serious about fishing but I do dip a pole now and then with hubby. Never fished walleye. Aren't they sposed to be huge in the canal or am I thinking of something else?

[Ryan549]

I went to Oneida Lake for these. The bays just east and west of you hold a bunch of them- although I have never had much luck in them.
They do get into the rivers and up to the dams, which makes for a fun time when they are stacked in there in good numbers

[NorthStar]

Nice! I am really hoping the river near my house is still open enough to get my boat in this week. The walleye bite is on fire but single digit temps are working against me at the moment!

[Ryan549]

Nice! I am really hoping the river near my house is still open enough to get my boat in this week. The walleye bite is on fire but single digit temps are working against me at the moment!

Single digits definitely don’t help, but if you can launch and brave it, the bite is worth it. Frozen braid and rod guides are just a bump in the road compared to what the rewards could be!

[NorthStar]

Nice! I am really hoping the river near my house is still open enough to get my boat in this week. The walleye bite is on fire but single digit temps are working against me at the moment!

Single digits definitely don’t help, but if you can launch and brave it, the bite is worth it. Frozen braid and rod guides are just a bump in the road compared to what the rewards could be!

I totally agree. I will make sure to report back to this thread!

[Huntress13]

I went to Oneida Lake for these. The bays just east and west of you hold a bunch of them- although I have never had much luck in them.
They do get into the rivers and up to the dams, which makes for a fun time when they are stacked in there in good numbers

All I ever caught in there was like.... bass, perch, lots and lots of sunfish, and those darn gobees in the big lake. Oh and I guess I did go bullhead fishing once or twice. I want to catch a pike, but we never seem to get out early enough. Maybe next year.

[Ryan549]

I went to Oneida Lake for these. The bays just east and west of you hold a bunch of them- although I have never had much luck in them.
They do get into the rivers and up to the dams, which makes for a fun time when they are stacked in there in good numbers

All I ever caught in there was like.... bass, perch, lots and lots of sunfish, and those darn gobees in the big lake. Oh and I guess I did go bullhead fishing once or twice. I want to catch a pike, but we never seem to get out early enough. Maybe next year.

We get into the pike really good on the ice- but generally do well year round on them. Pike is great eating too- not as good as walleye, but still really good.

[NorthStar]

I went to Oneida Lake for these. The bays just east and west of you hold a bunch of them- although I have never had much luck in them.
They do get into the rivers and up to the dams, which makes for a fun time when they are stacked in there in good numbers

All I ever caught in there was like.... bass, perch, lots and lots of sunfish, and those darn gobees in the big lake. Oh and I guess I did go bullhead fishing once or twice. I want to catch a pike, but we never seem to get out early enough. Maybe next year.

We get into the pike really good on the ice- but generally do well year round on them. Pike is great eating too- not as good as walleye, but still really good.

I agree. Pickled pike is one of my favorites!