By Daniel Quade
(Provided by PRADCO fishing)

Casting for Fall WalleyesDeep and steep is the mantra for many anglers when it comes to locating fall walleyes, but a little well-timed shallow thinking can produce great catches as well. Indeed, under the right conditions, relatively skinny water can be your best bet for hooking up with fat October ’eyes in flowing and still-water scenarios across the Walleye Belt.

Don Olson and Randy Carroll are no strangers to thinking thin. They’ve tapped the shallow bite on lakes and rivers across the Midwest, both for fun and money as a team on the Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit, and they’ve taken Team of the Year honors and finished strong numerous times.

“Rivers are great places to find walleyes shallow come October, especially if you focus your fishing around wing dams,” says Carroll.

While wing dams are obvious, easy-to-find hotspots, Carroll says that not all are created equal. He looks for dams are covered by about 4 feet of water and swept by at least moderate current.

This fall, with low water and slow flows on many rivers, such prime lies could be tricky to find. But it’s not impossible. If you’re fishing a series of wing dams, Carroll recommends fishing the first and second dams upstream where current is apt to be strongest. In high water when the river’s really rocking, start at the other end of the string.

A variety of tactics take wing dam walleyes, but Carroll favors casting shad-style crankbaits to cover water in search of fish.

“Even when you find a dam that’s got all the right characteristics, it’s most likely not going to have walleyes on it all the time,” he said. “A group of fish may move up to feed for 15 minutes and then leave, and you could sit there for six hours without getting bit. When Don and I approach a wing dam, we move in and fish it for 15 minutes and if we don’t catch anything, we move on.”

In light to moderate current, Carroll and Olson attack a wing dam from the tip first, positioning their boat slightly upstream over deeper water.

“We cast semi-parallel to the wing dam, so the bait lands on the tip, then retrieve it down the edge,” he notes.

On succeeding casts, they work their way toward the bank, casting to the top of the wing dam and retrieving down the front face, picking it apart until their boat is about halfway to shore.

“Then we turn the boat around and fish our way back out,” he says. “Walleyes often like the bait presented at a certain angle to the structure. Fishing both directions helps us cover a lot of angles.”

The retrieve is straightforward. On splashdown, Carroll cranks the lure down to bottom, then ticks it along the structure, “grinding bottom the whole way.” It works best with a diving crankbait, and Carroll’s favorite is the size 5 Lindy Shadling in shad or perchy patterns.

“I favor the smaller of the two Shadling size options,” he notes “because all fish like small baits, even big fish.”

Olson, who hails from Andover, Minn., also sings the praises of wing dams, and says that jigs are a great alternative to cranks when working this productive shallow structure.

“Crankbaits are great, but casting wing dams with a 1/8- to 3/8-ounce leadhead like the Lindy Jig or Fuzz-E-Grub tipped with a skull-hooked minnow is another top tactic,” he says. “In clear water, tequila-colored heads work well, while shades of black, brown and chartreuse shine in stained conditions. Experiment with your jig-strokes. Sometimes walleyes crush a slow-dragging cadence, while other times hopping and popping prevails.”

Along with wing dams, Olson adds that back channels can be dynamite for October walleyes.

“As cooling water temperatures and dropping water levels flush baitfish and predators out of the backwaters, side channels and cuts connecting these areas to the main river can be gold mines,” he explains. “The key is forage. If there are baitfish, there will be walleyes.”

While any side channel with a bit of current could hold fish, cover such as tangles of timber sweeten the pot. Don’t be afraid to cast or vertically jig ultra-shallow water in the wood, because hungry ’eyes slide into surprisingly skinny water in such conditions.

In lakes, much fall walleye fishing focuses on steep drop-offs leading to deep water. Such fast-sloping structure does indeed produce fish, and Olson acknowledges that after a lake experiences fall turnover, it often pays to plumb the abyss. But certain shallow areas still attract fish. Shoreline flats at the top of steep breaks are a prime example, Carroll says.

“If baitfish are present on the flat, walleyes often cruise up the breakline from deeper water and move onto the flat to feet, if only for a short while before sliding back into deeper water,” he said. “Overcast skies, low light and serious wave action boost the chances of the shallow bite.”

To fish a flat or other likely shoreline structure such as a wave-washed rocky bank or point, Carroll again casts crankbaits parallel to shore at the depth the walleyes are feeding.

“Key depths run from 12 feet on up to 3 or 4, depending on the conditions,” he says. “When waves distort the sunlight, walleyes aren’t afraid to move in really shallow.”

Olson throws in another October gem in many lakes -- casting slender, minnow-imitating stickbaits to shallow walleyes at night.

“Current is key,” he says. “Find a necked-down channel between a bay and the main lake, or between lake arms, or anywhere current comes into the lake. The flow attracts baitfish, and during low-light periods, hungry walleyes follow. Shallow, current-washed areas can also be productive during the day when overcast skies or waves reduce light penetration.”

Olson favors versatile, tight-wiggling lures like the Bomber Long A. Color choices again hinge on water conditions. Natural patterns such as Yellow Perch get the nod in clear conditions, while high-visibility flavors with a bit of orange or chartreuse are reserved for muddy or stained situations.

“Make long casts and experiment with your retrieve until the walleyes tell you what they want,” Olson advises. “Try reeling and twitching, stop-and-go cadences and straight retrieves until you start getting bit.”

Above all, he warns, keep commotion to a minimum and don’t shine your headlamp or boat lights on the water.

“Shallow walleyes can be spooky, even at night,” he said.

Don’t automatically eliminate shallow water this fall. When you’re in the situations mentioned in this article, shallow fishing can be your ticket to making a great memory while collecting some big walleye fillets.