Minnesota’s Pro Tip of the Week: Understand fall fish patterns
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The calendar says it’s fall, but with water temperatures in the mid-to upper-60s, walleyes and other species are still in late-summer patterns. On most lakes, the vegetation is still green. During this transition period, reactionary presentations shine.
Two of my favorites are jigs and plastics and jigging raps. If I’m fishing weed lines where vegetation exists on the bottom, my presentation of choice is a 1⁄4- or 1⁄8-ounce jig tipped with either a 3-inch paddle tail or a fluke-style plastic.
I pitch jigs onto the structure and snap-jig the baits back to the boat. I like to let the bait momentarily touch bottom. If I’m fishing mid-lake humps or structure without vegetation, I use a No. 7 jigging rap.
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It’s important that you keep these baits moving, but you want them both to make contact with the bottom. I prefer to use braided line with a fluorocarbon leader. Both presentations are extremely effective for walleyes, pike, and bass.
Years of guiding experience: 25
Favorite lake: Mille Lacs, Leech, and Winnibigoshish
Favorite fish to catch: Walleyes, Jumbo Perch
Roach is a full-time, year-round guide. You can visit www.roachsguideservice.com, call/text him at (763) 226-6656 or email [email protected].
This article was originally published on www.outdoornews.com
