Good electronics are important for finding fall walleye, as fish can usually be “seen” easily in deep water. For that reason, I like to cruise along sharp breaks keeping a close eye on my sonar for the presence of fish that are probably walleye. When located, I save an icon on my GPS and start fishing.

Classic jigging and rigging techniques work well for catching deep walleye. My jigging approach usually features a big Fire-Ball Jig tipped with a medium-sized minnow. I use 3/8- and 1/2-ounce jigs a great deal in the fall depending on water depths being fished.

I like bright-colored jigs in parakeet or sunrise patterns tipped with redtail chubs if available. Other minnows like big fatheads or suckers work if redtails are not available.

A medium to medium-heavy action spinning rod and reel loaded with 8/3 FireLine completes my jigging equipment needs. The low-stretch FireLine is important to detecting deep water bites and for giving me the hook-setting power needed when fishing deep water.

Usually I start my jigging approach by holding over the walleye and fishing the jig vertically with a pretty aggressive lift and drop approach. Often the fish hit the jig on the fall, which calls for a brief pause before an aggressive hook-set drives the hook into the fish’s mouth.

If my initial lift-drop approach doesn’t produce, I then go to a more subtle jigging action, and have seen days where just kind of holding the jig/minnow in the fish’s faces produces bites.

The above noted vertical jigging approach is often how my fall walleye trips start. However, I always have a slip-sinker live bait rig waiting in the wings as well.

This setup consists of a heavy slip-sinker in the 1/2-, 3/4- or even one-ounce size (again depending on depths being fished), a swivel and a four-foot snell complete with a sharp, colored hook and colored bead. The colored hook and bead is important to the setup because it adds attraction to the rig, which is important in very deep water. I usually use an orange, pink or chartreuse Super-Glo Attractor Hook with similarly colored bead to maximize the attraction in deep water. A seven-foot, medium to medium-heavy action spinning rod and reel loaded with eight-pound Vanish fluorocarbon line completes my rigging equipment. Fluorocarbon works good for this fishing style because it is 
nearly invisible to the fish and also has reduced line stretch allowing for good sensitivity and solid hook-sets.

My rig is again baited with a redtail chub when available. However, I often use a big four- to six-inch chub with this method, relying on a big, squirming minnow to attract big hog walleye from the depths. Much like when vertical jigging, I like to hold right on top of the fish and work the live bait rig very slowly through the fish. Walleye often can’t resist a big redtail swimming and struggling right in their faces. In fact, astute anglers can often predict when they are about to get bit as they can feel the minnow start to panic through their line and rod tip.  Once a walleye takes the bait, feeding line to the fish and allowing it to get that big minnow into its mouth before setting the hook is recommended. Some days, only a few seconds are required; other days, 30 seconds or more might be required. I like to start with a few-second wait and then increase the time if my initial hook-sets are unsuccessful. 

A final tip involves live bait care. Regardless whether rigging or jigging, the liveliest bait usually catches the most and biggest walleye. 

For that reason, I rely on my Frabill Aqua Life bait bucket to keep my expensive redtails fresh and lively. It’s insulated to keep the water cool, and features a very dependable aeration system as well. Dependable fishing can be had by anglers who target fall walleye. In fact, heading for the depths in your favorite walleye lake and using the tips described here might just result in the year’s best walleye fishing!