While many months are clear transition months, September is more of a subtle transition month. As the angle of the sun decreases and the days get shorter and shorter, the water temps start to cool down. With cooler water temps, the bug hatches decrease every day, and as the available larvae gets cropped down, the Walleyes will start to key in on the minnows and young of the year fish.

Minnow species, such as shiners, are more pelagic; that is they are free roaming and suspend more often because they feed on the Zoo plankton and Phyto plankton. Plankton are microscopic organisms that float around at various levels in the water column and are pushed around by the wind as they are unable to propel themselves. The Shiners follow these nomadic organisms around and the Walleyes will follow the shiners.

The young of the year fish are more apt to be hiding in cover such as weeds and wood, as they eat the differing types of minute forms of bug life found there.

These food sources create a few different patterns to catching Walleyes. The Walleyes out in the basin after the shiners will suspend more when they feed and there are two ways to intercept them. With no trolling allowed on the Big Chip, drifting becomes an effective method. Use floating jigs or floating rigs to get the bait off the bottom. You don’t have to go real high in the water column as the Walleyes tend to follow the schools of shiners from underneath them. Get your bait around 4 feet off the bottom and you’ll get their attention. Otherwise look for structure at the depth the shiners are suspended. The Walleyes won’t be far behind the suspended shiners. Jigging the structures is very effective. 

When looking for the young of the year fish, look for weed flats or sunken bog flats. Anchor outside the weed flats and jig the edge, bobber fish the pockets, or use a crankbait as close to the edge as you can or over the top of the weeds. In the sunken bog flats, it’s best to drift if possible. When you find a sunken bog with marks all over it, anchor on it and jig all around it.  
  

Another pattern dictates you watch the wind. Plankton cannot motivate into wind but are pushed by the wind. Wherever the wind is blowing into any weed flats or woody cover, you have a bonanza. The Shiners will follow the plankton into the wood or weeds where the young of the year fish already are. This creates a huge feast for the Walleyes.  

I still use leeches as long as I can get them, but now the bait shops are finding them hard to get. But soon, the air and water temps will be cool enough so we’ll be able to keep our minnows alive easier.  

The Big Chip has some great weed flats and bog flats holding lots of feeding Walleyes.  Contact me for an exciting September fishing trip.  Good luck fishing everyone.  

Walleyemaxx 
  

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to the Chippewa Flowage, contact WalleyeMaxx Guide Service today!