Fall Feeder.  Walleyes are starting to shift to their fall patterns and minnows will become the bait of choice as the season starts up. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso.

By Mike Peluso

If you have been paying attention to the recent National Walleye Trail (NWT) Championship held recently on Devils Lake, I’m sure it opened a few eyes. The weights these guys caught were incredible! 

Devils Lake proves once again why it’s one of the top walleye fisheries in the country.

Let’s be honest, North Dakota has three world class walleye fisheries right now. The best part is I get to guide on all three of them and the future for the big three is super bright! The ND Game and Fish Department has done a remarkable job of making sure this state has some of the best fishing around and we are living in the good old days.

We are entering the fall transition right now here on Devils Lake, Sakakawea, and the Missouri River system. These systems haven’t quite switched to fall mode yet, but they are starting to. We are on the front edge of things changing I would say, but it will happen fast. Once it does, I think the fishing will get even better!

No secret here, again, if you followed the NWT or any tournaments the past couple years for that matter, it’s all about livescope sonar, especially forward facing. Drive around with your head down, rod in hand, looking for the right fish to throw at. It’s definitely changed the game of tournament walleye fishing. Good or bad, it’s the new way.

As far as me guiding, we do use them, maybe not to single out just the bigger fish however. We are using it to figure out the mood and certainly looking for the big numbers of fish. This all goes hand in hand for the fall bite we are just about to come into. Anyone who has ever spent time in a boat with me knows I love to jig fish. Fall, livescope, and jigs of some sort is what I’m doing right now, and I just get excited.

Weed edges, old shorelines, humps, timber are all key things to look for this time of year. I’m also slowly switching over to minnows on my jigs. As the water cools the minnows will take over as the bait of choice.

I don’t have many open days left for Sakakawea or Devils Lake, but I do have some October river trips near Bismarck available. Get ahold of me for a little video game jig fishing!

Mike Peluso is a Dakota Edge Outdoors contributing writer and a licensed guide specializing in walleyes on the state’s premier waters.