Bottom Bouncing and Trolling

[DADAKOTA]

A buddy and I got on the lake Thursday evening and bounced numerous walleye w/2 keepers, some large gills, and a couple keeper crappie as well as assorted bass, drum, cats, etc.  Friday morning we bounced several more walleye with only one keeper.  Decided to pull some cranks and added 2 more keeper walleye including one a shade over 20 inches.  Caught some more crappie as well.  Saturday we headed to Mutton Creek to see new water.  Mainly pulled cranks and only found 1 short walleye a few keeper crappie and many white bass.  Some large whites at that.  Whites were from the channel point of Googer back in to where the creek goes left.  18 - 22 ft. about 2 mph.  Also jigged up several off a pile on that same run.  Several whisker fish on that run as well.  Back to the confluence area on Sunday morning.  Could not bounce a single walleye but we cranked up another 1/2 dozen nice crappie.    All total we ended up with 20 or so crappie and 5 keeper walleye that will make a nice fish fry.  Never caught a fish on a flick-r shad of any species.  Best color bandit was mad cow.  Probably accounted for 90% of our bites.  Had a great time.  Would have liked a few more keeper walleye and crappie bites, but that is fishing.  Did not have my Tonneau broken into like on my last trip to State Park so that was a plus.  Got surveyed by an MDC employee while in Googer.  Wanted to know where we were from, how long we had been fishing, and how we did on various species.  He said the guys doing the best on crappie were fishing brush in 20-25 feet of water with minnows.  Nice fellow.  Can't believe the size of some of the boats on that lake now.  Felt like the Ozarks at times.

[Kramr]

Thanks for this detailed report. Gonna be there in late September so need to start gathering info now. Which Bandit series are you using, 100, 200, 300, other?

[DADAKOTA]

300

[Kramr]

Ok, so now I gotta go out and buy some. I'm such a sucker for this stuff. 

[DADAKOTA]

I'm still a newbie to the Stockton walleye fishing.  I have no idea where to look for walleye in the fall.  I'd assume they would follow the shad and get off the main lake and into the creeks, but I could be wrong.  Maybe some of the experienced walleye hunters can shed some light on the fall bite.

[DADAKOTA]

Any of you veterans care to shed some light on the fall bite?

[RyanLane]

I was planning to go there tonight.  Never fished it before.  Was planning to put in at the Masters Access and fish just around the bend to the north.  Planning to BB and troll.  Will let yall know how it goes.  

[Kramr]

13 hours ago, DADAKOTA said:

Any of you veterans care to shed some light on the fall bite?

Seems like we find them in the same areas only not as deep. Maybe in the 15 to 25 foot range. And by areas I mean points, drop-offs near flats, channel bends. Near brush piles in those same depths.

[eagle1584]

I find the walleye bite stays in similar spots all year round.  I fish the lake a lot in the fall and stay on the same main lake shorelines and points in the fall.  I concentrate on main lake shorelines that drop off rapidly.  That lets me move around depths easily.  In the fall I tend to start out in around 15'-18' and then move out deeper if I'm not getting bit.

For whatever reason the walleye don't seem to school up at Stockton like they do up north so just keep moving.   I've tried adjusting tactics for each season but still find my best success trolling cranks or pulling rigs.  Just adjust the depth and the speed until you find them. 

Last October we started out 15' but ended up catching most in 18-22 feet but most Octobers 15 feet seems to be the magic number.  Just keep moving and you'll find them.