To land those bottom-dwelling fall walleyes, Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz turn to trolling lures on leadcore line.

Two boats trolling side by side with the same leadcore setup could end up with vastly different catch rates. There is a certain level of “feel” that one needs to have for success, that will only develop over time.

Deeper leadcore trolling works great in the fall because more and more panfish move toward the basin as the water cools. Walleyes follow this migration. Look for areas where the wind has pushed plankton and bait into a shoreline area, point, or bay, and start graphing. Our boats stay on plane at 20 mph, and graphing extensive contours and basin areas for fish is easy. We set our sonar to show bottom—the areas where fall walleyes live.

At faster speeds, the fish show up as spikes or triangles rising out of the bottom (when moving slower, these spikes turn back into arches). Make sure your ping speed is set to maximum, and your scroll speed is set to 2X. Generally, the fish hold at a specific contour, or simply at the bottom of a drop off edge nearest the deepest basin in the area. Drive around until you find a depth pattern. It still amazes us that so many fish can sit in a small basin, or extend for two or more miles on a consistent contour.

Long, 10- to 14-foot rods used to be the norm, but telescoping rods fit better in rod lockers and take less time to set up on the water. A 9-foot telescopic trolling rod does a great job of managing the extra weight of the heavy line while indicating lure action and vibration. Combine these rods with line counter reels in the 30 size, and 18-pound-test Magibraid leadcore. The key part of the system is the rod tip. The best rods vibrate wildly when the crankbait runs true, and stop vibrating when the lure has fouled.

Trollers use all three types of fishing line for leaders. Braided line like Berkley Fireline transmits the most information to the rod. At times, fluorocarbon or monofilament catch more fish, so do not be afraid to change leaders on one, or all of the rods throughout the day. It used to be common to run 30- to 50-foot leaders on leadcore, but most walleye anglers do two arm-lengths. This should be 10 to12 feet of line, which seems to work.

For the first few passes, start with 10-pound-test Fireline leaders and a high-action lure like a Flicker Shad Jointed. The extra action on the lure and the no-stretch leader makes it obvious if the lure has fouled, or is dragging on the bottom of the lake. With the boat moving at 2.0 mph or so, let out 5 to 10 feet of line and test the lure for tuning accuracy. Pull the lure through the water and watch if the crankbait drifts to one side or the other. If it does, bend the eye of the lure with pliers a tiny amount in the opposite direction of the drift. While doing this, feel the action of the bait in your hand as this will be an important test later in the presentation.

Calculate the line needed to reach bottom by systematically letting out line, while holding the tip of the rod near the water level. Slowly thumb the line while letting out a bit more line than you think you’ll need to bounce bottom for the first pass. The Precision Trolling App will get your lure in the right depth area. As an example, stop shy of 110 feet of line out, and check if the bait tugs on the rod while digging the bottom of the lake. Cranks running through water have a consistent vibration, while occasional pulls indicate the lure has touched bottom. If no tugs, then let out 15 more feet of line and check again. Once the bait yanks a few times, reel up two to three cranks. This places the lure slightly above the lake bottom, in the perfect position to trigger a walleye strike.

Feeling the yank of the bottom, the vibration of a true-running crankbait, and then the tug of a fish are critical parts of the leadcore equation. Some anglers also watch the bend in the rod and the vibration level of the rod tip. Different lures wiggle the tip varying amounts, so learning to see a baseline amount sets great anglers apart.

You’ll find plenty of fall fishing techniques in the November issue of MidWest Outdoors, available the first full week of November at the newsstand or by subscribing on our website.