From the Daily Item
http://www.dailyitem.com/0224_outdoor/local_story_263091834.html
September 20, 2009
By Ken Maurer
For The Daily Item
A lot of anglers are starting to think about fall walleye fishing. They are already starting to get a few walleye here and there. Over the next couple of weeks, the walleye bite will gradually intensify on the mighty Susquehanna.
Right now most of the action is at dusk and after dark. As the water cools, the walleyes seem to get hungrier. What really kicks off the fall walleye bite is the first rise in water level. If we don’t get a good rain, this will occur around the second week of October when the Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam is gradually deflated. For whatever reason, a rise in water level this time of year kicks the walleyes in the butt and they start scooting up to the power dam and the Adam Bower dam.
Last fall, the walleye fishing was fairly typical. They started catching them in late September and it went on throughout the winter. The better areas change from time to time. Sometimes it’s better below the Adam Bower Dam and sometimes it’s better below the power dam in the Shady Nook area. November was really good and I remember having some good nights in the bitter cold of January.
One thing that may well change the walleye landscape this winter is if the power plant decides to produce power or not. No power, no warm-water discharge. Word is that a decision may be made in December about production. That area should still be a good spot for walleye, even if there is no warm water. The walleye will likely be more spread out if there is little warm water.
How will a mid-winter fire-up affect things? We might see. October and November should be about the same as other years.
Walleye fishing on the river does not have to be a complicated thing. For live bait users, a jighead and a worm is a standby, as is a jig and minnow or a minnow with some splitshot up the line a little ways. If they get real picky, a nose-hooked nightcrawler rigged with a light slip sinker will usually take them.
On the fake bait side, a couple of one-eighth and one-quarter ounce jigheads and a handful of twisters is usually all you need. Smoke, motor oil, and chartreuse are the main colors. Variations in color and shape are endless, sometimes they like it plain, sometimes a red or silver glitter trips their trigger. After dark a lot of guys throw Rapalas or other floating stickbaits. You don’t need to drag the bottom after dark, walleye will readily come up and pound shallow running plugs. They are sneaky at times and sometimes they short-strike. Try to hesitate or drop the rod tip toward them before you set the hook. Some lures don’t have the greatest hooks. Try replacing your favorite plug’s hooks with some premium trebles such as the Mustad triple grips.
My favorite month is getting closer. Walleyes, archery hunting and trophy smallmouth. The honey-do list sometimes gets the short end of the stick and in October, there’s barely a stub left. Thank heavens my wife likes to fish.
-- Ken Maurer, Herndon, is a licensed fishing guide and a regular contributor to the Outdoors section. E-mail comments to kenrose@tds.net
