Steve Dezurik doesn’t mind the cold. Late-fall conditions push big walleyes into a major feeding mode on the Mississippi River, creating some of the most exciting fishing of the year. Duzurik, a tournament angler and Mississippi River guide, even goes out under the stars in late November and into December because the night bite often produces the biggest walleyes.
Cooling waters cause walleyes to migrate toward feeding areas on most waterways, according to Dezurik. As they stage prior to moving into their winter holes, they feed heavily in preparation for tougher times ahead.
On many parts of the Mississippi, the walleyes move to riprap or chunk-rock banks or onto mud flats this time of year. In the Twin Cities area, where Dezurik prefers to fish for walleyes, the fish pile up around wingdams, mostly on the upstream side of the long rocky structures.
The walleyes lay facing into the current and ambush large gizzard shad, which abound around the wingdams during late fall, and Dezurik picks off the walleyes by
fishing a YUM RibWorm
. The RibWorm is subtle, which is important in cool water, but it is large enough to imitate a big baitfish.
Dezurik keeps his color selection simple. More often than not, he’ll rig up with Ozark smoke, pumpkin pepper/green flake or plum. “Those pretty much cover any condition,” he said. “Usually the river is clear at that time, so natural colors generally work best.”
He rigs the RibWorm on a1/8 to 3/8-ounce roundhead jig, rigging the bait so the tail curls away from the eye of the hook. He uses ultralight spinning tackle and 6-pound-test Silver Thread Fluorocarbon.
Duzurik anchors his boat a cast’s length upstream of the top or the rocks on the wingdams, casts directly over them, and then lets the RibWorm fall through the water column arcing toward him and against the current with a taut line. “The amount of current dictates the size jig you need,” Dezurik said. “You want the bait to sink all the way down but for the line to stay taut.”
Most fish will be holding in the current near the top of the wingdike. Others, which are more neutral fish, will be right on the bottom, in the pocket of slack water that exists just upstream of the base of every wingdam. He catches those fish the same general way but usually needs a little larger jighead.
On those odd days when the fish don’t really want the RibWorm, Dezurik switches to a
YUM Croaker tail
, a bait designed for saltwater fishing that has a thicker body than the RibWorm and a tail shape that allows for a quick descent. Most importantly, the Croaker Tail looks just like a big gizzard shad, which is what the walleyes tend to be having for dinner.