Because sunlight penetrating water is bent at an ever-increasing angle as the sun nears the horizon, sunset occurs about a half hour earlier below water than above. In a similar sense, across much of the walleye belt, what might be called fall feeding mode sets in almost a month before the fall equinox.

This is one of the best of all yearly periods to fish for walleyes. It’s also one of the most overlooked; so an angler can get in on great fishing while most of the rest of the crowd is waiting for colder weather and actual fall to set in.

Many of us at In-Fisherman used to try to judge when this period would begin by factoring in August and early September lunar phases. Now we realize that although lunar phase affects how we approach some of the patterns as they unfold, overall seasonal factors having to do with water temperature and the decreasing amount of daylight are what make this period kick in during the last part of August. That’s just as true in northern Iowa as it is in northern Minnesota, or in southern Saskatchewan, or southern and northwestern Ontario. Farther south into Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, it takes until the end of September and into October for this period to begin.

Weedbeds are dying down and thinning, exposing young-of-the-year panfish—bluegills, crappies, bullheads, and perch—just when they’re reaching a size that’s appealing to walleyes. Meanwhile, in open water, young-of-the-year pelagic baitfish like alewives and shad are reaching the same stage, while numbers of bigger baitfish have been somewhat reduced over summer, increasing competition for them at a time when walleyes are beginning to feed heavily in preparation for late fall and winter. Important patterns set up in open water and along and on main-body-of-water reefs abutting open water.

While we no longer use moon phases to determine when to begin taking advantage of this period, we still judge how we’re going to approach much of our fishing by considering them. In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange suggests that one of the best options at this time is to fish at night—and that means moonlight, or the lack thereof. Stange: “All the predatory fish we fish for feed more effectively at night when a little light’s present, so it’s helpful for the moon to be up. Doesn’t have to be a full moon; even a sliver of light often is enough to get fish feeding.

“This year the full moon is wasted in a walleye sense in early August, the 6th to be exact. That’s too early for the seasonal factors mentioned a moment ago to have fully set in. That would be a great week to fish for muskies at night, though. The 20th is the new moon. Muskies and walleye both are going to be less effective feeding at night (not enough light), so that’s prime time to fish for them during the day on prime waters. I wouldn’t begin night-fishing for walleyes for another week.“

Several potential strong daytime patterns should be going by the last part of August, according to Stange, depending on the lake or reservoir in question. Trolling open water is one top option in lakes with open-water forage fish. Dark, windy days also sometimes move walleyes onto shallow reefs. And dark days can also spur fishing activity along the deep edge of weedbeds. On sunny days, on the other hand, the reef pattern and the deep weededge patterns often develop for a short time just before sunset or just before sunrise. Those feeding periods are short but can be intense.

By the last week of August, Stange says, we have enough light at night for consistent night activity to begin. Stange: “Most of the night options we’ve discussed at length in the past should kick in about that time. It’s generally too early for pier fishing on the Great Lakes, although some rivermouths might attract fish; but shorecasters in most other areas can get almost a month’s head start on most of the rest of the crowd.”

Shorecasters should check current areas. Also check shallow main-lake or reservoir flats with rocks, gravel, and weeds—admittedly, some prime spots will still be too weed-choked to be fishable. In shallow prairie lakes, the front face of reedbeds (actually rushes) often draw fish. Also at times, shallow riprapped areas hit by the wind during the day attract fish after dark.

Longline-trolling is another option at night. Stange: “On most waters that’s the way to go, especially as the season progresses—once we get past about mid-September and weedgrowth has substantially receded.

“I’d like to focus on a related pattern that just rarely gets fished. It develops in what were dense weedbeds in main-lake areas. These vegetated areas are still too thick to troll effectively, unless you stay along the edge. I monitor these beds as the season progresses, fishing through them or along the edge for walleyes, pike, largemouths and, at times, smallmouths and muskies, depending on the lake or reservoir in question. Most of that fishing is during the day.

“By late August a lot of the coontail is in dense clumps, but usually it’s become matted and there are distinct edges to it—so you can fish around it. Softer stringy weeds usually have died down. Meanwhile, cabbage, which is attractive to baitfish and walleyes, usually is still standing tall, but many of the leaves have died off the stalks, leaving sparser cover.

If I’m on a lake and want to fish new areas at night, I always try to look at the weed conditions during the day, before fishing at night.

“At night these walleyes aren’t hugging bottom. Indeed, sometimes they’re feeding right below the surface over 12 to 14 feet of water. More common holding depths, though, range from about 6 to 12 feet. They’re patrolling through the beds, moving and scattering the baitfish and staying slightly deeper than the bait in order to silhouette it against the surface light. Walleyes have a vision advantage over most baitfish after dark.

“The best bet is to have had a pretty good wind blowing into a bed during the day. This allows walleyes to stay shallow and still be comfortable, and it also bends the weedstalks down—lays them over several feet, creating an open-water zone above the weeds. The weeds are all laying down with the direction of the wind, so it’s best to fish with the wind or into the wind to take advantage of that zone and more easily also run lures between weedstalks.”

Stange has been fishing this pattern for over 25 years. Early on, his favorite lure was a doctored #13 Floating Husky Rapala. He drilled a hole in the balsa lure and added a few lead shot to get the lure to cast farther and get a bit more depth. With the introduction of the Rapala Husky Jerk, that classic lure became one of his most effective options. The #12 Husky Jerk casts well and suspends when it’s stopped. Still, the best retrieve at night, according to Stange, is almost always a slow, steady, straight retrieve. Let the fish sense the lure and get a good shot at it—no more than an occasional pause.

Stange: “Even at night, I think walleyes usually sense the presence of the plug visually and then subsequently use their lateral line. I want the plug to give off even more wobble than it has right out of the box, so I take pliers and pinch the nose eye just a bit flatter and then bend it down just a bit. This lowers the pull point just enough to make the plug wobble more distinctively. Another popular plug in this category is the Smithwick Super Rogue.