Early fall is a time of transition and movement, as walleyes shift toward wintering areas. In lakes, this often leads to the formation of large schools as the fish drop deeper and congregate along prominent structural elements in the main basin. They may linger in such areas for long periods, certainly through the formation of early ice.
Walleyes behave somewhat the same way in rivers, yet with a twist. Sensing the seasonal change as winter approaches, they typically begin moving upstream, deserting shallow stretches they inhabited during summer in favor of deeper holes and pools offering stability and safety as water levels recede.
Those deeper holes -- typically formed at river bends -- become natural collection points for walleyes moving upstream, the fish often dropping down into them to take up at least temporary residence. And there's the kicker. Unlike lakes, where deep structure may be a final destination, river holes are often simply rest stops along the way to a distant destination. Sure, some holes are large and deep enough to hold a population of walleyes all winter long, and are generally among your best fishing spots. Others, however, host brief flurries of fish activity as walleyes continue their relentless course upstream.
Fall walleye movement in rivers is also an early-early prespawn migration of sorts, with fish beginning to stage in prime spawning habitat near dams as soon as mid-fall. Where the holes formed below dams are sufficiently large and deep, waves of walleyes and baitfish may frequently arrive throughout the winter, forming mega-concentrations by early spring. Thus, if rivers are capacious enough, you can expect the winter population in the dam area to progressively build to a crescendo.
In smaller, shallower rivers, however, the hole below the dam offers limited winter habitat for both baitfish and walleyes and may only host a modest population come fall. Sure, some fish stack up there, but the fact is, the hole is so small -- and the downstream river stretches so shallow -- that midwinter fish movement upstream into the hole is restricted by ice conditions. In such cases, the bulk of prespawn fish typically don't arrive in spawning areas below dams until the ice breaks in spring.
In all cases, however, significant depressions formed at river bends, often miles downstream from dams, can host good walleye populations in fall and winter. A 12- to 15-foot hole amidst miles of 2- to 3-foot-deep river stretches, for example, is a mighty attractive locale for both transient and homebody. Best of all, few folks fish such areas. They're so programmed to fish the main deep scour hole below a dam, they ignore the vast potential of deep river bends just a mile or two downstream.
THE HOLE TRUTH
We typically look for deep holes to be formed at river bends, the result of swift current excavating the outside corners during periods of high water and fast flow. Once water levels recede, the fish are left with a significantly deeper option than generally found elsewhere on the river. Yet the fact remains, holes can form in other areas, as well. Some of the most obvious lie under and just downstream from bridges, with pilings forming current breaks along which walleyes gather, facing upstream as they wait for meals to wash downcurrent. Significant narrows along a river usually indicate harder bottom and a constriction of current that also sweeps out deeper basin areas. So, both walleyes and anglers have additional options.
