Water temperature on the main channel dropped 6 to 48 degrees on 10/15. It may tickle 50+ on a sunny afternoon in the next few days…but 48 essentially means it’s showtime for walleyes to start moving deeper, hungry all the way. “Stairstepping” happens spring& fall on the Upper Miss. As temps fall to 48 in the fall fish which have pretty much been cruising in <12-13 fow start to move deeper–eventually into ‘wintering holes” that are >25 fow.

yesterday’s falling temp and a howling NW wind pushed ‘eyes down the first step: 16 fow +/- This is ideal for pitching/dragging #northlandtackle Buckaroo hair jigs or #B-Fish-N tackle pyrokeet precision jigheads with Pulse-Rs and a shot of ‘Da Juice’–Liquid Willowcat.

Beyond 16′ vertical jigging is a good way to go. Taylor Tackle hair jigs, Echotail Teddy Cat blades or #Northland tackle buckshot rattlespoons. These presentations work right now…but pitching a hair jig or Pulse-R and feeling that THUNK when wally slurps it in is much more thexual.

Bass will still be crazy active on #Rat-L-Traps on afternoons when water temps move into the low 50’s for awhile at ambush points on main channel rocks. Pike are still happily chasing royal shad pattern Super Traps in areas where panfish are staging for winter, crappies will be hanging 3-4′ down close to wood at least 10′ deep…but between now and when the Iceman cometh to the Immortal River chasing those marble-eyes up and down the stairs is your best option for a stretched string