Water temperature has dropped to 42 degrees on Pool 9 over the past 24 hours. it will continue to fall into the upper 30s over the next week or so. B-Fish-N Tackle and Echotail blades are my favorite walleye weapon between now and ice-up–which may not happen on flowing water til early December.

Right now the ‘eyes are holding in 17-20 fow. They will slide deeper as surface temps continue to drop. The most effective presentation for me has been spot-locking a little deeper than the target zone and snap-jigging the blade thru the fish holding depth. Presentation will change to more of a vertical jigging presentation as fish tumble to deeper wintering holes in 22-30 fow.

The only downside to snap jigging blades is the back treble hanging up on the line just above the lure. This can be minimized by using a #4 snap (not a snap swivel) attached to a 2 ‘ leader of 20lb floro.

Engage the reel before the bait hits the water. Let it fall thru the water column on a semi-tight line with the rod tip @ a 45 degree angle to the water. Snap the rod tip about 10-12″ just as the lure begins to contact the bottom.

The best rod I’ve found to employ this technique is a St. Croix Avid 7’3″ MLF w/ 10 lb hi-vis Sufix braid.

Don’t forget to let your outboard hang vertical to drain before leaving the boat ramp if the temp is below 32 degrees!