R.R. Shumway.

OCTOBER
Walleyes
Cattail Lake,SD
The fall walleye bite is in full swing by October at Cattail Lake in the northeastern Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota. Taking effect in the middle of September, the fishing heats up when the water starts to cool down. “When the water gets between 56 and 64 degrees,” said local guide Gary Gangle, “the walleye bite is best.”

Gangle finds his fish a couple of ways, among them having lived in the area all his life and by paying attention to the various forage foods near the lake. The fall of 2007 saw anglers finding fish with live frogs, since the spring hatch was as large as Gangle had ever seen.

“During years like that, the shore fishing will be phenomenal,” said Gangle. “It’s simply a matter of looking for frog eyes and finding walleyes close to that food source.” By getting out early in the year, anglers can locate what the fall food source will be. “The fish will always go toward food,” he added. “You just have to see what that food source is.”

Walleyes up to 9 pounds can be expected this summer in Cattail’s shallow-water areas. Gangle uses a Lindy rig, hooking his frogs through the nose and letting their natural action take over. Good numbers of fish can be expected in the 3- to 6-pound range.

When shallow-water areas near forage aren’t producing, look for walleyes close to the large number of stickups along the shoreline. Since there isn’t a lot of aquatic vegetation on that lake, the walleyes tend to congregate around the woody structure. And if live baits aren’t the ticket, pitch to shorelines using a host of shallow-running, shad-colored imitations.

NOVEMBER
White Bass
Perry Lake,KS
I spoke with guide Clyde Holscher again when it came to late-season fishing in Kansas, and he said there was no better time to find white bass than right before winter. There are a large number of fish in the 1- to 2-pound range at Perry that can be caught on shad imitations. Holscher has used silver hair jigs from 1/16 to 1/32 ounce to find fish, and added red jigheads as well. Once again, it’s a subtle bite for him, with most fish being caught in 5 to 7 feet of water.

When searching for fish, fish quickly, using light spinning tackle and leave the trolling motor on medium. Keep your rod tip down and don’t be afraid to make casts toward the shallower areas.

DECEMBER
Walleyes
Waubay Lake,SD
Find walleyes through the ice by first obtaining a map from one of the local bait shops on the lake’s northern end. Nebraskans Monte and Scott Mares spend a large amount of time fishing north of the Cornhusker State when ice evades them farther south. At Waubay, specifically near the town of Greenville, they look for bottom-covering riprap, fishing fatboys, teardrops and spoons.

“If you can find a change in bottom structure, such as riprap, or a change in contour, you can find fish,” said Monte.

With their maps, anglers should also note the accompanying GPS coordinates. “You can walk right to the humps with these maps,” Monte added.

The Mares catch most of their fish in 15 to 20 feet of water, with the deepest down to 22 feet. And I’ve seen them at work myself, so if the fish aren’t in these areas, they don’t mind drilling a few more holes. * * * Just one final tip: Pay a lot of attention to the lakes ranked second and third for each month on the calendar graphic that accompanies this article. There definitely are some sleepers among them, as well as some angler favorites that I wish I could have talked more about.

Now get out there and start fishing. From the first warm day in spring to the first warm day next spring, the Great Plains offers some of the best fishing in the country. Just make sure you take advantage of the best of it each month of the year!

Find more about Great Plains fishing and hunting at: GreatPlainsGameandFish.com