Fall walleye movement.

I was curious if walleye moved up river in the fall any distance. Im referring to moving up tribs they would use in the spring for the spawn.

Thanks Cronk

My experience on the Wolf River (Lake Poygan area) is the fish will move up to a few miles upstream to feed on baitfish.  If the baitfish aren't there the walleye won't be either.  Some fish live in the river year round and will feed more in the fall, again following the baitfish, but as far as the lake fish go they usually only move a mile or two from the mouth.  Best luck is usually that first mile from the mouth and it seems to be better on certain days, probably again depending on bait fish movement that day.  Some current seems to help but high water levels aren't as good.  Early morning can be best one day and mid-day is best the next day.  Can't be successful without trying though.  Contact Christ at Fremont Bait and Tackle the day you're going out and he can help put you on fish - he just about always know where the fish are from the last few days.  He's got a big map of the Wolf River from Lake Poygan all the way upstream to Gill's Landing and he'll show you where to go.

I think it depends on the river system you are fishing. The Lower Dells is a very large river with deep holes in that stretch that will hold a lot of fish year-round. I think in smaller rivers that connect to a lake or larger body of water, you would be less likely to see large numbers of walleyes, especially bigger females, in smaller, shallow tributaries like you would in the spring.

In my experience, the walleyes will follow the baitfish. As the main river or lake temps drop, those tributary streams can have warmer water, which can attract baitfish in large numbers, especially if you have a couple sunny warm days in a row. Otherwise, I look for shallower current breaks, eddies, mouths of a backwater, etc. that attract baitfish schools. I don't think you are going to have walleyes migrating from Lake Wisconsin to the Dells Dam to eat for a day or two here and there and then swim back down to the lake. You may have fish move from a deep hole to the mouth of Dell Creek or a slack water area holding large bait balls tho. This is my experience. Ocetp has spent a TON of time on the river over the years, so his comments and experiences are derived from a LARGE sample size of outings. I just think walleyes in fall are not going to go any farther than required to find a sufficient food source to prepare for winter. In the spring, they have to find shallow, moving water with gravel or sand bottom and high oxygen levels and light penetration. Those specific conditions may require them to migrate a lot farther than finding a school of shiners or other baitfish to forage on. Just my $.02

I think that the conventional wisdom is that fall rains and increased river flow can stimulate walleyes to move upstream and stage nearer their spawning areas during the winter.  That seems to be true for me on the Lower Dells.

definitely a fall walleye migration... Larry Smith gives good insight why

Larry Smith Wolf River fall eyes

I regularly fish for and catch walleyes on the Rock River above Fort Atkinson in the fall using similar techniques used in the Spring. I'm not entirely sure if they are year round river fish that are just feeding heavy, or if they are coming up from Lake Kosh. Maybe someone else can shed more light on this.