If there is one spot worth chasing fish on a lake, it is a steep drop off. The bigger, the more pronounced it is the better. And if this drop off has some wrinkles and twists and curves, it gets real interesting really quick. Fish like drop offs. The steep sided banks act as natural walls for fish to travel and inside turns, or small underwater valleys within this drop off are funnels that bring fish from the deep to the shallows and back again. It’s the fish superhighway.
Perhaps one of the best known drop offs around these parts is the major drop off found in front of the Provincial Campground at Pigeon Lake.
It is extremely well known and literally, any day I can drive there and find a bunch of people set up on the drop looking to try their luck. It’s located about a half mile walk from the boat launch going over five to ten feet of water as you go, then when I hit the drop off it falls away to 25 feet in a hurry. The walleye love this drop off and fishing it effectively is all a matter of following the fish.
In the bright of day, walleye will typically stay deep and will be found on or near the bottom edge of the drop. There a slowly jigged minnow and jig will tempt fish to strike. As the light fades and walleye get brave, they push up the slope and near dark they’ll hit the main shallow flat at the top end of the drop. There they will eat up a storm and for a spell; the bite will become fast and furious. The trick to catching walleye throughout the day is to drill a dozen or so holes right from the onset. Make sure to have holes drilled from deep to shallow and back again. That way, as the bite moves up the slope of the drop, you can follow them and keep into the best action.
I’ve fished drop offs for trout, pike, perch and walleye. Most every drop off will hold fish and learning them will result in more bites and more fish. The pattern I described for walleye is typical of all fish and following the daily migration is an effective way to stay on the bite from start to finish.