A 19-year career in professional fishing has forever cemented Ted Takasaki’s position as one of walleye angling’s all-time greatest sticks. Thus, it was a no-brainer to have him weigh in on this installment of North American Fisherman’s Marked Map series. We gave Takasaki an actual Navionics HotMaps Premium paper chart of a natural Northern lake and told him to show NAFC members exactly where he would fish and how he would do it during the Oct/November timeframe.
Incidentally, he’s never actually fished the lake in question, so what you see here is a true glimpse into how a guy like him dissects a lake––not just a regurgitation of historical hotspots.
ZONE DEFENSE
Takasaki divides his lake into three primary zones, each distinctly different from the next. Because of their varied makeup, he recommends starting the fall period on the southwest end of the lake, Zone 1, and progressing up the lake to Zones 2 and 3 as fall progresses, water temperatures drop and walleyes begin to enter their first-ice patterns.
Zone 1 is dominated by a network of shallow flats and humps that he sees as a core walleye haunt during the late summer/early fall transition period.
Zone 2 encompasses the central, mid-depth region of the lake, and points large and small are the most distinctive––and productive––structures.
Zone 3 features more deep water than any other zone, with steeper breaks. It can be productive throughout fall, but Takasaki says the best fishing will undoubtedly occur late in the season.
Click on map to enlarge.
What map did Ted Takasaki mark up for North American Fisherman readers? If you think you know, submit your guess to insideline@namginc.com. You could win an autographed copy of the map iteself.