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High Falls Reservoir
Mon Oct 26 – Wed Oct 28, 2026 · Central Time · Walleye
- Shallow cover, points, creek mouths
- First light (first light CDT) → ~9 AM
- Use any ripple as cover
- Shade lines, docks, deeper edges
- Electronics for bait height first
- Slow down once the sun is overhead
- Revisit shallow shade as sun drops
- Topwater if the surface lays down
- Weekday traffic is lighter — work quiet pockets
High Falls walleye are in their fall feeding period. Frosty nights are cooling the flowage, and walleye move shallower in low light along rocky points, wood and the old river channel, then drop back during bright, calm days.
What's on the menu: yellow perch, shiners, crayfish and other small baitfish. Match that with perch- and crayfish-colored jigs, tubes and crankbaits.
Musky · northern pike. Musky and pike patrol weed edges and points in fall; bucktails, spinnerbaits and swimbaits draw strikes.
Weekday traffic — lighter than the weekend. Fish early, give ramps and swim areas room.
Fixed Dam-controlled water. No shared generation/level feed this cycle — check the agency page the morning you fish; releases and pool levels change daily. Stay outside buoyed restricted zones.
| Item | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permit / regs | Wisconsin DNR walleye rules here include a 15-inch minimum, no fish from 20 to 24 inches, only one over 24 inches, and a three-fish daily bag; check current regulations before you keep any fish. | |
High Falls Flowage sits within Governor Earl Peshtigo River State Forest, and the public landings, including Stephenson Park, West Bay Landing #1 and Woods Creek #6, offer the best shore access. For smallmouth, cast a tube or small swimbait along rocky shorelines in the afternoon, when the water warms after frosty mornings.
Launch at a sheltered landing such as Bass Bay #2 or Woods Creek #6. Morning is frosty and calm, so wait for the sun to warm things up. The southwest breeze builds a ripple on northeast-facing shores, so plan a route you can paddle back against the wind, and use the flowage's many protected bays.
Launch at one of the eight public landings, such as West Bay Landing #1, Channel #5 or Stephenson Park. Use your electronics to follow the old Peshtigo River channel and fish a jig and minnow or live-bait rig slowly along the edges during the day. For smallmouth, work rocky points with a tube or crankbait in the afternoon.
Shallow minnow bait cast over weed flats at dusk. Slip bobber with a leech or minnow on calm evenings. Surface action is limited, so focus lower in the water.
Shallow-running crankbait along rocky shorelines at dusk. Tube or small swimbait for smallmouth on rock and wood. Lipless rattle bait ripped along points and shallow flats.
Live-bait rig with a nightcrawler or large fathead minnow. Jig tipped with a minnow on main-lake points and breaks. Blade bait snapped off the bottom on deeper edges.