Ice Fishing Tips for Walleye Fishing

When

Due to the nature of the walleye's vision it is mainly a night feeder. The fish has a layer of pigment that exists in its retina known as the tapetum lucidum that allows it to see when there is no light. Fish for walleyes in the early hours right before dawn, when the light is still low or from dusk until well after dark. While this may sound like a tough proposition, ice shelters, special suits to keep you warm and glow sticks (for tip-ups that allow you to see when a flag goes up) keeps things more comfortable than one would imagine. Few other fish are actively seeking to feed at night, so competition among species for your bait or lure will be mainly between the walleye and the crappie.

In lakes and river bays where the water is "dirty," meaning that its clarity is very low, walleyes will tend to feed throughout the day, allowing ice fisherman to have a chance to catch them. However, in clear water the walleye is easily spooked during the daylight hours, so fishing for them in shallow water where they are close to the ice layer will often prove fruitless. It is better to target deeper waters if one must fish in crystal clear lakes during the day and to choose overcast weather to fish under rather than cloudless "bluebird" skies.

Where

Drill multiple holes in the ice at the end of points of land that jut out into the water. Walleye will tend to be in the shallows during the first ice and make their way to deeper waters once the winter wears on. Walleyes favor moving water, so if you can locate a feeder stream or a spring, concentrate your efforts there--provided the ice is safe. Anywhere that you can see vibrant green weeds growing under the water you may find walleyes. You may also find them at what can best be described as underwater islands, where humps of the bottom stick up above the rest of the terrain. In the weedbeds, the walleyes will cruise around and above them looking for prey but typically do not go into the weeds looking for other fish.

How

It is important to avoid spooking the skittish walleyes once they have begun to bite. It's always a good idea to drill more holes than you need at first in case the fish do begin biting. This way you will not scare the fish with the noise from drilling once the bite is on. A 10-inch diameter hole is the optimal size. Tip-ups should be rigged with at least a 10-pound test braided line, while jigging rods can have between six and 10 pound test on them. When jigging under the ice for walleye it is easy to scare the fish with overactive motions of the lure. An easy up-and-down movement of a jig head, lure or spoon tipped with a piece of a minnow will suffice in most cases. Those that choose to place tip-ups in a hole and wait for a flag to go up indicating a walleye has bitten the bait can use minnows and shiners at least 3-inches long; the 6-inch long sucker minnows are the best to use and will stay alive when hooked behind the dorsal fin. However, as these minnows can be strong swimmers and may elude a walleye as it bears down on it, you should handicap it with a large split shot--a round weight that can be attached to the line. Place the split shot about 8 to 10 inches above the minnow to keep it from swimming upward and forcing it to remain down in the hole.