Ice Fishing for Walleye Cont ... Mobility is the key during this
period, and optimizing the use of a sled in order to transport gear and tackle quickly,
and effortlessly to the next spot, is your best bet. Limit yourself to an area for only as
long as a half hour, and if you haven't picked up a fish or two, then its time to pick up
your rod and try to connect with the school at a new location.
Tools of the Trade
Walleye at this time of the year are extremely aggressive and in a
competitive feeding mode, due in part to the long winter they have faced, and in order to
build up reserves for the exhausting task of mating. Choose lures with a lot of flash and
vibration, as these will call fish in from afar. Do not be afraid to use larger spoons
than you are accustomed too, as these fish are definitely not finicky at this time of
year. Some of my greatest late-winter walleye fishing has been as a result of using flashy
Williams Wabbler spoons and Jigging Rapalas which seem to give off the right amount of
vibration and flash that these fish want. I've found that your best bet is to use an
aggressive lift-and-drop technique with your chosen lure. Don't be afraid to impart more
action than you normally would earlier in the season, as this isn't the time for finesse.
As the weather continues to warm and the walleye's aggression really begins to show, a
change to ball-head jigs, tipped with a large shiner or chub, will put some of the bigger
fish on ice. Maintaining contact with the bottom is the key to this lure, and will enable
you to stay in the strike zone of these bottom-hugging fish.
Tipping during the late-winter period is slightly different from earlier in the year. I
usually tip my spoons with only the head of a minnow, as this is all that is needed to get
a fish to hit. It will also dissuade fish from striking short; a definite problem when
using a whole minnow. Stick with a whole minnow on a jig, though, as this provides
the flash that is needed to lure fish in.
Underwater Eyes
In order to make your search easier and more productive, I suggest the use of a portable
flasher or LCD unit. Not only can you spot fish in deep water, but more importantly, you
can accurately find the depth where active fish are living and can read subtle differences
in bottom composition. These units can make running and gunning more productive as time
spent in unproductive water can now be left to a minimum. My trusty flasher has enabled me
to locate reefs, and shoals, that I never knew existed, and has put me on fish quicker,
while giving me the edge of staying with the migratory school. The flasher has never left
my side during the hard water season, and, if you don't own one, you're limiting yourself
to fishing blindly in most instances. Pick up a unit this season before the action becomes
fast and furious, and discover why two pairs of eyes are definitely better than one!
As you can see, late-winter ice fishing for walleye is your last, and best, chance of
connecting with numbers of plentiful fish, with the possibility of landing that trophy of
a lifetime. The mid-winter period may have been discouraging, and had you rubbing your
head in disbelief, but by discovering this "hot" period of winter, the walleye
will surely become yours, and your stomachs, best friend again.
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