A game plan for winter walleye
A game plan for winter walleye
By: Gord Ellis, Fish Ontario First ice Late fall is a turbulent time for walleye. Wind. Cold. Turnover. The first skin of ice, though, brings relative stability to the walleye's world. Perhaps that's why it generally delivers the fastest and easiest fishing of the winter. As well, walleye have been largely undisturbed for the better part of two months when the first auger drops, and they're usually aggressive. I move a lot searching for hot fish. Thankfully, punching holes at this time of year is relatively easy, even with a hand auger. Since the ice is thin, keep quiet when you fish. Don't run snow machines, stomp your feet, or play fetch with the dog. In lakes with a maximum depth of about 30 feet (9 m), look for fish to be in 5 to 15 feet (1.5 to 4.5 m) of water. Start deep during the day, and work shallower as the sun lowers in the sky. The best bite is always just at dusk. First-ice walleye locations include obvious main-lake points, large near-shore reefs, boulder piles, sunken humps, and weedbeds. Even in clear lakes, walleye cruise the edges of the last remaining greenery looking for food. On Whitefish Lake, a shallow eutrophic lake in northwestern Ontario (similar to southern Ontario's Lake Scugog), I'll dig dozens of holes in search of the outside edge of huge weedbeds on large sand flats. It's worth the effort. In turbid, weedy basin-type lakes, walleye often feed in shallow, even during the day. I've caught numbers of fish in less than three feet of water. Clear lakes usually have a good first-ice night bite. Once dusk action peters out, wait an hour or so as the walleye's light-gathering eyes adjust to the darkness. As night deepens, the fish go on the attack again, like marble-eyed coyotes, patrolling the tops of reefs and shallow bays. Set a couple of large minnows under a tip-up or some form of bite-light set-up and wait for wandering fish to arrive. On full-moon nights, the action can be amazing. In some stained or dark-water systems, first-ice walleye can also be shallow on major rock or sand structure. The tops of reefs, the tips of underwater points, rocky shorelines, and major sandbars will hold fish. Keep tactics simple. This is prime jig-and-minnow and minnow-and-tip-up time. Jigging spoons also work without being tipped with a minnow, but adding one on the treble can often double your catch. Set one still-line with a medium to large minnow in shallower water and jig slightly deeper. Shallow fish seem to prefer set minnows, but jigging is effective at all depths. Mid-winter This is a time of decreased walleye activity. Low oxygen levels in shallow lakes can make fish dormant. Even turbid lakes, now protected from wind, clear somewhat, limiting daytime walleye activity. In larger, deeper systems, walleye seek basin areas where they can grab the occasional cisco or deep-water perch. Finding fish is more difficult. By January, walleye on popular hotspots have been stung hard by anglers, and remaining fish are likely not biting. Look for active fish at the base of dropoffs or cruising along subtle breaks on basin bottoms. They'll often be at precise depths, in transition areas from sand to mud, or gravel to sand. In mid-winter, a portable flasher or LCD pays for itself. Not only can you spot fish in deep water, but more importantly, you can accurately find the depth where active fish are living and you can read subtle differences in bottom composition. If fish are at 17 feet (5 m) in one end of a lake, more than likely they'll be at 17 feet in the other end. Mid-winter fishing requires slower presentations and lots of patience. Walleye will be off their feed, more than on it. Set-lines with large chub or small suckers catch most of the trophy walleye, as the big girls use as little energy as possible, for maximum gain. On a treble, hook a 4- to 5-inch minnow just under it's dorsal, and use just enough weight to keep the bait from running away from a visiting fish. On really large chub or suckers, clip the tail a bit with scissors to make it easier for a walleye to grab. When using large minnows, let a fish take line before you set the hook. Everything a mid-winter walleye does will be in relatively slow motion. If you like to jig, add a few finesse presentations to your bag of tricks. One of the best is to reverse hook a minnow on a light jig through the back of the body, near the tail, or behind the dorsal fin. I add a stinger hook, a tiny treble, near the head of the baitfish. Jig slowly when using a reverse-hooked minnow. Lift it slowly off bottom, hold it in place for about a three count, and then slowly drop the rod tip and let the minnow struggle back down. Occasionally, setting the bait on bottom for a few seconds triggers a strike. Mid-winter walleye rarely hit a jig as hard as they do earlier or later in the season. Usually, you'll just suddenly feel a weight on the line. Sweep the rod tip up and set the hook. Use the lightest jig you can get away with. A 1/16- or 1/8-ounce jig and a medium minnow make a natural presentation. If walleye are hitting harder than normal, bump up jig size to 3/8 ounce. Late winter As spring approaches and days get longer, walleye shake off the winter blues and become more active. They migrate slowly towards spawning areas, travelling along shorelines to rivermouths and gravel bars. From mid-March to the end of the winter season, many anglers key in on staging walleye off rivermouths. Fishing can be good when pods of fish arrive, but they're soon thinned out. Shoreline areas featuring prominent points or reefs adjacent to spawning areas, however, will hold cruising schools of feeding walleye, but attract fewer anglers. Last-ice walleye use a variety of depths and structures, so it pays to experiment with locations. This is a good time to run and gun; if you have no luck at a spot within a half-hour, move elsewhere. Stay as portable as possible. Use a sled or pack to quickly transport gear. Last-ice fish are aggressive. Use attractor lures, such as the Jigging Rapala and the fatter Nilsmaster. Stock up on number 5s, 7s, and 9s. These lures have the profile of a minnow and a lot of pulse in the water. An aggressive lift-and-drop action will call in big walleye. As a sweetener, add a minnow head to the lure's bottom treble. When late-winter walleye really start snapping as the weather warms, turn again to jigs and spoons tipped with minnows. Ball-head jigs of 1/4- or 3/8-ounce work well in most situations, and you can hook the minnow by the head. To save on bait, push the hook point through the minnow's mouth and up through the head. If the walleye bite is really hot, you might want to pull your set-line and jig with two rods. Winter walleye fishing has its challenges, but with a little determination and know how, you can usually get enough of the golden fish to feed your family. And for most of us, that's reward enough. Walleye anglers deal with a variety of conditions. For the jig-and-minnow angler, that can mean occasionally switching jig styles and presentations. Here are a few must-have's. Ball head: The bread-and-butter jig. When jigging minnows, short-shank ball heads are proven winners. If fish are hitting short, add a stinger hook. Have a selection of ball heads from 3/8- to 1/16-ounce. In dark water, flame red, chartreuse, and phosphorescent are good finishes. In clear water, try pink, yellow, black, blue, or white. Banana head: These jigs can be good in mid-winter for reverse hooking a minnow. They have a slow flutter on the drop, which turns walleye on. Again, adding a stinger will increase hook-ups whenever fish are biting short. Stand-up head: This style is great for presenting bait on muddy or grassy bottoms. The jig's flat bottom presents bait higher, where fish can see it. Lifting and dropping a stand-up jig also kicks up more mud and sand than a regular jig. This can attract fish. Rattle head: These are effective in dark or turbid water, or whenever you need to attract fish from a distance. Some jigs come with brass and plastic rattles already attached, and a number of companies sell rattle collars to slip on and off most jigs. Brass and metal rattles are the loudest; plastic rattle chambers are more subtle. Swimming jigs: These are popular on parts of the Great Lakes and in clear, deep inland walleye lakes. To cover different water depths and size of fish, stock up with 1/8- to 1/2-ounce swimmers. Tip them with minnows, and work them with a slow, but steady, lift and fall. This article is printed with permission by Fish Ontario. Visit their website, http://www.fishontario.com, for more Ontario fishing information.
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