There are many environmental factors and conditions that can pin you down and keep you from making a lot of moves on the ice.  Extreme white out conditions, arctic winds, deep slush and heavy snow cover can slow down the mobility concept in a hurry.  There are situations where you can’t go everywhere and have to choose an area and ride out the storm.  Other factors might also put the fish into a funk where they are really difficult to trigger or the window where they open up is short and sweet.  In a nutshell, there are situations where the people who sit on good spots where there are fish sometimes catch more fish than the people who run all over the lake.  Patience can still be an important virtue in fishing, even in today’s world where mobility on the ice has never been easier.

On Devils Lake, North Dakota, we often encounter extreme weather conditions where temperatures can be as much as forty degrees below zero.  With the new clothing available now, I am actually comfortable fishing outside all day on my snowmobile in temperatures as cold as twenty below zero but on those days, I let the snowmobile run all day long as I don’t want to take any chances.  Catch and release is even difficult as the fish flop once and are partially frozen.  When we are guiding, we set up our clients in the Fish Trap Voyageur Thermal X2 houses and these shelters remain comfortable during the worst temperatures and wind Devils Lake can muster.

During extreme conditions however when we can’t see and moving anywhere is a battle, respectable catches can often be scratched together just by maximizing your time.  If you are going to camp somewhere however, try to spend time where there is a decent traffic of fish.  With walleye fishing in particular, few spots are good all day long.  If you are on fish during the middle of the day, chances are that the fish will shift or move during the low light hours of morning and evening and vice versa.  My favorite locations to camp out on are obviously spots where I have caught fish recently.  Tough conditions become even tougher if you have to find fish.  But if you have a good knowledge of the structure present and have a GPS, you can often find the kind of locations I am about to describe.

Deep is relative depending on the fishery but if I have to sit somewhere, I seem to have more luck on deeper spots, twenty five foot plus.  Complex structure that also has a lot of breaks and rock of different sizes is also usually necessary.  These deep structure spots are often tight and small; less than an acre and it seems like the walleye movements are not as far ranging.  When fish move up and down through this type of structure, the movement is often less than fifty yards.  What that means is that you can be in slush up to your knees, have your vehicle buried to the floor boards and still range far enough to find the sweet spots.  The sweet spots are often the proverbial spot on the spot.  Perhaps where large boulders form an edge against smaller rock or gravel or some kind of finger, depression or cup that funnels fish movements.  You will mark fish on your electronics when you find the sweet spots.  If you have to camp on a location for the day, this is where you want to camp.

Wicked fronts can also put the fish into a tough disposition as well making these fish difficult to catch.  Either these fish just follow you up and down without committing or worst yet… showing up and scooting off as soon as you move your presentation.  These tough conditions are where multiple rods (dead rods in particular) shine.  When faced with these kinds of conditions, throw every rod you legally can at the fish.  On some fisheries, tip ups are popular for covering an area.  When we encounter tough bites, the walleyes often don’t trip the flag or if they do, they don’t swim off with the bait so we often have to resort to dead rods with a limber tip for detecting the bite or a traditional float.  For this dead rod presentation to be successful however, the temperature has to be warm enough to keep the hole from freezing so this often has to be accomplished inside a shelter.

When the Hub style shelters first became popular a few years back, I didn’t think I would have a use for them as I preferred the sled style flip over shelter like a Fish Trap but there are some applications where the large Hub style shelters really shine and this is just such an application.  When set up and banked, these shelters take an impressive amount of wind and are really warm, even during some of the most brutal conditions but they also give you a lot of square footage inside out of the elements.  This is a huge advantage when an angler has to use dead rods.  You can spread the rods out and cover a larger area.  These Hubs also take up such little room when stored.

The presentation wrinkles can really vary from day to day but even on a tough bite, you still often need a lost leader… what that means is somebody jigging in the vicinity of the dead rods even though the fish aren’t coming on the jigged lure, it often brings fish into the dead rods.  Lures that put off some flash and vibration are often good lures for calling in walleyes.  Some traditional lures include the Salmo Chubby Darter, the Northland Buckshot Rattle Spoon and blade baits like the Northland Life Forage Fish Fry Minnow Trap.

The most traditional dead sticking set up is just a plain hook and split shot baited with a lively minnow.  My advice is to use a high quality VMC hook that is extremely sharp as you will get better action out of the minnow and stick more fish that don’t have the whole minnow engulfed.  During really tough conditions, we often have to anchor the minnow to a small jig or spoon so that the minnow can’t really swim up and away but instead just roll in place.  The Northland Tackle Fish-Fry Minnow Jig and the 1/32^nd ounce Fireball Jig are a few excellent hooks that add a little color and flash to the presentation for dead sticking.

One last piece of advice that can help if you are missing fish on the dead rods, when you get a fish taking the minnow, let the walleye feel you before you set the hook.  Don’t pull the bait out of the fish’s mouth but just offer a little resistance… let the rod tip load slightly.  This often forces these fish to latch on harder and flare their gills and the hook ups are often better… kind of like dragging a big red tail chub away from the fish as they attempt to chomp down.  This subtle resistance created by the rod tip loading often causes the fish to chomp down harder and flare their gills again resulting in the minnow further back in the mouth when you set the hook.  Let the rod load and than crank on the reel to load the rod even more before than giving a little hook set.  This can really increase your hooking percentage during tough conditions.

Related Articles

• When Winter Settles In – Post First Ice (0)
• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Trolling on the Ice (0)
• Timing the Walleye Bite (0)

When you spend your winters guiding on a huge lake like Central Minnesota’s Mille Lacs, doing all the things it takes to find biting fish can test your resolve. There’s only one way to the fish – drilling lots and lots of holes. My guides and I sometimes spend entire days doing nothing but searching—one guy drills, another dude scans with an underwater camera. Often, we’ll grind out three or four hundred holes in the space of a 9 hour day. It isn’t always pretty, and more often than not, the best way to find fish isn’t the easiest way. But man does it pay off. We can usually stay well ahead of the crowds, keeping big schools of untouched fish to ourselves for days at a time.

While most of our time goes toward the pursuit of walleyes and perch, the things I’m going to tell you apply to pretty much any fish swimming below the ice.

I mentioned the “pay off,” and wanted to share a little snapshot from last winter’s fishing. During a particular 9-day stretch in January, I’d been quietly picking away at a huge flock of walleyes on a spacious deepwater hump. The fish were there, but every day was different. The fish made little daily movements around and over the hump, based mostly on baitfish location, light level, and more than likely, fishing pressure exerted by our own group.

Fish like walleyes and perch move in the winter—in fact, they move a lot. Thing is, though, they’re not traveling from one end of the lake to the other. Still, on big water like Mille Lacs, daily movements can certainly span several hundred yards to perhaps a mile. And of course, schools move to different depths and locales several times within a 24-hour period.

So we’d begin each day picking up where we’d left off the previous day. My guides and I would drill in opposite directions, each zigzagging up and down from the deep edge, to the drop off, to well up on the shallow flat. After banging out 20 to 30 holes in one direction, which would take about 10-minutes, we’d go back, grab rods and begin quickly fishing through each hole. We jigged Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons for no more than 5 minutes per hole before moving on down the “trolling path.” If we were working an individual walleye on our flasher, we might stay a few extra minutes to trigger that fish. Still, having laid down entire path of holes, it was so much more efficient to keep moving and search for biters.

So if we flashed a fish in one hole, but couldn’t trigger it, we made a little sign in the snow next to the hole, and return later to hopefully catch it. Really, this is as close to trolling on ice as it gets, and you’d better believe that it’s every bit as effective for contacting active fish—especially during those otherwise tough midday hours.

Having iced close to 40 fish the previous day, I approached the spot and saw a group of shelters stationed off the tip of the hump. As I talked to these anglers about their lack of success, it was interesting to note their six augers, lying unused on the ice. Obviously, the school had moved, but I figured they’d still be close. The guys told me how they’d drilled “a bunch of holes” all over, but the fish just weren’t here.

Moving a little ways down the break—maybe 150 yards—I popped 20 more holes. On my second drop, I connected with a 29-inch walleye. With a peek over my shoulder, I slipped the fish back and bailed, saving the spot for later that afternoon. Still, I couldn’t help thinking about that group of fishermen—if only they’d kept drilling and not given up.

Which just goes to illustrate an important point regarding ice trolling: while it certainly is a systematic game, more often than not, the only way to find fish is to just keep drilling and scanning with electronics. My motto is, ‘enough holes are never enough until fish are found.’

The ice trolling system begins with my GPS. Following contours on my LakeMaster mapping software, I lay down a “trolling route” in the snow first—running the edge with a snow machine or on foot, tracing out the boundaries of the structure. Then, I simply go back through, following my tracks, snatch the StrikeMaster, and cut more holes.

Most often, when drilling-out a new piece of structure, a partner is following behind with a MarCum VS380 underwater camera. It’s the other half of my fish-finding gameplan. Anglers like cameras because they offer a n entertaining way to watch fish react to lures. But the truth is, the camera is even more valuable as a fish-finding tool. The VS380 is compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry on the fly. The picture on the 380 is incredibly clear, too, showing an amazing amount of detail—all the way down to individual mayfly larva, even zooplankton. Really, it’s like having HD-TV on ice.

The viewing angler who drops the lens into each new hole sees the big picture—bottom terrain, the presence or lack of baitfish, walleye size, numbers and their position relative to bottom. Even their activity level can be gauged simply by observing fin movement and distance above bottom (active fish are usually one or more feet above the substrate and their pectoral fins fan a little more quickly). When the viewer spots a fish, he’ll trace certain symbols on the snow for reference. To keep other anglers from discovering our fish, we’ve devised our own code—for instance we might trace a “10-4” for walleye, “50-0” for big walleye, or “1-1” for two walleyes. The goal is to fine-tune our ice trolling program as much as possible—again, it’s a system, no different than a strategic open water trolling approach—and not just a bunch of holes drilled to impress people with our endurance.

Soon, we begin fishing back through each hole in sequence. We’ll leapfrog over one another, again, rarely fishing any one hole for more than 5-minutes. Once we reach the end of the trolling path, it’s time to start the drilling/camera viewing process again. Cut and view thirty holes, then fish. After a few hours (usually less), it will become pretty apparent whether the active fish are off the deep edge, directly on the drop, or on top of the flat.

Some days, rather than using portable shelters, we simply set a large pop-up style house, such as a Frabill Headquarters, which serves as basecamp. From here, a bunch of anglers can formulate gameplans, eat lunch, and just get a blast of warm air. Really, though, if you’re outfitted with something similar to my Snosuit, you’ll never even notice the cold.

It’s sort of funny, but one of the biggest objections to ice trolling comes from anglers who say that all you need are a few wisely drilled holes placed in key spots at peak times. This is true if you’re setting up for an hour or so of fishing at dawn or dusk. But even then, I’d still rather have the luxury of working through an entire network of 30 to 100 holes along a particular structure.

What I like to tell people is—and this is absolutely true—once you start ice trolling, systematically exploring entire structural complexes with an auger and a camera, you’ll start catching a lot of walleyes and other species during all the supposed ‘off-peak’ hours during the middle of the day. Each new hole holds the hope of a big fish—and if you ask me, that’s about as good as it gets.

Related Articles

• When Winter Settles In – Post First Ice (0)
• Walleyes on Dead Stick Rods (0)
• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Timing the Walleye Bite (0)

Rock piles in the right location can be productive for most of the winter

Look for hard bottom areas to catch more fish this winter. Bars, points and saddles that are covered with rock are a good bet if you are looking for perch or walleyes. At least that is what I have been told. Walleye anglers in particular are infatuated with this structural element. Watch an ice-anglers eyes light up when you describe a tiny rock pile around the corner that nobody knows about. Lets face it, we love rocks. Big rocks, small rocks, I guess we love all rocks. Why do we love rocks? Good memories perhaps. Maybe this structure might be more obvious to us and we spend more time in these types of areas. Perhaps the rock pile phenomena has been beaten into our heads so many times that we just feel really good inside whenever we drill in on a good point or hump that is covered with some kind of rock.

In so many cases however, just drilling a hole on top of a rock pile isn’t good enough. When dealing with rock, remember that bottom hugging fish like walleyes and perch are often between the rocks, not above. So often, large boulders and rock will prohibit fish from moving or seeing in certain directions. There is almost set routes fish use as they move across and use a rock pile. The beauty of structure strewn with rocks and boulders is the fact that fish movement is often directed and limited. What I mean by this is that usually, fish seem to swim around the base of the rocks instead of swimming up over the rocks unless when really aggressive. Fish movements often get funneled into gaps, opening and cavities within the rocks. 

Find the gaps between the rocks and you have a spot on the spot

In this regard, the “spot on a spot” is often very predictable. What’s the down side of fishing rock piles? Not being able to get completely dialed in to the “spot on a spot.” So often, one hole can be extremely productive while a hole two feet away will produce nothing. This feast or famine can really become evident when dealing with a fish house. There will be some holes in the fish house that just don’t produce.

The best way to find these high percentage honey holes is by fishing. We all wish there was an easier way don’t we. Even the best GPS won’t get you close enough. You will be able to find the rock pile with ease but you will never find where that exact hole was that you slammed the fish last winter. Mark hot holes with a tree branch, GPS, or something else so you can find the exact spot again. Use a depth finder and drill some holes to really learn what is below. A little trick that works for me is to mark the depth on the sonar with my fingernail as I walk from hole to hole so I know the exact difference in depths from hole to hole.

Many anglers know how to use a sonar to find structure by reading changes in actual depth. When figuring out a rock pile however, you can find out so much from your sonar by reading the differences in bottom separations. Bottom separation is the target separation between your lure and the bottom. If you have to raise your lure up a foot and a half before you can see the lure on the dial, you have a rock that is sticking up from the bottom, giving you a “blind spot” within the bottom. Differences in this bottom separation can give you clues as to how big the rocks are and where the size of the rocks change.

Finally, an underwater camera can give you an even better understanding as to what is located directly below. Honestly, I don’t use a camera much myself when actually fishing. A camera isn’t a “fishing tool” so to speak but a “learning tool.” When you have a question or can’t figure out what is going on down there, dropping the camera down to the bottom usually gives me the answers to my questions. An underwater camera can really give an angler a better understanding as to how the rocks look from a fish’s perspective and it is beneficial to see how fish float through these underwater mazes with our own eyes.

When fishing right down in the rocks, remember that a fish’s sight is often narrowed down to inches. We often find ourselves having to raise the lure up above the rocks to get the attention from fish further away. When dropping a lure down into a cavity or opening, reduce the gain on the sonar until you get a really week bottom signal. Often, we can see our lure flicker and move within the bottom reading. Watch for the bottom signal to jump or get stronger when a fish moves in.

Rock piles are a popular option to explore during the ice-fishing period. The reason is simple. Rocks are often very productive. Walleyes, pike and perch will all use this habitat sometime during the winter. The key to catching fish over rock is remembering that just being close or on a general spot isn’t quite good enough. Nowhere else has location have to get so narrowed down as over a rock bottom.

Take the time to learn the bottom well. Experience will tell you what characteristics of rocks are attractive to fish. Time spent fishing will tell you how fish relate to this structure and where you should fish.

Related Articles

• When Winter Settles In – Post First Ice (0)
• Walleyes on Dead Stick Rods (0)
• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Trolling on the Ice (0)

Noel with tight lines

Dave Genz, admittedly, dislikes morning bites. Well…in reality, that’s not completely fair. He digs a buttocks-over-teakettle morning feed as much as the next guy. What he despises, however, is a bombastic daybreak that evolves into an afternoon of nothingness. Genz, in fact, has devoted a lifetime to finding fish at high noon. No time for naps for the Captain of Ice Team.

Genz earned his stripes making bluegills, crappies, and perch feed when they weren’t supposed to, when skies were high – force-feeding them, if you will. His ability to track and trigger over deep breaks, basins, and hollows is masterful, legendary.

So, with panfish effectively licked – patterned – what’s an innovator to due? How’s about walleyes? They’re vampires when it comes to timetables; exercising their fangs at dawn and dusk and dead to the world during daylight hours. Try and crack that code, Mr. Genz…

Well, he’s more than plucked a walleye or two during lunch hour. Genz has devised a plan for tracing and catching wintertime walleyes during supposed off-peak periods, that 10 am to 2 pm window. And his approach is based on summer fishing habits.

“In the summer, if you want to find walleyes during the day you need to cover water,” explains Genz. “Trolling crankbaits or spinners is what you need to do.” Many of those anglers, however, fail to translate that mobile-mindset to the hardwater.

In Genz’s psyche, his Fish Trap is the boat and his legs are the outboard. He’ll simply have to drag and drill to simulate trolling. And if the size of the structure is especially daunting, the ice fishing patriarch will fire up the Arctic Cat and break trail. No big whoop.

Now the topic of “structure” is as good a place as any to begin. Structure – the firm-floored and steeply sloping stuff – is where walleyes assemble during the spree, the baitfish slaughter. That’s where the permanent shelters sit. That’s where all the old holes are. Genz, however, understands that archetypal and fundamental walleye structure is generally a ghost town by day.

Midday walleye

With that said, he uses classic walleye structure as a reference point. “The first place walleyes will sit during off peak times is at the base of a break,” says Genz. The average break, whether it’s rocky and offshore or gravelly and shoreline oriented, turns softer as it flattens out. And this squishier bottom or transition zone, says Genz, often harbors entire food chains. The midge and mayfly larvae attract gamefish and baitfish, and the baitfish tempt…well, you know who.

So Genz commences at the foot of the break, carving a string of holes along the perimeter and then turning outward to explore 100, maybe 200 feet across the basin. Typically, though, he only bores three holes at time. “I don’t like drilling more holes than I can fish,” he says. “I’d rather make big moves, drilling fewer holes, spacing them out and fishing them all.”

With the holes bored and trusty StrikeMaster Lazer laid to cool, Genz rolls out the reconnaissance program.

Now in a typical lake on typical day, as walleyes slide down from feeding areas, they find deeper water while retaining contact with the bottom. That’s not always the case, though. “I’ve seen it where walleyes were feeding over a reef in 15 feet of water and moved off the structure and suspended at that level over much deeper water,” says Genz. “They might swim 50 or 100 feet away, but still hold at 15 feet.”

Because of this potentiality, Genz is a stickler about browsing the entire water column. He gets up-close and personal with his Vexilar and begins the sounding process. “Suspenders” will be the first to materialize, and with the zooming ability of the FL-18, even lazy, midday bellies-to-the-bottom walleyes are revealed. The Vexilar, when accurately interpreted, also reports critical bottom-composition data, namely changes from firm to supple.

No doubt, Genz wants to see fish on the flasher, but he’s also seasoned enough to know that walleyes can fly under the radar. They won’t materialize at first, but after a couple quick jerks of the jig you’re staring at a mercurial red mark and feeling a jolt in your hands. Those are hot fish, the kind that set themselves.

In a proven spot, or one that’s simply irresistible, Genz marches-out another line of offense, his Aqua-Vu underwater camera. The monitor is fixed to the front seat bracket of his Fish Trap Scout and camera lowered on the new Motorized Ice Pod (MO-POD). Said rigging is advantageous to “downviewing,” Genz’s clever method of hanging the lens vertically so as to look straight down, instead of sideways, overtop the action.

The Aqua-Vu not only helps him positively identify fish and influence the trigging sequence, but also provides a clearer picture of what the bottom looks like. On a flat, for instance, Genz spies for zones where darker and lighter bottoms merge, a transition. Generally speaking, darker is softer, which bodes better for bugs. The camera might also disclose the whereabouts of an unmapped vein of cobblestone or clam bed.

Now how many holes Genz might drill, check, and fish is dictated by the day. On a prosperous strike-it-rich sort of afternoon he may engage walleyes mere yards away from conventional structure. But at other times, when the stars aren’t aligning, he’ll cut trios of holes into the horizon, far from the permanent shelters and known.

Let’s assume, though, that Genz is in a fishy place. Walleyes are in his midst. Standard, upsized walleye jigs won’t do, though – too big. Instead, he opts for a midsize lure, more of an in-between-meals snack. Genz’s first choice is a Lindy Rattl’r Spoon; the medium sized one in glow/perch or glow/firetiger.

High noon ice fishing

Normally, you’d bedeck a jigging spoon with a big ‘ol minnow head, too. But not Genz, not at the crack of noon. He takes three crappie minnows – not fatheads or shiners – and impales one on each of the trebles, eye-socket to eye-socket. It’s gruesome but effective, and, as Genz says, imparts a fancier dance that day-timers seem to appreciate.

His second trick, if the spoon goes untouched, is lowering a #6 or #8 Lindy Genz Worm in Techni-Glo red. Before dunking, however, he smothers it with 10 or 12 maggots, which are thread inline through their blunt ends, the scent sacs. The result is a monster panfish offering geared for uninspired walleyes.

Genz recommends banging the bottom a bit, too. The rising clouds of silt can be an attractant. And, speaking of mud flats, jumbo perch often survive amongst the walleyes and muck.

The day is coming to close. As the sun leans toward the treeline, Genz gathers himself and gear and reverse migrates to traditional walleye structure, the steeper and shallower stuff – the morning holes. Dusk is plain icing on the cake for a full day of walleye fishing.

Related Articles

• When Winter Settles In – Post First Ice (0)
• Walleyes on Dead Stick Rods (0)
• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Trolling on the Ice (0)

Dave Genz with a giant midwinter walleye

During a recent seminar, a fresh-faced, high-school aged kid asked me to summarize ice fishing in one piece of advice. That’s near impossible to do, of course, but in retrospect, I liked my off-the-cuff response: Avoid the crowds.

I’ve caught a lot of fish through the ice, and if it were all about catching and killing, I’m not sure I’d still maintain my passion for any outdoor activity. For me, like many of you, it’s all about the chase, so why would I hang around a cluster of folks working one piece of structure on massive lake? All that fishing pressure usually turns off the bite anyway. Sure, I like to commiserate as much as anyone at a tournament or other event, but when I’m out fishing just for me, you’d better believe I’m often striking off on my own.

That means avoiding what we Ice Team Power Sticks call community spots. With today’s tools like GPS and map chips, you can spend an entire season working new areas away from the crowds. Everyone asks “Where they bitin’?” at baitshops and hears the same things. Those tips rarely provide the latest and greatest information, and usually end up congregating everyone together. The latest and greatest develops when clever folks like you reading this article use your savvy, wits, and intelligence to find the next the honeyhole. For the purposes of this piece, let’s apply that to midwinter walleyes.

Start with a hydrographic lake map with up-to-date contours. Currents and other factors can alter structure, plus new mapping technology is revealing places we didn’t know existed as recently as a few years ago. For walleyes after the first of the year, look for offshore structure like humps, points, reefs, and drop-offs – those places where the map contours are close together.

Early in the season for ice walleyes, we explored near-shore structure, but by the time you’re reading this, many ’eyes have begun associating with rocks piles, mud flats, and underwater islands farther offshore. Just as bass anglers talk about “spot on the spot” fishing locations during the heat of summer, we can find similar hunks of structure in the winter where walleyes will congregate.

It’s also a time where some scouting and – yes, folks – drilling a fair number of holes can pay off. We’re not just drilling holes to make noise, but I firmly believe that too many people wait around for fish to find them. Sounds like a cold waste of time to me, which perhaps is why I have such a reputation for mobility. All that pre-season scouting via boat, or shooting through the ice with our sonar now is delivering its dividends. Every hole has a purpose, perhaps as we work our way around a hump, or points breaking off an offshore rock pile. Spend a couple minutes at each hole, using your electronics to see if you mark any fish.

Lately I’ve been preaching the need to “fish heavy” and reach those deep fish fast. If you’re marking fish at 30 feet, we don’t want to be putzing around waiting for a tiny lure to drop to those fish. Once you reach them, work it, but if nothing produces, move on. And don’t be afraid to investigate the entire water column, particularly midday when the food chain – beginning at the bottom with insect larvae – is kicking into high gear. Pursuing baitfish may attract walleyes to a broad zone over, around, and to the sides of this key structure. We forget sometimes to think in 3-D. If nothing pans out, proceed to your next hole. Top holes usually combine pieces of structure, say a few weeds, a transition from mud to rocks, a drop-off, or all of the above.

The noise factor is real and it should concern us, so get your drilling completed as early as possible so things calm down a bit before the prime hours at dusk. During the ice fishing season, the twilight-loving walleye travels mostly at dawn and dusk, following the corridors around these humps and other forms of structure that we’ve scouted out. They’ll fan out over them and we usually enjoy 90 minutes of pretty good fishing as this develops.

If the structure doesn’t produce, I don’t hesitate to begin working off into no man’s land. I prefer to work this pattern – drilling and fishing, drilling and fishing – with a partner, simply to cover more ground and increase our efficiency. Particularly in the midseason, when often several inches of snow covers the ice, it’s pretty dark down there, and that means walleyes are a little more willing to pursue prey during daylight, even midday hours. Don’t give up.

After the early ice flurry, too many anglers give up on walleyes until the end of the season. Use more finesse than you would during those seasons, but keep fishing! Yes, the metabolism of these fish slowed down, so they’re not eating as much, but I would argue that this is one of the best times of winter to pattern the foraging habits of these fish. My favorite offshore location this time of year, when lethargic fish are interested in conserving energy and not moving much, is right off a sharp drop-off. If you can find insects rising off the bottom blurring your sonar, you’ve hit pay dirt. Here’s where your sonar and underwater camera really come into play.

On a related note, take advantage of the second line we can use while ice fishing in Minnesota (or three in Wisconsin) to deadstick a hole while investigating other areas. A couple guys working in tandem can become very productive operating this way.

Top baits in my arsenal this time of year start with the Rattl’n Flyer Spoon in multiple sizes depending on the depth of the water. Brings lots of colors, especially Techni-Glo red, perch, and silver shiner. Add lots of live bait, be it a minnow to all your treble hooks, or on a Genz Worm add a bunch of Eurolarvae. The more scent the better this cold, dark time of year.

Yeah, fishing’s a little tougher right now, but hang in there and in another month, the late-ice frenzy will be upon us!

Article provided by the Ice Team.

Related Articles

• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Redefining Rock Structure in the Winter (0)
• Icing Walleyes in April (0)
• Ice Fishing with Plastics (0)

Having the right equipment is one the many necessary ice fishing tactics for a successful winter.

More fun can be had on the ice this year than ever before, with a wide range of gadgets, rods, lures and electronics at your disposal, each trip can result in catches and a lot more fun. Here are some great ice fishing tactics I picked up on the learning curve the past few seasons that should help elevate your ice fishing success.

Get the Angle

An awesome tweak on the advantage of modern day ice sonar that I discovered recently I call “the swirl.” While fishing for suspended crappies on a small lake, I dropped my Marcum transducer into one of a number of holes I had punched over a likely basin. Immediately, there was nothing on the screen. Having seen this throughout the morning, I knew it was best to just bump on over to another hole to find the fish that were suspended, and generally more eager to bite.

As I reached down to pull the transducer out of the hole, the foam float slipped from my grasp and plopped back into the water. As it did, the transducer spun around its axis, firing beams angled off to the sides of the hole. Green flickers appeared suspended three or four feet off the bottom. Thinking they might be fish, I dropped my spoon back down and began jigging aggressively above where the lines had appeared. The faint lines appeared on the display, and then reddened into those signals of fish directly under the hole. Shortly, two keeper crappies lay on the ice.

Now, when nothing shows on the Marcum when I am searching for suspended fish, I give the foam float a quick swirl around the hole, effectively widening the angle of detection. If a flicker of green shows up in the water column, chances are it is a fish. This tactic is best for fish like crappies and bluegill that are found up in the column.

Tip-up Tips

When it comes to tip-ups, most companies offer two settings for the triggering of the flag. Use these options, along with how the tip-up is aligned in the hole, to prevent false flag activation due to wind and to adjust your tip-up to the species you are fishing.

Most standard tip-ups have a T-bar which holds the flag in the down position. On many T-bars there are two arms, each with notches. One arm has a notch that is wider and deeper and the other has one that is smaller, or even absent.

When fishing for aggressive predators like northern pike, the flag can be set into the large notch of the T-bar without much fear of the fish noticing resistance on the take. For generally light-biting fish, like walleye, it is a good idea to place the flag in the small notch, or on the smooth side of the T-bar. This way, as the T-bar rotates when a fish takes the bait, the flag has a smoother release, making the fish less aware of the fact that something isn’t quite right.

In addition to the notches, tip-up anglers can play the wind to their advantage. When fishing in stronger winds, it is wise to rotate the desired arm of the T-bar to point into the wind. Then place the flag on the windward arm of the T-bar so the wind holds it in place to prevent a premature release due to a gust which would occur on the leeward side of the tip-up.

Spoons and jigging lures are ideal for winter walleyes

Drop In

When fish don’t respond to standard offerings like spoons or jigs, a dropper can offer a smaller morsel, or a less contested piece of bait, and trigger bites. Theories abound as to why a dropper works well – particularly on perch and walleye – but the one I buy into most is the “feast or famine” rule. This is evidenced by smallmouth bass that will eat the regurgitated food of another hooked smallmouth on its way to the boat. In nature, animals will take what they can get when they get it.

So, when using droppers, it isn’t uncommon that fish-profiled baits equipped with a dropper trigger the same response. Try removing the treble hook of a Rapala Jigging Rap, or a Buckshot Rattle Spoon and adding on a Northland Dropper Hook, or a Nils Master Hali dropper chain. Spearing on a minnow, a minnow head or a couple spikes gives the illusion that there’s a bigger fish eating something, and a piece of that something just fell away – the perfect easy meal for other opportunistic fish.

Oftentimes, a fish will bite on a spoon-and-dropper combo with just a seductive little wiggle or bounce which shimmies the bait in a natural way. Work droppers in the hole before sending them to the depths to get an idea as to what it will look like in the strike zone. Tailor your own droppers to your needs with a Hali chain or a stout piece of monofilament about two inches long and a Gamakatsu hook, a small Genz Worm, Flu Flu or other jig.

No Penalty for Clipping

For fast-paced searching, it’s tough to top a clip for quick changing of spoons, minnow baits and other search lures. A size 2 clip is perfect for small ice lures. It does not detract from the action and allows anglers to adjust their presentation as needed. A simple flick of the wrist opens and shuts the clip on most lures.

Use a clip when jumping from hole to hole, or trying to find the right sized spoon for your target fish. It is much easier than cutting and retying, and also allows for a looser connection that, like the Rapala Knot, results in a freer swing of lures in the water.

These tips should help improve your fishing this year, and along the way you’ll probably discover more. Try new lakes, fish new species, have fun and keep learning…in our outdoors.

Related Articles

• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Redefining Rock Structure in the Winter (0)
• Mid-Winter Walleyes (0)
• Icing Walleyes in April (0)

Scott Glorvigen relies on the sight and sounds of his Northland Fishing Tackle Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon to gain the attention of walleyes in stained water lakes and river.

You can take this one of two ways. Because I’m a fishing guide, you might think I’m all talk and keeping the good stuff to myself. Or, you might trust my experience and assume that you’re getting my A-game. Well, it’s some of both. I’ll be up front and offer honest, time-tested advice for catching walleyes. But forget about me leaking spots. Finding fish is up to you.

I duck hunt like a madman, but quickly concede the season once there’s a whiff of walleyes in the air. Early ice is a special time. The bite can be high-strung and action packed, but only as long as you know where to look and what to throw at them.

Finding fish is the first order of business. Walleyes can inhabit a variety of areas, taking to points, reefs, and shoreline breaks. But there’s a certain setting, regardless of the lake, that is basically foolproof. Walleyes are fans of moving water. They’re also partial to weeds. Combine the two and you have the perfect brew.

I begin by locating the water source. It can take the form of a feeder creek, river inlet, or spring. The common denominator is that fresh incoming water supports life. And often you’ll find thriving weeds near these sources.

My favorite scenario, by a long shot, is when a river tributary opens up into a flat that eventually breaks into the main lake – pigs in a blanket to me, and the fish. And conditions improve that much more when green weeds are involved.

A typical flat opens at the mouth of the tributary in a fan shape and features a hard bottom, gravel or rocks. From there it tapers deeper until hitting the break. Breaks can be gradual or abrupt; the steeper the better.

But wait, there’s more. The key to the kingdom is finding a shelf somewhere along the main break. Let’s say the flat begins at the mouth and works itself down to 8-feet, where it drops hard to 25 or 30-feet. Midway down the slope a shelf protrudes, call it a ledge. Walleyes will stack on it like books. That’s a key contact point.

Not every flat breaks wildly, though. My favorite lakes at first ice are relatively shallow, murky, and weedy. A break on those bodies of water might only mean a few feet. That’s where the weeds come in. Weeds can compensate for lack of physical structure. Walleyes follow edges, and thick green weeds give them something to track along. Green whorls of coontail hold lots of forage, too, but they’re the first to wither. Broad-leaved cabbage is the next best thing.

So that’s where I kickoff the season: mouths of tributaries with breaks and the deepest green weeds available. The next order of business is selecting a lure assortment. And early ice walleyes want it big and lively.

Spoons get the job done. Something with a wide profile and eye-catching colors is preferred. I’ve had particularly good luck with the Northland Fishing Tackle Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon. For me, the Super-Glo Firetiger pattern has been especially deadly. Besides its brilliant appearance, the addition of rattles makes it easier to find in stained water.

Early in the season, it’s nothing for me to hang a whole minnow from the hook. Shiners are preferred, but a fathead will do. Hook the minnow through the lower jaw and up behind the back of its head with a single barb. The minnow will hang vertically. The spoon combined with the minnow makes for a massive and mouthwatering profile.

The basic jigging motion is a series of hard pounds off the bottom, kicking up debris, and drawing the attention of aggressive walleyes. If they aren’t wolfing it down, though, I drop to the bottom, lift just the weight of the spoon, and quiver the minnow on the lake floor. That technique has changed more than one walleye’s mind.

Not always, however, do they welcome a whole minnow, especially as the season goes along. Next, I’ll go to a three-quarter minnow, pinching off the tale and letting the guts do their thing. I might downsize to a half minnow if things are really tough.

The minnow tipped Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon is my search lure as well as primary jigging apparatus. But once fish have been exposed, it’s time to build in a battalion of tip-ups. In Wisconsin, where three lines are legal ice fishing, I jig one; make the second a tip-up; and work a deadstick with the third.

The Frabill Pro-Thermal tip-up is the crème de la crème for walleye fishing. Its discus-shaped base covers the hole completely and blocks light – early ice walleyes are skittish to abnormal beams of light. Additionally, the Pro-Thermal insulates the hole, keeping skim ice from forming.

Tip-ups are stationary, but that doesn’t mean your bait has to be. I combine the best features of live bait and dead bait. On a single hook, or treble where legal, lip hook a half minnow followed by a similarly rigged whole minnow. The live minnow gives your presentation motion. The half minnow gives it flavor and scent.

Sounds ugly, but it’s effective. But so am I… Now that’s funny.

Related Articles

• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Redefining Rock Structure in the Winter (0)
• Mid-Winter Walleyes (0)
• Icing Walleyes in April (0)
• Ice Fishing with Plastics (0)

Late ice is the best fishing of the winter

Late ice patterns can vary. People often preach about fishing shallow. Others stress the importance of finding moving water. Late ice is often hailed as the best fishing of the year. The fish are supposed to be biting as well as they have all winter. Anglers eagerly await the last hurrah. The reality, however, is that fish can still be just about anywhere… even during the late ice period.

We have found fish deep; we have found fish shallow. We have seen where incoming current plated a factor and we have seen where it did not. Throw in changing weather conditions and the fact that different fish are on different programs not all reacting to their changing environments at once and late ice fishing is still just that… fishing. One big advantage for anglers getting their last ice fishing fixes in is that the weather is often very accommodating, allowing us to fish aggressively outside of shelters and the days are long, giving us more time to crack the pattern each day. Extreme fronts, blizzards and lots of snow on the ice however still make fishing tough just like any other time of the winter.

So don’t get hung up on shallow or deep. Don’t assume that the fish will be suicidal. Don’t get hung up on certain lakes or types of lakes. Systematically check different options until the fish start to tell you that you are getting warm. Here are a few of the different scenarios we have found over and over again at first ice. Also, many of these patterns are not species specific in the sense that this general milk run of places to check has worked to find everything from bluegill to walleye.

Where the Basin Meets the Bay

Many fish spawn in shallow bays that warm up quicker than the main body or basin. Some fish need weeds, other gravel or rock but the principals are the same. Come ice out or shortly after, almost every fish in the lake makes this push. Where the main basin connects to these shallower bays where fish will eventually spawn is always worth checking. This is often deep water but deep is relative. This basin might be forty feet of twelve feet but regardless of depth, don’t overlook where the basin meets the bay.

Feeder Creeks, Dirty Ice and Shoreline Seepage

While the last pattern described may take you deep, an option always worth looking at that takes you into very shallow water and often close to shore. As the days get longer and the sun starts to pound the ice hard enough where you can throw a penny on the ice and watch the penny melt through the ice, feeder creeks become more active, snow begins to melt and creeps into the shorelines. To find where this melt off is seeping into the lake along the shoreline, look for dirty ice. Ice along the shore might turn brown or yellow. The feeder creeks can often be easy to identify on the shoreline and are marked on most Lake Maps. A few different things seem to happen that can make the fishing good.

On clear lakes, this incoming water is often dirtier, which might enable you to catch fish all day or at least for longer windows in the morning and evening. This water is also rich in oxygen. On small lakes where low oxygen levels combined with deep snow put stress on fish, this pattern can be killer. At times, this shallow blanket of shoreline water may be warmer as well but we have actually found the exact opposite at times with a temperature gauge. There are times where this water will actually be colder than the water in the basin but the fish were still up shallow along the shoreline regardless. Usually, from our experiences, the shorelines are often soft with either terrestrial vegetation growing along shore or perhaps cattails or reeds. We usually didn’t find this shallow game going on where the shorelines were rock. Last word of advice; don’t wreck the blades on your auger because many of the best holes are less than two feet out to about six feet, right tight to shore.

Bottle Necks and Channels

Some fish appreciate current more than others. Sauger and walleye for example seem to seek current, sauger especially so. Panfish might not pile into areas where the flow is obvious or strong but some movement of water seems to have a universal appeal in varying degrees. On small flowages and shallow lakes, bottleneck areas or boat channels often concentrate fish. For panfish, perhaps bottleneck area simply congest fish as they move through a system and during late ice, many of these fish are indeed on the move. Other situations, more so on big water, these narrows often have strong currents that increase in intensity as the days get longer and these strong current areas are areas that walleye gather every spring. Channels are always worth a look as well. Either where channels empty into the lake or in the case of reservoirs, where the reservoir turns to river, or channels connecting different lake basins.

Green Weeds and New Growth

Green weeds are just universally appealing to most of the fish we spend any time pursuing, from walleye and pike to perch, sunfish and crappie. Some weeds just stay green all winter long especially when there is little or no snow. What often happens late in the winter however is rejuvenation. Weeds that were browning up and breaking down will sometimes begin to come back to life.

New green shoots begin to emerge and with this new vegetation rebirth comes a second chance on many spots that were good at first ice but went dead in the middle of winter. Usually, the first weeds to green up are shallow where the water and ice is generally clear on flats close to shore that feature darker bottoms. Green weeds are just too good to pass up regardless of time of year. Late ice is no exception.

Conclusion

There are many different patterns that can unfold as winter progresses to spring. Every lake is different and lakes become different as well over time. Add other anglers to the mix and where we can expect to catch fish come late ice isn’t so black and white. Many of the patterns described above may take you shallow or deep, close to shore or away. Be flexible and systematically eliminate different patterns that you know can emerge, come late ice and you will enjoy finding fish a few more times before the boat comes out of the garage.

Check out Jason Mitchell Elite Series Rods, that are getting great reviews. More information can be found at: www.jasonmitchellrods.com

Related Articles

• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Redefining Rock Structure in the Winter (0)
• Mid-Winter Walleyes (0)
• Icing Walleyes in April (0)

Bro with a nice walleye below the ice

Conduct your own search for walleyes, one of the prized fish of the Ice Belt.

The conversation, for a brief time, sounds like we’re talking about the Internet.

“We’re such an information society,” says Brian Brosdahl.

Believe it or not, he’s talking about how to go out on the ice and find your own walleyes.

His point: despite all the great search tools we now have, most ice anglers are content to go where others lead them, to join the throng at the community spot. If they do venture forth, it’s to another spot somebody told them about, not one they found on their own.

“You should want more than the community spot,” says Bro, a key member of the Ice Team Power Sticks. “You can end up with so much more if you start out with no information at all.”

People who are good at something always make it sound easier than it is, but Bro swears you can go out on the ice and find your own walleyes.

“In my mind,” he says, “the seek-and-search game is the most fun, even though it takes time. In fact, after I find fish and catch them, I don’t need to go back there unless I’m guiding somebody else.”

Makes sense. After all, somebody has to drill the first set of holes. This winter, it might as well be you.

Beware the Advice

Bro warns against relying completely on tips from friends or bait shops. “On large bodies of water, it’s nice to have local tips,” he says, “but if you only fish spots other people tell you about, you’ll only catch a random sample of what might be.”

Bro talks about “making your own report” by striking out on your own.

How to Find Your Own Walleyes

Just because you’re determined to strike off and find your own fish doesn’t make you Daniel Boone, right? Bro realizes that, and offers a set of ideas that will help you conduct your own search… for one of the prized fish throughout the Ice Belt, walleyes.

First, here’s what you can find out before hitting the ice that will help narrow the search. “Everybody talks about lake maps,” says Bro, “and they are nice, especially if they’re detailed. But maps are just a starting point. It can be important to know where the structures, and the deep holes, are. But that still doesn’t tell you where the walleyes are; you still have to drill your own holes and do your own looking.”

Water clarity is an important clue, which is sometimes found on lake maps. But realize clarity is typically improved when the lake is ice covered.

Bro’s walleye tips, based on water clarity:

As winter rolls on, you'll want to get away from shore and out towards deeper structure in the middle of the lake

The daytime bite is usually better when the water is stained or otherwise off-colored. “If it’s crystal clear,” he says, “I try to hit that lake early in the morning and at evening. That is, unless there are a lot of weeds. You can catch daytime walleyes in the weeds a lot of times.”

In clear water, walleyes are “generally deeper and spookier,” says Bro. “I like to target deeper fish. If they’re in 5-8 feet, they can be easy to spook. I like to go maybe 10-25 feet in super clear water.”

To make a quick overall assessment of a lake, look at the contour map and see how many structural elements there are, and generally how deep or shallow the lake is.

“Generally, I like a lake that has some depth and a variety of structures,” offers Bro. “Walleyes are creatures of structure. If there isn’t much structure, look for weeds or cover of some kind, like wood.”

When he says ‘structure,’ Bro means classic humps, bars (points), steeper shoreline breaks, rock piles and the like. But reminded that a structure-filled lake can be intimidating to ice anglers not used to ‘finding their own,’ he got specific, revealing exactly what sorts of spots he looks for from first ice to last.

Exactly Where to Look

When hitting the ice, Bro begins with shoreline points, especially if the point is close to a steep shoreline break (dropoff). Walleyes tend to hold in these locations for up to a month, depending on how long the ice remains where you fish.

Later, as winter wears on, walleyes tend to make movements toward deeper structures not necessarily ‘connected’ to shore… in other words, humps, reefs, or deeper water sections. “They progress to deeper bars and humps,” says Bro, “and also flats. Especially flats if the lake has little structure.”

In lakes with lots of structure, and massive structural elements, “fish the ones with the steepest breaks or any curves,” says Bro. “If structures are relatively straight, somewhat featureless for long spans, don’t choose those, because they’re usually areas of fish movement but not places fish stop to feed. But where these meet curves or points it can be fantastic.”

On massive flats, look for changes in bottom composition. A sonar can show you relatively hard bottom, by a wide, bright bottom signal. An underwater camera will let you look the bottom over in each hole, and you can often see for yourself what it’s made of.

Soft-bottom flats that meet humps or other firm-bottom areas “can be great at mid- to late winter,” says Bro. “Minnows group up on these spots, and there can be insect activity, even under the ice. Walleyes gather there to feed.”

Flats can be huge, so it helps to concentrate on the regions near other features, such as hard-bottom humps. “Look for the presence of baitfish,” advises Bro. “If you look down a series of holes and the (sonar) screen is blank, keep moving.”

As we approach late ice, “walleyes tend to return to shoreline structures,” says Bro, “and sometimes show up really shallow. They also head to mouths of inflowing river, drawn to the current to spawn. But I don’t recommend running to those areas, because the ice can be very unsafe.”

Look for “troughs and inshore drop-offs” to find walleyes in “safe-ice areas,” says Bro. “And this is where knowledge of surviving weeds can be important. Not the brown, sogged-out weeds. Use your underwater camera to look over weed beds and you’ll find the key areas. Look in any kind of a scoop-out near shore. They might be natural or caused by something, like ice heaves. They can hold walleyes in good numbers.”

Article provided by the Ice Team.

Related Articles

• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Redefining Rock Structure in the Winter (0)
• Mid-Winter Walleyes (0)
• Icing Walleyes in April (0)

Rock piles in the right location can be productive for most of the winter

Look for hard bottom areas to catch more fish this winter. Bars, points and saddles that are covered with rock are a good bet if you are looking for perch or walleyes. At least that is what I have been told. Walleye anglers in particular are infatuated with this structural element. Watch an ice-anglers eyes light up when you describe a tiny rock pile around the corner that nobody knows about. Lets face it, we love rocks. Big rocks, small rocks, I guess we love all rocks. Why do we love rocks? Good memories perhaps. Maybe this structure might be more obvious to us and we spend more time in these types of areas. Perhaps the rock pile phenomena has been beaten into our heads so many times that we just feel really good inside whenever we drill in on a good point or hump that is covered with some kind of rock.

In so many cases however, just drilling a hole on top of a rock pile isn’t good enough. When dealing with rock, remember that bottom hugging fish like walleyes and perch are often between the rocks, not above. So often, large boulders and rock will prohibit fish from moving or seeing in certain directions. There is almost set routes fish use as they move across and use a rock pile. The beauty of structure strewn with rocks and boulders is the fact that fish movement is often directed and limited. What I mean by this is that usually, fish seem to swim around the base of the rocks instead of swimming up over the rocks unless when really aggressive. Fish movements often get funneled into gaps, opening and cavities within the rocks.

Find the gaps between the rocks and you have a spot on the spot

In this regard, the “spot on a spot” is often very predictable. What’s the down side of fishing rock piles? Not being able to get completely dialed in to the “spot on a spot.” So often, one hole can be extremely productive while a hole two feet away will produce nothing. This feast or famine can really become evident when dealing with a fish house. There will be some holes in the fish house that just don’t produce.

The best way to find these high percentage honey holes is by fishing. We all wish there was an easier way don’t we. Even the best GPS won’t get you close enough. You will be able to find the rock pile with ease but you will never find where that exact hole was that you slammed the fish last winter. Mark hot holes with a tree branch, GPS, or something else so you can find the exact spot again. Use a depth finder and drill some holes to really learn what is below. A little trick that works for me is to mark the depth on the sonar with my fingernail as I walk from hole to hole so I know the exact difference in depths from hole to hole.

Many anglers know how to use a sonar to find structure by reading changes in actual depth. When figuring out a rock pile however, you can find out so much from your sonar by reading the differences in bottom separations. Bottom separation is the target separation between your lure and the bottom. If you have to raise your lure up a foot and a half before you can see the lure on the dial, you have a rock that is sticking up from the bottom, giving you a “blind spot” within the bottom. Differences in this bottom separation can give you clues as to how big the rocks are and where the size of the rocks change.

Finally, an underwater camera can give you an even better understanding as to what is located directly below. Honestly, I don’t use a camera much myself when actually fishing. A camera isn’t a “fishing tool” so to speak but a “learning tool.” When you have a question or can’t figure out what is going on down there, dropping the camera down to the bottom usually gives me the answers to my questions. An underwater camera can really give an angler a better understanding as to how the rocks look from a fish’s perspective and it is beneficial to see how fish float through these underwater mazes with our own eyes.

 When fishing right down in the rocks, remember that a fish’s sight is often narrowed down to inches. We often find ourselves having to raise the lure up above the rocks to get the attention from fish further away. When dropping a lure down into a cavity or opening, reduce the gain on the sonar until you get a really week bottom signal. Often, we can see our lure flicker and move within the bottom reading. Watch for the bottom signal to jump or get stronger when a fish moves in.

Rock piles are a popular option to explore during the ice-fishing period. The reason is simple. Rocks are often very productive. Walleyes, pike and perch will all use this habitat sometime during the winter. The key to catching fish over rock is remembering that just being close or on a general spot isn’t quite good enough. Nowhere else has location have to get so narrowed down as over a rock bottom.

Take the time to learn the bottom well. Experience will tell you what characteristics of rocks are attractive to fish. Time spent fishing will tell you how fish relate to this structure and where you should fish.

Related Articles

• Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current (0)
• Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice (0)
• Mid-Winter Walleyes (0)
• Icing Walleyes in April (0)
• Ice Fishing with Plastics (0)