walleye help.

[Fishmaster]

Hello, I've been out a few times to different lakes trying to catch my first walleye through the ice, have caught lots in my days in the sum.we but never in winter, not looking for honey holes just looking to get pointed in the right direction, much appreciated.

Dave.

[quiteeye]

Are you using jigs or spoons?

[Fishmaster]

I've been using both, and im in Edmonton. Do you find a difference with jigs with rubber buddies or without bodies just minnow.

Dave

[quiteeye]

I wouldn't waste your time with jigs, I find it's a slower bite. I find, it's best you stir em up! Sometimes jigs with a small willow blade hanging from it will work. But again I find fishing with jigs is normally slow for eyes. I have seven of my "turn around, go back home and grab hooks" hooks. Somewhat out dated to some, but have always had good success on eyes with em.

[deanstroyer]

Originally Posted by quiteeye

I wouldn't waste your time with jigs, I find it's a slower bite. I find, it's best you stir em up! Sometimes jigs with a small willow blade hanging from it will work. But again I find fishing with jigs is normally slow for eyes. I have seven of my "turn around, go back home and grab hooks" hooks. Somewhat out dated to some, but have always had good success on eyes with em.

personally if i was looking to catch walleye, i would not go for any of the hooks you pictured. but thats just me. jig & minnow or jig & beef heart would be my choice. most likely with a green or orange body

[Brandonkop]

Lakes to try for walleye: Calling Lake, Pigeon Lake, Utikima, Slave Lake are all pretty good options.

I think the best overall presentation for walleye is to use a walleye flasher type lure with the plain jig head and a small spinner blade hanging below. Then thread a thawed minnow onto the hook so it is sitting horizontal on the hook. If you want to increase your odd tie on a small treble stinger and poke one of the hooks through the tail of the minnow. That will help you get those picky eaters.

Now even though I think that is the best there is a time and place for others. When I am searching for walleye and they are not concentrated I think the best lures are ones with lots of flash, glow and vibration. My favorite being the Reef Runner Cicada in Chrome and Glow or Chrome and Blue. You can use it without bait and jig aggressively or put a minnow head or tail on the front hook and jig away.

Sweedish pimple is similar idea just not quite as loud and flashy down on the bottom.

Flutter spoons like the Custom Jig and Spins flutter spoons are a great lure to have.

Also don't forget the power of a small lure like a small chrome and blue Kastmaster which can work wonders for fussy walleye.

Once you've located them though switch over to jig and minnow for most consistent action.

Good Luck.

[bobalong]

IMO location can be critical in the winter. I mostly only ice fish lakes I have fished in the summer and have GPS co-ordinates already. Had good luck on reefs with best luck on mid lake humps. I use jigs, walleye flyers, rattle spoons and chubby darters, with wave buster or slip bobbers. Full minnow on jigs and walleye flyers, minnow heads on rattle spoons, no bait on the chubby darters.

Heard of guys having good luck in the shallows but I have never spent much time there in the winter, have found structure to concentrate them more, (summer or winter) especially the mid lake humps.

[baptiste_moose]

Start at 8-12 during peak hours and move to 16-20 during down time. Chubby darters( blue/silver) and lindy rattling spoons. Just a minnow head and I change my minnow head every 10-15 minutes at most. Lotsa slow rise and free fall with the spoons. Sharp snaps with a chubby darter. 90% of the fish are in 10% of the lake. That's the tough part about winter eye. And yes, wind blow shore still plays a factor even though there's ice! Good luck

[Dale S]

I find my most used piece of equipment is my camera. If you spend lots of time watching walleye you can figure out when there going to bite. If you move your bait at the wrong time that will spook the fish. The camera also lets you know that there around. The only hook I use is a #7, 5 of Diamonds ,under a slip bobber, tipped with a head of a minnow. I change out the treble hook with a little bigger one and tie on a trailer hook. Give the hook about a 1 foot jig to get them to come in. Then 2 or 3 inch jigs just to get that minnow to flop around. The walleye flare up and take the minnow. I don't watch my slip bobber for the bite. I watch the camera for the bite and set the hook. If you miss that first bite your done. They usually don't come back. Here's a pic, of the rig I use. I always have 4 rods ready to go because they do get tangled up easy.

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by Dago

I find my most used piece of equipment is my camera. If you spend lots of time watching walleye you can figure out when there going to bite. If you move your bait at the wrong time that will spook the fish. The camera also lets you know that there around. The only hook I use is a #7, 5 of Diamonds ,under a slip bobber, tipped with a head of a minnow. I change out the treble hook with a little bigger one and tie on a trailer hook. Give the hook about a 1 foot jig to get them to come in. Then 2 or 3 inch jigs just to get that minnow to flop around. The walleye flare up and take the minnow. I don't watch my slip bobber for the bite. I watch the camera for the bite and set the hook. If you miss that first bite your done. They usually don't come back. Here's a pic, of the rig I use. I always have 4 rods ready to go because they do get tangled up easy.

Just curious why you use the slip bobber??

[Mike_W]

How you fish for Walleye is dependant on the pressure I have found jigging sppons to be quite good in low pressure situations but find on places like "shanty town" at Joussard a jig and minnow is best.

My ideal setup is jigging spoon with minnow head and a second dead stick rig setup within 10 ft jig and full minnow 6-12 inches off bottom. Every lake is different although I have fond more success on the mid to upper portions of a drop off than on the bottom.

[Dale S]

Originally Posted by Hunter Trav

Just curious why you use the slip bobber??

It puts the hook and bait where it needs to be cvery time. When the bite slows down in the dead of winter you have to keep it in the strike zone. If you bounce your hook off the bottom a few times it stirs up the bottom. That's good for attracting pike and perch but spooks the walleye. And when your having a sandwich or a smoke break you can put your rod down and pick it up with the bait right where it needs to be.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Dago

It puts the hook and bait where it needs to be cvery time. When the bite slows down in the dead of winter you have to keep it in the strike zone. If you bounce your hook off the bottom a few times it stirs up the bottom. That's good for attracting pike and perch but spooks the walleye. And when your having a sandwich or a smoke break you can put your rod down and pick it up with the bait right where it needs to be.

Never knew that hitting bottom scared walleye?

Do you only use that setup in a shack only? I would think the bobber would freeze up pretty easy and getting the bobber stop hung up on icy eyelets.

[Dale S]

[QUOTE=Mike_W;2274161]Never knew that hitting bottom scared walleye?

Do you only use that setup in a shack only? I would think the bobber would freeze up pretty easy and getting the bobber stop hung up on icy eyelets.[/QU.
We are in a tent all the time. But when it's really cold they can be a pain in the butt. A few times this year I've had to hand line a fish in.

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by Dago

It puts the hook and bait where it needs to be cvery time. When the bite slows down in the dead of winter you have to keep it in the strike zone. If you bounce your hook off the bottom a few times it stirs up the bottom. That's good for attracting pike and perch but spooks the walleye. And when your having a sandwich or a smoke break you can put your rod down and pick it up with the bait right where it needs to be.

I figured it was a depth thing, never thought bouncing on the bottom would scare the wally's but when I think about it most of them seem to come in jigging up off the bottom. Gonna keep that in mind next time I out specifically for them...

[Shmag]

Originally Posted by Dago

If you bounce your hook off the bottom a few times it stirs up the bottom. That's good for attracting pike and perch but spooks the walleye.

lol...im glad I didn't suggest bouncing the hook off the bottom. Actually, some of the best walleye action I ever had was bouncing bottom...I think it spooked my walleye into biting the hook

[TylerThomson]

I bounce bottom all the time fishing for walleye and it always works for me. I could see it spooking them though if they are sitting there staring at it and all of a sudden you smash it into the bottom.

[kevinhits]

The combination of the bobber and slip knot allows you to get to your required depth quick....and maintain that column..Till you decide otherwise...Shallower or deeper...

And yes....Outside in colder weather...It is a pain in the but...But on warm days and inside a heated tent....Works great)

[Dale S]

In open water I bounce jigs off the bottom. But I find on the ice there fussy what they hit. Any bad movements from your jig at the wrong time will spook them. I just don't seam to get any walleye bites when the bottom is stirred up.

[GregT]

if jigging with a minnow set up is attracting pike should a guy pack up and try another spot or will pike and walleye get along together?

[Dale S]

16" to 20" pike will hang out with 16" to 20" walleye. Usually I don't see big pike when the walleye are around.

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

Never knew that hitting bottom scared walleye?

Do you only use that setup in a shack only? I would think the bobber would freeze up pretty easy and getting the bobber stop hung up on icy eyelets.

If you use a wave buster or some styles of Thill bobbers the line slide is on the bottom, (under water) so it never freezes. I like the slim style of the wave busters, use or weight lure so only the top inch or so of the float is above water, almost no resistance as the fish inhales the bait. The wave busters come about 6" long but you can cut them shorter if you want to use smaller lures. When the bite is slow I have waited sometime up to 30 seconds for the fish to move the float down 1". On a straight jig bite, I would have missed these fish as I would have set before the fish had inhaled the lure/bait enough for a good hook set. This is why I switched to using floats on all my ice rods, I have better success with hookups.

On a good bite, they usually inhale enough for a good hook set, but when it is slow I find the floats can help a lot. Sometime I leave the jig right on the bottom and set the float so it lays down on the water, as the fish inhales the bait the float starts to stand up, by the time it is straight up, it is good to hook set. Usually fishing in a tent most of the time now, but like the style of float, so still use them.

[crown royal 17]

Jig head & thawed minnow ... 2 " of the bottom.
Slave Lake.

[WayneChristie]

I prefer a minnow on a teaser jig, or a rattle jig, when they are biting fairly steady, have had the same fish take 4 minnows before I got a hook in it, I dont like stinger hooks since I usually release them.If they are biting dead slow I like to use just a baithook in a minnow dead on the bottom, or just high enough the tail is on the bottom and the head slightly off, same way I deadstick my pike baits. (this is where a camera is great. ) I usually fish where the walleye are travelling not hanging out, so I like to bang the jig off the bottom and kick up a big cloud of mud when they are actively feeding.

[Doubledroptine]

If you bounce your hook off the bottom spooks the walleye.
i guess bottom bouncers for walleye are out of the question eh!!

[Fishmaster]

Thank you for all your information, I'm gonna go to wholesale sports and do some shopping, thanks once again!

Dave

[EZM]

Originally Posted by Doubledroptine

If you bounce your hook off the bottom spooks the walleye.
i guess bottom bouncers for walleye are out of the question eh!!

You don't typically bounce your lure off the bottom when fish are at or near your presentation - this is used if they are farther off or not in visual range. The dust cloud brings curious fish.

Winter fish spook easy.

If a fish is staring at the bait - often the most subtle movement will either spook it or trigger a strike.

I find a painfully slow rise, as I drum my fingers on the rod, sometimes gets them interested and as they follow it up the move "under" the lure and short drop might get them to bite.

Observation and experimentation is the ticket.