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Water
Bodies Services Interactive Misc.
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First Ice Walleye.
First ice is always a great time to get out and try for a great catch of walleye. Shallow lakes freeze first and that's what I like to attack at first ice. Walleye roam shallow lakes in search of food. And when dusk falls, roam they do!
Walleye that hit a large dace. Drilling holes early helps. Since the water is shallow, around 4-6 feet, and the ice thin, usually without snow cover, transmits a lot of noise. This noise, even a manual auger, can travel a long ways through ice and water. Therefore drill your holes, as many as you can, early to avoid spooking shallow water walleye. This way when the bite turns on you can move from hole to hole as quietly as you can. Still lines work great. Various tip-ups are available as are willow sticks. Personally, I like to set up another brush rod and I just loosen off the drag. A metal rod holder holds the rod in an upright position. The rig is a #6 hook and a medium split shot sinker to hold the bait down. Jigging rods are a must as they are made for speed. You can switch holes in seconds with these rigs. Simply reel it up and drop it down the next hole. Again, I like to use a 1/8 - 1/4 ounce jig. Now we get to the bait portion. Many times I see people ordering medium sized minnows. Yes, these do work and I'm not knocking them. But the minnows in a lake that have seen the hard times through out the season are big. They have grown up since they were hatched in the spring and the walleye and other fish have preened the baitfish crop. Try using large minnows. 4-6 inch long dace or suckers. I like sucker minnows as they are 99.9% native to the system you are fishing. There are other reasons to using them. Walleye are conditioned to eating them. And sucker minnows are lively if you don't let them rest on the bottom. Suckers are a bottom dwelling fish. If they can rest their fins on the bottom they won't move but if you raise them off the bottom a few inches they won't stop struggling to get to the bottom. This is the action that will draw walleye in and entice them to bite. These are deadly on your still lines! Jigging sucker minnows is a simple process, drop to the bottom, lift 4-6 inches and pause then drop. Once you get a walleye to bite your offering, it doesn't take them long to eat it. a quick pause then set the hook. This time of the year when the ice is thin it's a little easier to get them to the hole and land. Since fishing is great at dusk/dark a good flashlight or lantern is a must. It helps you get back and also for re-rigging. An ice chisel is a must also for checking ice thickness. So have fun out there and beware of thin ice!
Roger Mayer.
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