How To Catch Walleye Under The Ice

If you are looking for some real adventure when winter rolls around, try walleye ice fishing on for size. You'll never get bored because the tactics change as the season progresses, requiring you to make adjustments to your own fishing standards constantly. If you decide to go ice fishing for walleye, here are some tactics you can use to make your fishing trips successful.

First of all, as the season begins, you should fish the smaller lakes. This is because, before the ice gets thick, the action is fast, and you may have a hard time locating the walleye below the surface. Smaller lakes will freeze faster, with the ice thickening sooner, making your job easier. With thicker ice, the fish will tend to slow down and move to a spot where they will stay relatively close, meaning that you can easily target them in a single spot. You won't need to open several ice holes to find the walleye. Also, taking your gear to the smaller lakes early in the season and again later, before spring begins, will extend your winter fishing season, giving you more opportunities than you can imagine.

If you are looking for the appropriate walleye fishing location, target underwater structures. You'll find this is extremely successful for most anglers since fish can identify the structure as being something different from the flat lake floor. Bars, reefs, sunken islands, rock piles, and anything else that sticks out presents itself to fish as something by which to navigate and return to after feeding. The best ones are all along the migration route and used by fish to determine location. Remember, these creatures are not intelligent and work off instinct, which means that they need these extra sources of navigation to lead the way.

Another means of assuring successful ice fishing for walleye is to target areas with large groups of baitfish. Walleye need an incentive to move into a particular location - something to follow - and most frequently, the motivation of choice is food. Therefore, if you can find baitfish, you can find walleye and have a hugely productive day from a single drill into the ice.

One of the best tips you can remember is to choose a lake that you are familiar with. There is no better way to assure a successful fishing trip in the dead of winter than to target areas where you know you'll find fish from previous excursions. If you know the ins and outs of the lake, you can easily find weed beds and drop offs where walleye are sure to hang out during the winter months.