Here are our top three tips for finding walleye ice fishing.
- Map Out 3-4 Key Locations for Mobility.
- Drill 10-15 Holes Per Location.
- Ice Fishing for Walleye at Night.
- Silver Spoons & Lures in Clear Water.
- Use Bright Colors in Stained Water.
- Two Pole Approach in Shanties.
- On Finicky Bites Default to Live Bait.
How deep should I ice fish for walleye?
Tip #4: The Best Depth to Ice Fish for Walleye
In clear lakes, you will find walleyes between 10 and 20 feet (3-6 meters). This deeper location should be near the steep underwater incline where the water is 3 – 6 feet deep (1-2 meters).
What time of day is best for ice fishing?
The best time of day to ice fish is during the first couple of hours after sunrise, and for about 2 hours both before and after sunset. These are the times when most fish are heading to their feeding grounds, and when most species are active.
How do you catch stubborn walleye?
Slow, methodical lifts of a bucktail or twistertail will do the trick, and the addition of a minnow or worm may coax the inactive walleye to become more co-operative. If you are fishing a deep northern shield lake, then your best bet is to fish deeper, while keying in on productive structure areas.
Do walleye feed at night in the winter?
Walleye feed most actively at night, with a peak in activity around dusk. The best walleye ice fishing is during the 30 minutes before and after sunset in winter.
How do you target fish for ice fishing?
Drill holes through the ice near lake areas where there are plenty of healthy weeds. If ice fishing in bays, check tapering drop-offs, areas with soft-bottom or structure. Crappie. If crappie is your desired ice fishing target, try drilling a hole with your auger near the mouths of shallow bays.
Is it better to ice fish in shallow or deep water?
Ice-fishermen tend to concentrate on shallow water even though deep water is often home to the biggest fish, just as it is during the open-water season.
What depth do walleye like in winter?
Generally speaking walleye will hold to the same structure as they would during fall months during early ice. Slight drop-offs, sandy or rocky flats, green weed beds, and hard structure anywhere from 8 to 15 feet deep are great places to start.
What barometric pressure is best for ice fishing?
What is the best barometric pressure for ice fishing?
| Air Pressure | Ice Fishing Activity To Expect |
|---|---|
| Medium pressure (29.70 to 30.50), stable conditions | Medium to fair feeding activity, feeding correlates with other factors |
What is the best bait for ice fishing?
For ice fishing live bait, try wax worms (bee moth larva), maggots, spikes (fly larvae), wigglers (mayfly larvae) or minnows. You can drop your bait and leave it alone, or you can slowly jig to attract the fish. Ice fishing jigging also works with artificial ice fishing bait.
How far apart should ice fishing holes be?
Here’s the quick answer: If you’re fishing next to someone else on the ice, your holes should be at least 5-6 feet apart to avoid fish getting tangled in each other’s lines when you pull them up. If you’re using a camera for ice fishing, the hole for the camera should be at least 2 feet away from your fishing hole.
What are walleye biting on now?
Minnows. Minnows are the most popular bait option for Walleye Anglers, I have found consistent success with Shiner and Flathead Minnows.If the bite is slow and I am marking fish, or if I am going for eater sized eyes I will use Flathead Minnows (2-3″).
Why can’t I catch walleye?
You’re cranking weed edges too slowly.
Walleyes relating to weedbeds often school tightly. To find them, quickly work a crankbait along the edges until you get a strike. You can pick that area apart slowly after you find the fish with a fast-moving lure.
What do walleye like to bite on?
Minnows. Minnows are the most popular bait option for walleye anglers, I have found consistent success with shiner and flathead minnows. When targeting bigger fish, shiners in the 4-6″ range are the mainstay, these will weed through some of the smaller fish and get you on 25″+ Walleye.
How far off the walleye do you ice fish?
On clear lakes, the best depths are usually in the 10-foot to 20-foot range. However, fish movement does vary and depths as shallow as 2 feet and deeper than 20 feet can often be very productive as well. Live bait is most often used on tip-ups.
How do you ice walleye fish at night?
A great strategy for ice fishing for walleye at night is to set up a series of tip ups or deadsticks baited with live minnows, while at the same time jigging with an active rod.
How do you choose where to ice fish?
To choose an ice fishing spot, you need to start searching open waters in the fall. In winter, fish typically remain in the same sites where you find them in other seasons. Vegetation, certain structures like rock piles, depressions, and transition areas are favorite places for fish congregations.
How deep should you ice fish?
Once you have the proper tools and safety gear for fishing on the ice, consider these general safe ice fishing, or safe ice thickness guidelines.
- Stay off of any ice that is 3 inches or less thick.
- Remember that a minimum of 4 inches of clear, solid ice is a requirement to support an average person’s weight.
Where is the best place to ice fish?
Here are some of the best places in the world to go ice fishing.
- Higgins Lake, Michigan. Photo: Susan Montgomery/Shutterstock.
- Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. devilslakend.
- Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, Ontario, Manitoba.
- Ammassalik, Greenland.
- Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan.
- Antero Reservoir, Colorado.
- Lule River, Sweden.
What depth do walleye feed at?
The depth at which to ice fish for walleye depends on the time of day, and whether it’s early, late, or mid winter. At midwinter they are often found in 30-40 ft. deep water around noon, while towards evening they move into more shallow water of about 10-25 feet to feed on schooling bait fish during the night.
How far do walleye travel in a day?
Lawrence. Another study, on Lake Winnebago, showed 21 percent of the tagged adult walleyes recaptured 25 to 90 miles away from their release point. Other studies have pegged walleye movements at 120, 160, and as many as 240 miles. Most of this research, though, was conducted on large lakes and reservoirs.
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