How Do You Target A Walleye Through The Ice?

One of the most popular techniques for catching walleye through the ice is jigging. Jigging action on your bait calls fish in and entices a strike.

Jigging for Walleye Ice Fishing

1. Silver Spoons & Lures in Clear Water.
2. Use Bright Colors in Stained Water.
3. Two Pole Approach in Shanties.
4. On Finicky Bites Default to Live Bait.

What depth 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 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.

How do you do ice fishing techniques?

There are two ways to catch fish through the ice: use ice traps called “tip-ups” or use a specialized jigging rod to deploy your bait through a hole in the ice. Most ice fishermen set out all their tip-ups, and if they get a hot hole, remove the trap and start using a jigging rod.

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.

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.

How far should walleye be from the bottom?

In many cases, you’ll catch most walleye close to the bottom, but sometimes you can get better results by fishing 4-8 feet off the bottom at night. You may also want to set up several of your deadsticks at different depths to test for this.

How do you catch a walleye from a shore in the winter?

Winter is coming and they need to feed. Fish these walleyes with moving baits like swimbaits, crankbaits, and swimming jigs. Go for the most active fish first. If the bite isn’t happening on fast-moving baits, slow down and go with a vertical jigging approach.

What do walleye eat in winter?

“During fronts and at other periods throughout winter, walleyes filter into soft-bottom basins to eat bloodworms,” Brosdahl says. “But they also feed on perch, crappies, troutperch, and other species in the vicinity.

What do River walleye do in winter?

DEEP SPOTS. Deeper river pools, ones out of the flow of the river’s main force, become the wintertime sanctuary for ‘eyes. Holes located below current-deflecting structures like gravel/rock bars often hold fish.

What water temp is best for walleye?

So is there a “real” best temperature to catch walleye at? The best water temperature to catch walleye at is between 65-70° but any temperature above 35° will yield walleye willing to bite.

Can you use worms for ice fishing?

Can you use worms for ice fishing? Although worms are not the best live bait option for ice fishing, an earthworm on a jig can catch crappie, yellow perch, bluegill, trout, whitefish, and even small bass. If worms are what you have for bait, you can absolutely catch some fish using them.

How thick should ice be to ice fish?

4 inches
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.

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.

What is the best month to ice fish?

March
March is the best month of the winter for ice-fishing in most of the Ice Belt, but anglers are never sure how the ice conditions will impact access to the lakes.

How often do walleye eat?

The best times of day to fish for large walleye is around dawn and dusk. In particular, 30 minutes before and after sunset and sunrise are peak times. That said, walleye will continue to feed all night long. On cloudy or windy mornings, walleye may feed up to an hour and a half after sunrise.

What’s 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.

Do you need a flasher for ice fishing?

From the depth of the water to the presence of structures like rocks, outcroppings, or debris, using a flasher is essential if you don’t want to have to rely on your good intuition alone while ice fishing. Having the right flasher for ice fishing makes a world of difference!

Why are ice fishing lures so small?

Tungsten is denser than lead, so tungsten jigs are smaller in appearance but heavier in weight than a lead jig of comparable size. The tungsten jig appears smaller to the fish, but the angler can fish it easier because it’s heavier.

How do you target walleye?

Walleye Lures such as Crankbaits and Soft Plastics are a staple among the Walleye elite. I recommend starting out with Live Bait, either jigging or rigging, to get your hands on some fish first. If Live Bait is not readily available or you’re set on targeting trophies, then lures are the way to go.