Walleye Fishing - Ice Fishing
As far as fishing for Walleye goes, you don't have to wait for any season like spring, summer, or fall; you can fish right through the cold, hard ice.
What Ice Anglers Do
A serious ice angler will watch out for the early formation of ice. You need to have the patience to see it as it transforms slowly into ice. Once it happens, you need to wait a little longer, perhaps a couple of weeks, before Walleye will start collecting under the ice. With time their food will get over and the oxygen level will get very low. The best way for you to catch them will to follow their movement and catch them as they move.
Factors that Affect Movements of Walleye
There are a few reasons which can affect the movements of Walleye during the winter season. Like, they have the inclination to move into the deeper water. They do this as the water temperature drops. They like to stay in a temperature preferably the maximum of 39 degrees Fahrenheit.
Know Where They Will Likely Spawn
As the later part of winter starts setting in, Walleye begin to move. They generally look for definite sites where they can lay eggs. In case you know about their migration route, you can dig holes at those places and wait for the Walleye to approach. It will become very easy for you to catch them if you know the exact location where they are most likely to spawn. The main reason for this is that with the warming up of water temperature, it gets hot and they start going towards the cooler regions and are generally hungry and will eat whatever available and your bait will be eager and become prey to your bait.
When Is the Best Time to Fish?
No doubt the best time to ice fish for Walleye is generally late in the evening or early morning. This is not just because the Walleye like cooler times but also because there will be far too many anglers trying there luck in the middle of the day. This way you can beat the competition. It will be of great help to you if you dig holes at different places at some distance for catching them. It may not be easy to catch them when you just sit at the same level all the time.
Equipment to Use
Lighter lines are not very useful so avoid using them. The reason is that when you carve a hole, you will make rough edges and this will make your line very vulnerable to breaking. If you are hunting for average size Walleye a heavy line will be the best.
Techniques like jigging are used by many anglers to attract Walleye. And as they are very hungry around this time, they might get a little antagonistic during the feeding frenzy. Therefore it is advisable to make use of bait that has flash or vibration to lure the Walleye.