How to Catch Walleye Ice Fishing

The walleye is named for its pearlescent eye due to a reflective layer of pigment or color. This pigment is called tapetum lucidum. This pigment enables them to eat during the night and in low-light conditions. However, Ice-fishing for walleye has an extensive range of methods and techniques regarding how to catch walleye ice fishing. The process of catching walleye through the ice is always reliable because the walleyes are the best fish to eat.

   How and why the walleyes migrate has been a mystery over time. Moreover, the walleyes are aggressive predators. Therefore, how to catch walleye ice fishing needs to follow proven techniques as well as lures. Likewise, walleyes are the most sought-after fish. Hence, as an angler, you should know how to locate and approach them.

Similarly, ice fishing is also a difficult but rewarding task for anglers of all ages because winter fishing needs some nerve to go through it.

In this article, we have tried to compile a list of tips and techniques to let you know how to catch walleye ice fishing.

How to Catch Walleye Ice Fishing: Tips

     Let’s get started with the tips on how to catch walleye ice fishing.

Ensuring the Correct Location of Walleye

It is a total misperception among beginners of walleye ice fishing that walleyes are inert in winter. Therefore, it is needful to remind such anglers that walleyes are as active in winter as they are in summer, but along the shore. However, their behavioral pattern changes a bit during winter.

   Due to the fall aspect, the walleyes are located in deeper water during early winters, as they were throughout the fall. So, during early ice, the walleyes can be traced near shallow areas where deeper water is found as well.

   However, near spring or late ice, the walleyes are located near shorelines where warmer water attracts them.

Choose the Best Time of the Day

   It is essential to mention here that fishing can be done throughout the day during winters but preferred timings are early morning or evening when the light is changing. Therefore, the fishing is fruitful for one to two hours around dawn and dusk.

  Likewise, these lighting hours are also ideal on a cloudy day or before an expected storm. Hence, it is advisable to go fishing in the absence of bright light. Sunny days don’t invite any bites.

The Best Depth for Walleye Ice Fishing

   Among the tips on how to catch walleye ice fishing is the selection of depth. The selection of depth is a bit tricky. Similarly, the selection of depth and location should go hand-in-hand. The division of walleyes found in various depths is under:

• Clear lakes find walleyes between 10-20 feet.
• Whereas, deeper lakes contain walleyes around the shallow part between 8-10 feet.
• Further deeper areas have walleyes up to 30 feet.
• Other underwater structures and hiding places might also contain walleyes because they are quite attractive for them.

Pound the Ground

      Pound the ground technique is conducted to catch walleye at the bottom by hitting for few times with a jig. Resultantly, the hitting draws nearby walleyes to the lure. Moreover, jigging slightly off the bottom will also invite more bites.

Night Time Ice-Fishing for Walleyes

      In winter, walleyes are out during the night when there is low light. However, you can fish walleyes without any light as well but with proper lures. In this regard, the anglers advise using rattlespoon lures because of the vibration they produce.

   How to catch walleye ice fishing in the dark is very hard, therefore, electronic help can be taken for that purpose. There are numerous flashers or fish finders with the ability to be used under ice. Use them and find fish in the hardest conditions to your surprise.

Use the Best Lure

  As far as clear water conditions are concerned, it is recommended that you use silver colors because they reflect light to invite fish. Silver colors are preferred because:

• There is low snow cover.
• Walleyes stay in shallow water.
• Silver colors are effective at the beginning of a season.

Moreover, it is also advised to jig the bait off the bottom at 3 feet at least to get bites.

  In summer, for how to catch walleye ice fishing, it is recommended that the jigging technique should accompany aggression. For better results, it is advised to use the lures with natural bait pieces to add smell and taste.

Select the Proper colors

    When it comes to stained water, bright colors are a good choice to invite bites from the walleyes. Bright colors help the walleyes to locate the lures. Inconsistent jigging with normal jigging creates vibrations that attract the walleyes. Additionally, the bright colors help find walleye conditions like heavy snow covers and low light conditions.

Presentation Should Be Best

   After choosing the ideal spot and best lures, the thing that matters the most for how to catch walleye ice fishing is the presentation. For that matter, the anglers should follow the right presentation technique.

    The presentation should be aggressive to invite the walleyes. One thing to ensure strictly is to present the bait above the walleye neither in line with it nor below it because the walleyes are aggressive predators which prefer to attack their prey above them.

    Similarly, when the walleye is closer, the movement of the lure presents it as an injured fish to tempt the walleye to strike it. Hence, proper presentation is key to your success while ensuring how to catch walleye ice fishing.

Conclusion

      Catching walleye on ice is no less than fun. A continuous fishing effort for how to catch walleye ice fishing will turn you into an addict of walleye ice fishing. Besides catching them for fun, you can add them to the menu of your meals. Follow the tips of:

• Fish during low light hours.
• Stay alert and keep moving.
• Select the lures that work in all water conditions.
• Don’t forget to utilize your previous experiences.
• Follow the local fishing regulations.
• Choose your technique according to fishing conditions.

FAQs

What is the best place to ice-fish for walleyes?

Ans. Clear lakes find walleyes between 10-20 feet.

Whereas, deeper lakes contain walleyes around the shallow part between 8-10 feet.

Further deeper areas have walleyes up to 30 feet.

What is the equipment needed for walleye ice fishing?

Ans. How to catch walleye ice fishing requires the following equipment:

• A rod and reel of medium-action with a sensitive tip is suggested.
• An ice auger to drill holes in the ice.
• Minnows, rattle spoons, jigging spoons as lures.
•  A fishing line with 4-8lb will work best for walleye.
• For setting in multiple holes and to use for live baits, don’t forget tip-ups.