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For hundreds of years, Walleye have been a staple of freshwater fishing all across the Upper Midwest and Canada. With over 900 Walleye lakes in Wisconsin alone, they’re often the first choice of anglers in the market for a tasty catch. There’s a reason that Walleye ice fishing is such a popular activity when the cold sets in and the boats are out for the season. After reading this article, you’ll know exactly why.
If your knowledge of ice fishing boils down to that one Frasier episode, you may want to read up on the basics before diving deeper into this article. Luckily, our illustrated ice fishing guide is just a click away and has got you covered. Once you know your tip-ups from your augers, you’re all set to read on.
When should I go ice fishing for Walleye?
One of the first things you learn about ice fishing is the difference between early, mid, and late-season ice fishing. You’ll find Walleye either way but your tools and technique should match the circumstances if you want to get the most out of your trip. We’ll go over the main bits here, but it’s important to know that every fishery has its own quirks that you can only suss out through experience and trial and error.
The actual time to go fishing remains the same throughout the season since Walleye are consistent low-light feeders. This has led to a common practice that most anglers stick with – the 90-minute rule. Simply put, you’ll have the best fishing conditions if you’re out on the ice in the 90 minutes around sunrise and sunset.
Early Season
Anglers all over the Upper Midwest consider the first two weeks of ice the best time for catching Walleye. Usually starting around December, early ice means thin ice, so make sure to wait until you’re working with at least 4-5 inches of ice before heading out. The colder it gets, the deeper the Walleye go, making these couple of weeks an excellent time to look for them in shallow bays and muddy flats.
Seeing how Walleye are most aggressive at the start of the ice fishing season, your best bet is to come at them with jigging spoons. With a bit of finesse, the wobbling and clicking of the spoons will call them right in. Minnows are another excellent choice for Walleye – ice or no ice. And as the old saying goes, the bigger the bait the bigger the catch.
Mid-Season
Mid-season is arguably the most difficult time to go ice fishing for Walleye. You’ll have a harder time finding them when they’re holed up near various offshore structures. This means you’ll need to head away from the shoreline to all those reefs, flat crowns, and rock piles. It might be best to leave this type of trip for when you already have a couple of ice fishing trips under your belt.
Versatility counts when you’re not sure exactly where the fish are, so we recommend rattle lures as your main tools for the job. They’re good for a wide depth range and can help you cover a lot of ground quickly. On the other hand, using tip-ups with live minnows is a rock-solid choice for the mid-season too.
Late Season
At the tail-end of the season around March, Walleye will start off in deeper waters and slowly make their way back to the shallows as the weeks turn warmer and warmer. A lot of experienced ice anglers will tell you one thing about late ice fishing – mobility is key. Knowing that their goal is to get closer to creeks, rivers, and other spawning areas allows you to predict their movements and set up accordingly.
Late season is when Walleye finally start being more aggressive again, which makes for some incredible fishing action. For a proven killer approach, try tipping your lures with Minnow heads. The scent should have them on your line in record time.
Top 3 Locations for Walleye Ice Fishing
There are thousands of lakes all over North America that are perfectly good options for landing a nice catch for your dinner table, ice or no ice. Here we’ll cover the very best Walleye ice fishing money can buy. Many anglers travel across the country every year so they can take things to the next level. Let’s see where most of them go.
Lake Erie
While all three of our top spots have been dubbed the “Walleye capital of the world” at one point or another, it appears to have stuck the most with Lake Erie. Because of its popularity, it’s the easiest lake for booking a guided trip if you’d like to have an expert show you around. Seeing this vibrant tourist destination dotted with shanties is another testament to why the lake got its nickname. And if you want to do something really memorable, ditch the mainland and head out on the ice from Kelleys Island – you won’t regret it.
Lake of the Woods
Right behind the Great Lakes when it comes to sheer size, Lake of the Woods is another Walleye fishing haven. And let’s get one thing clear right off the bat – the people who live here take their fishing seriously. Drive into the nearby city of Baudette and you’ll be greeted by the biggest Walleye statue you’ve ever seen. The fish in the lake itself are nothing to scoff at either. Landing a 25-incher or bigger is nothing out of the ordinary in these parts.
Lake Winnipeg
Of all the lakes mentioned here, this is the only one that’s entirely in Canada. That just goes to show how good the fishing is, considering so many US anglers make the trip every year. If you’re looking for that 30” monster Walleye to break your personal best, you’ve come to the right place.
That’s not the only special thing about Lake Winnipeg Walleye! Some of them actually sport a vibrant green shade instead of the usual dark gold. They’re known as Greenbacks and are unique to Lake Winnipeg and the local tributaries.
Useful Tips for Walleye Ice Fishing
Let’s start with the fundamentals. Walleye are voracious eaters whose meal of choice are other, smaller fish. They’re known as a superb game species for a reason, both in regular and ice fishing circles. What changes during winter is that their metabolism slows down by the end of December, meaning they won’t need to eat as much as they normally would. But when they do decide to come out and bite, you’re in for a real fight. Just remember the 90-minute rule and you won’t even notice the difference. This brings us to our first tip:
Get Their Attention
Don’t be afraid to rip that jig like you mean it! The idea is to play on Walleye’s predatory instincts and use their aggression against them. The other, subtler approach is to lower the lure and tap it against the ground a couple of times. You’ll raise up a bit of sediment and hopefully draw some inquisitive Walleye to your trap.
Drill Early or Not at All
Before you actually get the chance to use your rigs, you’ll need to have some holes ready. Experienced anglers will usually get out on the ice a few hours ahead of time so they can have a few dozen holes drilled before the fish come out to feed. Drilling when the fish are already nearby might spook them, and nobody wants that.
Use an Underwater Camera
While still far from being a part of every angler’s kit, underwater cameras are a clever way for every pro-in-training to up their game. By allowing you to see exactly where the fish are and how they react to your setup and presentation, they make for great learning tools.
This is especially useful in the late season when you’ll be moving from spot to spot instead of waiting for the Walleye to come to you. Just don’t forget to drill a separate hole for the camera that’s not too close to the one for your jig. A few feet apart is plenty of distance.
Walleye on Ice – A Match Made in Heaven
Ice fishing is far from the only way to go after Walleye, but as far as we’re concerned it’s one of the most interesting ones. Whether you’re looking for a good meal or the biggest, baddest monster to brag about later, you can’t go wrong with Walleye.
Break the ice in the comments below and let us know what your favorite Walleye spots are. We’d love to hear from you!
