The good ole days of hard water walleye fishing are here and now. The Great Lakes harbor some of the best winter walleye fishing found anywhere in North America.
Hard water success on walleye boils down to mobility and an angler’s ability to adapt to changing conditions.
How do you make a 15-inch walleye exciting to catch? Answer, catch that fish on ice fishing gear and your heart will pound out of your chest!
My son Jake and I are tasked with creating informative and exciting outdoor television. In open water, it’s all but impossible to make a 15-inch walleye look impressive or noteworthy. On the ice, catching walleye is always a blast, even smaller fish are fun and exciting to catch.
Why is ice fishing for walleye so exciting? I think it’s because when fishing for walleye on hard water, the game is interactive. While ice fishing we have the luxury of seeing fish on our sonar, working those fish up and down in the water column and ultimately figuring out exactly what it takes to get that fish and others to bite on any given day.
The challenge isn’t so much in the size of fish caught, but rather in an angler’s ability to tease these fish into biting again and again.
ICE FISHING FOR GREAT LAKES WALLEYE
The ice fishing story for walleye on the Great Lakes is a bittersweet story. Some fisheries that harbor the largest populations of fish, don’t necessarily develope safe ice in any given year. Others that have regular ice, don’t necessarily have huge populations of walleye to target. This article identifies the best fisheries and also how best to put walleye on the ice.
LAKE ERIE WESTERN BASIN
The Western Basin of Lake Erie is a classic example of a place that is crawling with walleye, but fishable ice in this region of Lake Erie is fleeting at best. “On those years we do get solid ice on the Western Basin, fishing is typically stellar,” says Captain Eric Hirzel of Port Clinton, Ohio. “The problem is at this latitude fishable ice doesn’t last long and most of the anglers who venture out onto the ice don’t realize how unstable it can be.”
The famed Bass Islands located near Port Clinton, Ohio get some ice almost every year and in some years safe ice locks in between the islands, creating a great fishing opportunity for anglers who can get away at the drop of a hat.
Because the ice is never a sure thing, it’s tricky to book a charter with an ice captain weeks or months in advance. “In those years that we get good ice, the word gets out quickly and it’s not uncommon to catch limits day in and day out,” explains Hirzel.
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SAGINAW BAY
In most winters, Saginaw Bay is a safe bet for anglers who want to plan ice fishing adventures weeks in advance. By late December and early January the water temperatures are cold enough to create ice if and when the wind stops blowing for a few days.
“Saginaw Bay is large enough that wind plays a huge role in when ice forms and also how secure that ice will be for fishing on,” says Jake Romanack who fishes Saginaw Bay every spare minute he can scrape together. “Big sheets of ice form on Saginaw Bay and then they float around and collide with the shoreline or other sheets of ice. Changing wind conditions breaks apart and squeezes together these ice sheets constantly creating openings in some places and shoves or pushes of ice in others.”
Every walleye is a good one and that goes double for anglers who target walleye on hard water. Fish like this monster caught by Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 TV are what keep anglers coming back for more.
Anglers who are unfamiliar with where the openings often occur and where the shoves tend to form are at a dangerous disadvantage. Crossing a shove is one thing, but crossing a crack that may open up during the day is another issue all together.
Every year the Coast Guard rescues dozens of anglers who make the mistake of crossing cracks that open up and suddenly strand those fishermen on the wrong side of safety. In general, the east side of Saginaw Bay is more stable and associated with shoves or pushes of ice. The west side of Saginaw Bay is more unstable and tends to be plagued with cracks that open and close as wind conditions fluctuate.
STURGEON BAY
Sturgeon Bay is an appendage of Green Bay. In most years Sturgeon Bay enjoys ice thick enough to support ice fishing in January, February and into early March.
Like Saginaw Bay moving sheets of ice form cracks and shoves, but prevailing north and westerly winds usually keep Sturgeon Bay locked up for the majority of the ice season.
The ice conditions on Sturgeon Bay are perhaps a little more predictable than Saginaw Bay, but the number of walleyes this fishery holds is modest by comparison. While Sturgeon Bay is famous for producing trophy class fish, the number of fish an angler is likely to catch on average is going to be much smaller than anglers who target Saginaw Bay.
The best fishing for winter walleye on Sturgeon Bay is almost always associated with early and late in the day. During the middle of the day many anglers switch gears and target whitefish. Most ice guides in this part of the world accommodate this multi-species approach to keep their clients on fish and happy all day long.
LITTLE BAY DE NOC
Little Bay de Noc located at the northern most tip of Lake Michigan gets lots of
ice and also sees lots of fishing pressure from locals and visiting anglers. Shanty towns pop up on Little Bay de Noc right around the first of the year and good ice is normally going to engulf the area until early April.
Walleye are the primary focus on Little Bay de Noc, but yellow perch and northern pike are also part of the winter catch.
BAY OF QUINTE
One of the more obscure winter walleye fisheries in the Great Lakes is the Bay of Quinte located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. This Great Lakes bay is narrow and as a result a lot of current flows through the Bay of Quinte. That stated, ice conditions are constantly changing and never to be completely trusted.
What the Bay of Quinte has to offer winter walleye adventure seekers is big walleye and lots of them. If I could only fish one destination for winter walleye, the Bay of Quinte would be at the top of that list. Walleye that in other parts of the Great Lakes would be considered “trophy class” barely raise an eyebrow on the Bay of Quinte. A quality fish on the Bay of Quinte could be 12, 13, 14 pounds or even larger! No other place in the Great Lakes routinely produces numbers of walleye in this size class.
The author believes that dead sticking with light jigs and ultra-light action rods has become one of the most productive ways to put walleye on the ice.
MOBILITY IS THE KEY
No matter which winter walleye destination an angler zeros in on, mobility on
the ice is going to be key to finding and catching fish. The ability to move on the ice and take along all the creature comforts including a flip shelter, propane heater, BBQ grill, fishing tackle and your favorite fishing buddies requires a snow machine, ATV and/or UTV. In places where the snow is often deep like Little Bay de Noc, a snow machine is the best tool for the job. In places where the wind keeps the snow to a minimum a quad or UTV can serve nicely as a means of getting on and off the ice.
Regardless of which vehicle an angler uses to access the ice, that machine needs to be equipped with a GPS unit for navigating on and off the ice and also for locating important fishing areas that routinely hold fish.
FISHING SONAR
Using a GPS to navigate on and off the ice and also to locate structure that has the potential to hold fish is important. Just as important is a sonar unit in the shelter that can be used to identify the presence of individual fish, bait fish and even more importantly to determine the “attitude” of the fish.
A quality multi-colored flasher unit or liquid crystal sonar unit is as important as having an ice auger! When fish appear on the sonar, active fish are going to bite and get hooked immediately. The problem is a lot of fish are going to show up, but they are not going to be aggressive and must be teased into biting.
“When I spot a fish on my sonar unit, I immediately start jigging and lifting my lure up off bottom,” says Jake Romanack. “If that fish gives chase, I keep lifting my lure further and further off bottom in an attempt to trigger a strike response.”
Some fish give chase and then ultimately bite and others lose interest and drop back down to the bottom. “When a fish gives chase but doesn’t bite, that’s an indication the presentation I’m using isn’t what it’s going to take to be successful,” says Romanack. “I like to keep three or four rods rigged up and ready to go with different terminal tackle so I can quickly experiment to see what the fish want on any given day.”
The willingness to switch out terminal tackle quickly can and does pay big dividends. “I’m typically rigged to fish a jig and minnow, a fast falling jigging spoon, a slow falling jigging spoon, a lipless crank-bait and a glide bait,” says Romanack. “One of these presentations is going to produce better than the others and it’s up to me to figure that out every day on the water.”
LEAD-HEAD JIGS
Jigs fill two important niches in winter walleye fishing. For traditional jigging work a larger 1/8-, 1/4- or 3/8-ounce jig is going to be the best option day in and day out. “Select a jig that’s heavy enough to easily maintain contact with the bottom,” adds Romanack.
Jigs are also going to serve double duty as the best presentation for “dead sticking” or in other words simply suspending a small jig and minnow a few inches off the bottom. The dead stick rests motionless while meanwhile the angler is jigging with a different lure type such as a jigging spoon, glide bait or lipless crank.
A dead stick functions best when the rod features a very light tip, but enough backbone to set the hook. “In recent years ice rods designed especially for dead sticking have become popular,” explains Romanack. “I like the JT Outdoors Walleye Snare because it has a tip that’s sensitive enough a fish can pick up the bait and not detect anything unnatural. That gives me time to grab the rod, reel down until I feel the fish and finish the deal with a sweep set.”
Taking a break during the midday lull to cook a hot meal is one of the ways Jake Romanack keeps his edge sharp and his attitude positive.
JIGGING SPOONS
Jigging spoons come in every size, shape and color under the rainbow. For the purposes of explaining how to select jigging spoons it’s best to break them down into two categories including those that sink fast and those that flutter or sink slower.
A good selection of fast sinking spoons suitable for winter walleye fishing would include the Little Bay de Noc Lures Swedish Pimple, the Northland Buck Shot Jig, the Acme Kastmaster and the Moonshine Lures Jigging Spoon.
Flutter style jigging spoons that routinely catch walleye include the Bay de Noc Lures Do Jigger, the Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoon and the VMC Tingler Spoon.
LIPLESS BAITS
The latest craze to hit the ice fishing world are lipless crankbaits downsized for winter walleye fishing. Lipless baits tend to work best on aggressive fish, but they are also very efficient to use and don’t require wasting time adding bait.
“I carry two brands of lipless cranks including the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap and also the Rapala Rippin’ Rap,” says Romanack. “Both these baits have a lot of rattle and vibration that works well at calling in fish from a distance. Usually lipless baits work best on aggressive fish or when targeting fish in cloudy water.”
GLIDE BAITS
Another category of ice fishing lures every winter walleye angler needs are called glide baits. These lures hang horizontal in the water and when jigged tend to dart out to the side, then circle back around. The Rapala Jigging Rap was the first of this lure type to hit the market and these lures are legendary for their ability to catch just about every species under the ice. As time has gone on other manufactures have jumped into this market including the Moonshine Shiver Minnow, Northland Puppet Minnow and the Custom Jigs and Spins Rotating Power Minnow.
Like lipless baits the various glide baits tend to produce best on aggressive fish and also in murky waters. These lures are also especially useful when fishing in rivers or places where current is an issue.
WRAPPING IT UP
The ice fishing game for walleye has become much more sophisticated over the years. Mobility and the willingness to move and move more often is often the key to sitting down on noteworthy fish. Also critical is the willingness to rig up several different rods with the most popular terminal presentations. Becoming dedicated to experimenting with different presentations to see which is the most productive on any given day is the icing on the cake.
Every walleye a fisherman puts on the top of the ice is a win-win situation. Even small eating class walleye are a riot to catch on ice fishing gear and when a big one shows up, landing that fish might just be the highlight of your fishing career.
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