Hays Baldwin and Bill Lindner share some tips and strategies for primetime walleye fishing.
Primetime Walleyes
The walleye is undoubtedly the king of the North country. Their popularity amongst anglers is unrivaled, and for good reason. Walleyes taste great and can reach a large size. Another factor that makes them so popular is their nature to be difficult to catch. It takes a lot of patience, knowledge, and skill to success catch walleyes.
Unless you are fishing Red Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, Leech, or Winnie it can be really hard to catch walleyes during the day in the state of Minnesota. Due to this most anglers choose to target them during the primetime hours late in the afternoon. By understanding the timing and conditions that define these golden hours for walleyes, anglers can have success even in the dead of winter.
Weather, The Sun & Moon, and Barometric Pressure
Weather plays an essential role in walleye activity. The wind direction and speed can shift schools of baitfish around, and in return the walleyes. Storm fronts that roll in can increase fish actively causing some incredible bite windows. On the flip side of this calm, sunny weather can cause fish to become more active at night leading to daytime lulls. As an angler you need to pay attention to the weather and how it affects the fish you are chasing.
The moon phase can also have an effect on prime-time fishing conditions. During a full moon, walleyes may be more active at night due to the increased light. However, a new moon might cause the bite window to happen earlier in the afternoon.
With these factors in mind, primetime walleye fishing usually occurs in the early morning hours, just before sunrise, and in the late afternoon to evening, just before sunset. These periods are when walleye tend to move up onto pieces of structure to weed on baitfish.
One app you can use to gather all this helpful information on the lake or area you are fishing is the onX Fish app. Simply open up the app and select the weather button. From there you will be able to see moonrise/moonset, sunrise/sunset, barometric pressure, wind direction, current weather forecast, and more. The onX Fish app is a valuable tool for planning and predicting those prime feeding windows for winter walleyes.
Location For Primetime Walleyes
Walleyes will use a number of different structures like weed beds, reefs, humps, and flats. The key to locating walleyes in winter is to find the baitfish. Schools of perch and other small baitfish are critical in your search for hungry predatory fish. Walleyes will follow the baitfish around throughout the season. If you can find the baitfish it’s a good bet that there are some walleyes in the area.
For those anglers planning on heading out onto the ice searching for walleyes focus on fishing structures like drop-offs, underwater points, humps, and reefs. These areas often concentrate baitfish, which in turn attracts walleyes. One of the best places to target are pieces of structure near deep water. Walleyes will often slide out into deep water during the day, and then move onto main lake structures during primetime feeding windows.
Remember that the best time to target walleyes through the ice is during the primetime hours early in the morning and late in the afternoon so always plan accordingly.
Ice Fishing Gear For Primetime Walleyes
When targeting walleyes through the ice your setup can be relatively simple. A 32-inch to 36-inch, medium power rod, with a fast action is ideal for walleye fishing. Pair this rod with a 750 sized reel with a good quality drag. The Daiwa QZ 750 is an ideal reel for ice fishing for walleyes, because it’s small, compact, and tough enough to handle large fish. The Daiwa QZ 750 also has an ultra smooth drag that can handle trophy caliber walleyes. This combination can be spooled up with six or eight pound fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon will give your presentation some stealth and help trigger more bites in clear water. This simple but effective set-up can be used anywhere walleyes swim.
One-Two Punch For Primetime Walleyes
There are a ton of different lures and presentations anglers can use to catch walleyes through the ice. Rapala Jigging Raps, Northland Fishing Tackle Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons, jigs, rattlebaits, and various other ice fishing lures will work.
While there are a lot of options that work the best one-two punch for primetime walleyes is a 1/4-ounce Northland Buck-shot spoon tipped with a minnow head fish along side of a deadstick. Many times the jigging presentation of the spoon will bring the fish in, while the simplistic presentation of the dead stick seals the deal. This presentation combination has accounted for more walleyes through the ice than any other.
FAQ’s
What is the best time of day for primetime walleyes?
Walleyes bite the most during dawn, dusk, and in low-light conditions. However, they can be caught during all hours of the day if you are in the right location.
What is the best color lure for primetime walleyes?
Gold, perch, pink, and orange are staple colors for most walleye anglers. Glow and UV options can be very effective in the low-light scenarios as well.
What live bait is best for walleyes in winter?
Shiners, small sucker minnows, and fathead minnows are the most popular live bait options for walleyes.
Conclusion
Walleyes can be a challenging fish to target through the ice. While they are typically unwilling biters through most of the day, during that primetime hour walleyes can be caught all across the ice belt. If you set up on the right location and utilize a couple of classic presentation you shouldn’t have a problem catching primetime walleyes all winter long.
