Joel Nelson breaks down how he goes about finding structure with his Humminbird Helix on the mud flats of Mille Lacs Lake when targeting walleyes through the ice.

Finding Structure on Mud Flats

The mudflats on Mille Lacs lake are large, mostly featureless flats that holds a ton of walleyes during the winter months. These fish roam across the flats looking for schools baitfish and other forage.

These flats are large and there are a lot of places the walleyes could be.

Finding structure on these flats can mean the difference between a good day and a great day on the ice. Even in areas that seem featureless there are always little structural changes that can make a difference.

These subtle changes can be seen on your Hummibird Helix map.

Look for any irregularities, points, depressions or holes along the flat. You just want to find something that is a little bit different.

In the image above you can see two subtle points that stick out along the edge of the flat. Those two spots are more likely to harbor more walleyes than a random stretch along the flat, because there is a structure to hold them.

Once you have identified a couple potential areas drill a few holes and drop down an Aqua Vu Mrico Revolution 5.0 HD to confirm the structural change on the mud flat.

The camera will allow you to check these areas before you go through the process of setting your house up and will save you a lot of time.

A lot of anglers don’t know these mudflats can have rocks, sand, small cracks, and other obscure structure on them that attract and hold fish.

Finding structure on the mud flats, even if it is a subtle change, will help you catch more walleyes on Mille Lacs Lake.