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10/24/2002
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Article/Press
Release
Hot and Cold Reservoir Walleyes
By Rick Olson
The “hot” is
the level of intensity at first ice and the “cold” is well, first
ice. First ice action on big reservoirs can be white hot early
on, and the big impoundments can offer some fantastic ice fishing
opportunities. That’s the good news. The bad news is the fact
that they are massive in size, and there are so darn many places
for walleyes to hide. However, anglers armed with a little
understanding of seasonal migrations and the right gear can get
in on the very best the hard water season has to offer.
 The
most important key to catching big reservoir walleyes is finding
them, without a doubt. If you can find them, you will catch
them. With so much water and miles and miles of potential fish
holding areas, the first question that needs to answered is: Where
in the world do you start? Fortunately for ice fisherman, it’s
not all that difficult.
During much
of the summer period walleyes spread out on deeper main lake
structure like deep points, humps, and even flats. However by
early fall things begin to change ( like falling water levels and
temperatures ), that signal walleyes that it might be time to
move. That move can lead to destinations miles away from their
summer home. The real reason behind the big move can be most
likely be attributed to a moving food source. Walleyes make a
living by being opportunists and the fall period can create one of
the season’s best opportunities for ‘eyes with an appetite.
The Author Rick Olson ties into a hot first ice walleye
Quite often,
the new bounty can be found toward the back of major feeder creeks
and river arms. Those arms are giant nurseries, for perch, white
bass, and baitfish. By late fall, schools of baitfish that have
been living and growing in the very back ends of the
aforementioned areas leave the nest and head out into the great
unknown. As baitfish move out hungry ’eyes move in, and cash in
on the easy pickings.
By narrowing
your search down to major creek and river arms, you can eliminate
a lot of water, but chances are it’s not enough. River arms can
still be enormous and there may not be enough time in a day ( or
even a week ), to fish it all. To refine it even further, look as
far back in the arm as you can, where there remains access to deep
water. Deep water is defined by depths in the twenty to thirty
foot range, and beyond.
By now, you
have perhaps eliminated over ninety percent of the available
water, which can definitely save you some time. However, you can
whittle it down even further, by looking for outside bends, where
the main channel pulls tight to the banks. Outside bends, tight
to the bank, create sheer drop offs. Walleyes will stack up in
these outside bends, where they can ambush schools of bait, and
pin them against the wall created by a quick drop.
Now that
you’ve narrowed your search down to a bare minimum, it’s time to
get busy and put a few ‘eyes on ice. The first thing to do is
drill enough holes to be able to work up and down the break. By
drilling holes now you can save yourself some time later on, when
you might be better off with a bait in the water.
 When
reservoir walleyes decide to feed the action can be fast and
furious, and something you definitely don’t want to miss. A gas
powered auger like the Eskimo Shark can punch a bunch of hoes in
short order, which allows more time for drilling more holes, and
ultimately finding and catching more fish.
Although a
walleye is a walleye, reservoir ’eyes are more aggressive by
nature than their lake run relatives. It’s that aggressive nature
that anglers should adjust to, especially when it comes to putting
together a winning presentation.
Early ice walleyes can be suckers for the right jigging technique
Day in and
day out one of the most productive techniques includes jigging
with a spoon tipped with live bait. Early season walleyes are
particularly susceptible to a jigging spoon presentation, although
they will fall for them all season long.
One of the
keys to early season spooning, is to forget the finesse, and snap
the bait hard. Winter fishing means colder water temps and lower
metabolisms, but don’t let that stop you from getting downright
crazy with your spooning technique. Hard core spooning can
attract walleyes from greater distances, and can be the trigger
for nailing early season ‘eyes.
Jigging
spoons, like the Blue Fox Pixee, in the ¼ to ½ oz range, tipped
with part of a large minnow or all of a small minnow, are the way
to go, and the first bait to drop down the hole. Drop the bait to
the bottom and pickup the slack until you have a tight line with
the rod tip near the hole. From their you can snap the rod tip
up hard, let’s say from the eight o’clock position to about the
eleven. You can then follow the slack line back down the hole
with the rod tip, and see if the bait gets stopped short of
reaching the bottom position. It doesn’t quite make it, set the
hook. After the bait comes to rest, give it a moment to sit
stationary, before you snap it again. When you start the next
snap, and feel a little extra weight, set the hook. Quite often
you won’t feel the strike; They’ll just be there.
Another
great first ice presentation utilizes a jigging Rapala, tipped
with a piece of a minnow. The technique is a little more subdued
than spooning, as the hard snap is replaced with an upward
sweep. Start with the rod tip in the same position and lift the
tip up quickly, with out the snap, and follow the slack line back
down the hole. Keep your eye on the line on the surface of the
water, and watch for a twitch. It you see it twitch or suddenly
stop, set the hook. Strikes will often come as the bait falls, or
comes to rest. Like with the spoon, give the bait a chance to
settle for a moment before starting the next stroke. You may
even try giving the bait a slight upward nudge between full
lifts. That little nudge will often turn lookers into takers, and
can make a huge difference in the amount of fish caught over the
course of a day.
Although
reservoir walleyes can be caught all day, peak activity can be
expected at dusk and dawn. If you’ve been working a good looking
spot without success you may have to stick it out until the day is
just about gone, to know if fish are using the area. The key is
not giving up and realizing the fact that you can quickly put a
bunch of fish on ice, when you do finally get on ‘em.
Rick Olson |
