A Thin Sheet Over Small Water

By Tom Wilson, with Noel Vick

Tom Wilson is a Fish & Game Finder Field Editor, as well as an accomplished Leech Lake fishing guide. His articles are the products of years of fishing and hunting in north central Minnesota.

Deer camp is officially closed. While making a final descent from my deerstand the only thing distracting me from thoughts of ice fishing was an explosion of grouse feathers. As a matter of fact, my gray matter was completely engrossed with "first ice walleyes" during most of the afternoon.

In my neck of the woods, north central Minnesota, the conclusion of firearm deer season commonly coincides with the onset of ice fishing. Yearly climactic variations dictate precisely when I am able to tread across a frozen lake in pursuit of walleyes. After the lakes "turnover", several successive days and nights of sub-freezing temperatures are needed to adequately glaze the surfaces.

There is a myriad of reasons why lakes located within the same geographic area freeze over at different times. Lake size, depth, water content, bottom content, available shoreline wind protection, springs, inlets, and outlets are all factors governing how rapidly a lake ices-up. Knowing this, I always begin the winter season fishing a small (500 acres or less), wind protected, land locked lake. Land locked means there are no incoming or outgoing creeks or rivers.

In my world, 3 to 4 inches of pure, solid ice must be present. Some anglers boast about walking over 2 inches of ice or less, but in reality, if measurements were taken, they likely had at least 3 inches supporting their body weight and tall tales. Air bubbles sealed within clear ice can be used for reference, but do not rely on them as an exact measure of ice thickness. Your best bet is to carry a spud (chisel), striking the ice in front of you until it shatters and reveals open water. Reach down with an ungloved hand or neoprene-covered hand and estimate ice thickness by grabbing the cut edge, or a busted fragment, between your thumb and forefinger. Continue venturing to your favored location while constantly sampling ice thickness. Remember that there is no such thing as "safe ice". You just need to play it smart.

The second criterion for choosing a specific lake is familiarity. Select a body of water that you know intimately. During first ice, when it’s not possible to tread across the entire lake, it pays to have one or two pre-selected shoreline spots. Consider investigating classic walleye structure that previously produced fish. If a certain point or bay held walleyes during spring, summer, or fall, give it a whirl. The particular lake I visit during the early ice period offers a handful of potential shoreline structures, but it’s major shoreline point is chief among them. In general, primary shoreline points are wintertime walleye magnets.

Picking a position along the point to commence from is your next decision. Popular theory encourages fishermen to walk straight out along the point’s underwater section until it breaks into deep water. Sure enough, walleyes can be caught over a point’s underwater tip. But I have experienced far greater success fishing a point’s inside corners, where it curves inland and meets the shoreline.

Most major shoreline points greet some of the lake’s deepest water. If this is true on your chosen lake, begin fishing in 15 to 18 feet of water during daylight hours, and from 10 to 15 feet at dawn, dusk, and overnight. This range may be deeper or shallower depending on the topography of your lake. The 15 to 18-foot range is even more attractive when combined with a sand and gravel bottom and gradual taper. Again possibly bucking common knowledge, I prefer slowly tapering bottom structure versus steep breaks. An effective rule of thumb is that your bottom depth should change no more than one foot for every six feet of horizontal space. For example, if you are jigging in 18 feet and want to move up to 16 feet, you should have to walk at least 12 feet before locating that depth.

The second hottest early ice walleye locations are offshore humps and rock piles. In this case, offshore means anything from 50 yards to a ½ mile from shore. Structure lying further out than ½ mile probably won’t support enough ice to walk on during the season’s first few weeks. Again, ice thickness is relative to numerous factors, which change from year to year, and locale to locale.

Once again challenging popular thinking, I prefer humps that "top out" at no less than 20 feet. Deep-water humps are a favorite lair for early winter walleyes. In general, when selecting an offshore hump or rock pile, pick the deepest one the lake offers. Remember of course that ice takes longer to form over deep water than it does in the shallows, so be cautious.

The size of a hump is another consideration. While many anglers enjoy drilling countless holes across the top of massive chunks of offshore structure, I seek out small, manageable sized "push-ups". I want to cover the entire hump with a dozen or fewer holes. It’s advantageous to have a tip-up situated on top, while you jig over the break, and both positions are only 20 to 40 feet apart. Speaking of breaks versus the top, daytime action typically occurs along the break, whereas morning and evening hours draw foraging fish across the crown.

Once you have identified a prime point or hump, the next step is to initiate an effective method to fish it. Without question, a combination of jigging and tip-up fishing is the best way to take early winter walleyes. In Minnesota, anglers are permitted to fish through the ice with two lines. And if you need any more lines than that to catch fish it’s definitely time to find a new spot. As a general rule, set a tip-up over deeper water while you jig your way in shallow.

On your chosen point, start by drilling a series of holes over a variety of depths. Cut holes in pairs or triplets in the event that a certain spot goes "ballistic". Multiple-hole sets allow you to set a second line in the hot zone, or make room for your fishing partner to join in the action.

Jigging is responsible for roughly 80% of all the walleyes I catch each winter. So if your goal is to become proficient at one winter fishing technique, go with jigging. Early winter jigging can be broken into two categories: under 20 feet of water and over 20 feet of water. Both lure selection and jigging method are varied depending upon how deep the water is.

In deep water, 20 feet or better, tie on a traditional round, lead head jig. ¼ ounce jigs are favored. About color, don’t become too caught up in "artistic selection". As far as color goes, my walleye jig collection consists of blaze orange, florescent green, and phosphorescent (glow). Carry a variety of weights, hook sizes, and shapes, but believe me, the aforementioned colors are the only ones required.

Tip your jig with a fathead minnow. You can purchase more expensive minnows such as shiners and redtails, but in reality, fatheads perform as well as anything when hooked on a jig. Many experts believe that walleyes, and most other freshwater fish, attempt to engulf forage headfirst. Accepting this premise, I hook minnows so they are upright and facing away from the jig head. Do this by inserting the hook in the minnow’s belly side, just in front of the tail. Once the hook pierces through the back, between the tail fin and dorsal fin (back), your minnow should sit upright and be facing away from the jig head.

While jigging in deep water, keep your lure within a foot or so of the bottom. I’ve found that the majority of walleyes relating to deep water humps stick tight to the bottom. Subtle one-foot lifts are often enough action to induce a strike. Lift the rod, and with line still taunt, gently allow the jig to settle. In between lifts an effective technique is to raise the jig & minnow 6-inches from the bottom and simply "quiver" the combo, imitating a trembling injured minnow.

Jigging spoons "rule the roost" in depths of less than 20 feet of water. Their oblong shape and fluttering action prove deadly on shallow water walleyes. Look for models ranging from 1 to 1.5 inches long and approximately ¼ ounce in weight. I prefer smaller jigging spoons adorned with slightly oversized treble hooks. As for brands, look for conventional jigging spoons by Bay de Noc (Swedish Pimple) and Acme (Kastmaster). Ivan’s, Shearwater, Northland, Lindy/Little Joe, and JB Lures manufacturer several modern day alternatives. Whichever brand you purchase, make an effort to find models offering a silver, gold, or copper base. Florescent and phosphorescent paint or adhesives add an extra touch. Again, don’t get caught up in color selection.

Tip your jigging spoon with a whole or partial fathead minnow. Some anglers switch to a single hook when jigging with a whole minnow, I still favor a treble hook. Push one of the three barbs through the top half of an upright minnow, between the dorsal fin (back) and tail fin. This allows the live bait offering to swim freely. Whole minnows are effective when you encounter highly aggressive walleyes, or if you intend on setting the rod down frequently. A lively minnow will keep your presentation in motion if you aren’t jigging feverishly. More often than not, an actively jigged minnow part will outperform a whole minnow hanging from an inactive spoon. The tastiest part of a minnow is the head. Cut or pinch-off the head just behind the gill plates. Thread a single barb crosswise just behind the minnow’s eyes. A string of entrails dangling from the minnow head provides supplementary attraction (there just isn’t any politically correct way to effectively explain how to handle bait).

Spoons require more intense jigging than a simple lead head jig. Don’t be afraid to raise and lower a jigging spoon 2 to 3 feet even when you are fishing in less than 15 feet of water. And as opposed to what I recommended doing in deep water, in this case, allow your jigging spoon to "free fall" after raising it from the bottom. The fluttering action generated by a descending spoon appeals to walleyes. Another jigging trick for shallow water is to "pound" your spoon on the bottom several times in succession. The rapid thumping churns-up bottom sediment, hence enticing prowling walleyes. Allow the spoon to sit motionless for at least 10 seconds between jigging sequences.

The final link in a successful early ice strategy is a well-placed tip-up. To digress, tip-ups are not the primary means for catching winter walleyes, but they do effectively act as a tool of experimentation. By experimentation I mean that an angler can rig a tip-up in a unique, but educational manner. As stated earlier, tip-ups are great for exploring deeper water while you jig the shallows.

Experiment with minnow size on your tip-up. This is a perfect opportunity to fish with shiner and sucker minnows or use that giant fathead that’s been circling your minnow bucket all morning long. Larger minnows may entice bigger walleyes that cruise outside your jigging range. A possible bonus pike or jumbo perch are other reasons for rigging tip-ups outside your jigging holes. It’s not uncommon to set into a 10-pound plus northern pike while walleye fishing. Each species of minnow should be rigged with a single hook. Take a plain (octopus-style) #6 or #8 hook and pierce it through the back of the minnow, between the dorsal and tail fin.

Spool your tip-ups with traditional braided or dacron line, and attach a 2 to 3 foot monofilament leader. The lighter leader is less visible under the ice, and it is less restrictive to minnow movement than the much heavier dacron and braided. Lastly, pinch a ¼ ounce split-shot sinker 18 to 36 inches above your lively minnow. The sinker adds just enough weight to keep your minnow in the strike zone, while at the same time its distance from the hook permits the bait to swim without restraint.

This basic system for taking early winter walleyes works year in and year out. The lakes might change, the weather certainly will, but my ability to hook loads of walleyes during the first few weeks of the season is consistent. Apply these tools and techniques to your favorite small walleye water this winter.

As always, please practice catch and release.

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