Some ice anglers only have one thing in mind: pulling that first walleye through their hole so they can get it to the pan, and then, to the table. Others simply love the pursuit — the game of cat and mouse that comes with ice fishing for walleyes. Either way, there’s no denying walleye are and have always been a big target for hard-water anglers.
If you’re new to ice fishing or you’ve gone after crappie and bluegill and have decided it’s time to chase some walleye, it’s not a huge leap. You can totally do it, and here’s how you ice fish for walleye.
Information Is Power
Brad Hawthorne, a veteran guide on Mille Lacs Lake, owns and operates Hawthorne’s Guide Service. He knows that having up-to-date information in advance on the lake or river you plan to fish is key: fishing reports and current ice conditions.
“If you are making the trip somewhere, you want to make sure the ice conditions are safe and navigable,” Hawthorne says. “Make a phone call to a local bait shop, or check out their social media. This way, you can prepare for your trip.”
Once you get to that location, be sure to stop into that bait shop in person and get some more info.
“Most bait shops are open books when it comes to ice fishing,” he says. “They want you to be successful out there on the ice. After all, the more fish you catch, the more bait you’ll need.”
Ice Fishing Gear: Essential Equipment
There are a few things you absolutely need on the ice; first and foremost, you need a solid, reliable auger. If you get out on the ice and you have trouble drilling holes or can’t drill a hole at all, your day of fishing will be over real fast.
“All augers are not made equal. I have tried them all, and in the past few years, I’ve found that the ION Alpha is the best one on the market. It’s what I use day-in-day-out for my guide operations,” Hawthorne says.
The ION Alpha is a 40W battery-powered auger that comes as an 8- or 10-inch model; both provide a best-in-class cutting speed in inches-per-second. That means holes get drilled faster, which means more fishing time.
Having a reliable ice fishing electronics setup is also extremely important for chasing walleye under the ice. It lets you get a good read on the bottom, the structure you are fishing, the bait below you, and, of course, you’ll see it when a walleye swims beneath your hole.
“The Humminbird HELIX 5 or Ice HELIX 7 are great options that are loaded with features and won’t break the bank,” Hawthorne says. “If you have the money, and are really getting into ice fishing for walleye, then yes, a hundred percent, spend the money and learn how to fish with the MEGA Live 2 Image Transducer. It will make your time on the ice that much more enjoyable.”
Stay Warm
I know, I know, staying warm on the ice seems like a given, but many anglers seem to think about it enough. It isn’t just a safety issue, it really affects anyone’s ability to enjoy the experience. Plus, a person can’t focus on the details of jigging in a walleye they see on their electronics if they’re busy shivering.
Having the right ice fishing suit really makes gearing up easy. Hawthorne likes the Striker Climate suit (Climate Jacket and Climate Bib) for early or late ice, or when he is out walking around.
“The Climate jacket from Striker has liners that can be removed, this is great when the temperatures are on the warmer side, or I’m getting in and out of the truck, or fish house,” he said.
Keeping the inside of your fish house warm and toasty is very easy with the Heat Hog 9,000 BTU Portable Heater. Its tilt technology allows you to direct the heat where you want it. That means instead of warming just your feet — and the ice — you can direct the heat up to your hands.
Walleye Ice Fishing Tackle
Many anglers, including Hawthorne, have now switched to tungsten jigs and spoons for their ice fishing. The alloy is more dense than lead, so the spoon or jig will sink faster, which means you’ll be putting your lure in front of more walleyes. Also, tungsten shows up on electronics better, giving you a more accurate and detailed picture of what is going on under the ice.
“I will have two different spoons rigged up at all times and have them in two natural and then two bright colors,” Hawthorne says.
This is what Hawthorne uses on a daily basis:
Hawthorne says he tips his spoons with either a fathead minnow head or minnow tail. Sometimes the walleyes will show a preference, so you’ll want to pay attention if they start or stop biting your spoon based on what you have tipped it with.
His gear setup is straight forward: a 1000-size Shimano reel spooled up with Seaguar Inviz X Fluorocarbon in 6-pound test.
“Inviz X works great. It sinks quick and is very abrasion resistant,” he says.
When it comes to choosing a rod, Hawthorne says if you are fishing inside a shelter, use a 30- or 32-inch rod. If you’re outside on the ice, go with a 36- or 38-inch rod.
“If I had to pick just one rod, it would be a Tuned Up Custom Rods Precision Power 32” rod,” he says. “It gives me the ability to control any spoon I use, while giving me the power I need to land a trophy walleye.”
Ice Fishing Tactics for Walleye
The biggest takeaway from Hawthorne’s crash course on walleye ice fishing was his advice to find a pice of structure and spend the time to fish on all sides of it.
“Drill holes all around it. Fish the top, back, and sides of it. Find something in that 20 to 25 feet of water and just get comfortable with that spot.”
In the morning and evening you’ll want to be set up in your shelter; this is when the walleyes will be moving, so you are just waiting for them to come to you. When the sun is fully up, you may need to move around some to find where the fish are holding.
