pre-fishing for ice fishing
Getting Ready The Edge First Ice Perch First Ice Crappies First Ice Walleyes
Calling Them In
Jeff Beckwith
Turk Gierke
Norb Wallock
Rick Olson
Paul Rohweller
Cory Schmidt
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Early Ice Walleye Basics
Knowing the ice conditions of the lake you are going to fish is a must. If you are lucky enough to live near a lake you want to try for first ice walleyes you have a huge advantage. If you don't have this luxury, you should check with the nearest bait shop or possibly a resort on the lake to find out when the lake froze over. Regardless, the first time you venture onto the ice proceed with extreme caution and be prepared. Always carry a set of ice picks and a rope, maybe even some sort of floatation device and wear a life jacket. As you walk out on the ice drill a hole every fifty yards or anytime the appearance of the ice changes. If you start to question the conditions of the ice there will always be another day to get out there when it is safer.
One of the best things about fishing first ice is that you will probably find yourself alone on many of the best spots on the lake. Most people wait until they can drive out and bring their permanent fish houses on the ice. If you prepare yourself to stay warm and remain mobile you may experience some great fishing. The gear you will need at this time of year is simple: a Barracuda hand auger it cuts ice easy and fast, a jig rod (I prefer a light action open face rod & reel combo spooled with 6 lb mono), a tip-up and some fat-head minnows. This is just the gear that you will need. A portable fish house such as an Otter Den or Eskimo Quickflip is nice to have. I also use an electronic depth finder I use the MarCum LX3 because I feel it identifies targets better than my previous unit did.
The first place I like to try once I can get out on safe ice is a spot that I have caught walleyes on in late fall. Any time you catch walleyes on a spot after the lake has turned over you should make a mental note to check this area in the winter. Generally these areas are typical walleye structure such as points, flats, weed edges, steep breaks, rocks, etc. If I have not fished the lake previously I will look at a topographic map and search for these same types of structures. Use shoreline reference points on small lakes to get close to the spots. GPS units can be great tools for big lakes. Some of the maps available today have GPS coordinates already built into the map. LakeMaster Pro maps can be a great help. Once I am close I will use my LX3 to find the exact location of the structure. I have caught walleyes in a wide range of depths at this time of year so be flexible and cover as much water as possible until you find something that works. On most of the lakes I fish this range is from 15 to 30 feet depending on snow cover and light levels. I will generally start deeper in the daytime and move shallower as it gets darker.
Here is one example of an early ice experience that always motivates me to get out there. We had been catching a few walleyes each evening in the late fall on Lake Independence. The spot was the tip of a large underwater point that topped out around 22 feet. We had some reference points on shore so that we could try to find the spot in the winter. After our last evening of open water fishing it got extremely cold for about the next five days. The lake froze over that last evening so after five or six days of below zero nights there was a good five inches of ice. We made our way out to the spot using our shoreline references and drilled a hole to check the depth. I put a minnow on and pinched a couple of extra large split shots next to the hook so I could set my Ice Buster bobber at the right depth. As soon as the minnow hit the bottom I had a walleye on. A nice two-pounder and I still hadn't set my depth. I tried it again and the same thing happened. The third time I actually had enough time to get the bobber stop adjusted. We drilled three more holes and in forty-five minutes we had our 12 walleyes.
This spot was good for the next week or so but as soon as the crowds of people and houses showed up the fishing slowed dramatically. Early ice can be great and I look forward to it every year. Just remember to be safe and be prepared and you may find yourself on some of the best fishing of the season.
Corey Guttenfelder is a professional fisherman from Crystal Minnesota and a well-accomplished ice fisherman. Corey is a member of the IceLeaders and FishFever.com Pro Staff.
[Editors Note: Get out and do some early ice fishing. Be careful and take all safety precautions.]
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by Corey Guttenfelder
Safety is the most important part of early ice fishing. If you are smart and very cautious this can be the best time of the entire ice fishing season.
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Rick Paquin