January 18, 2016
So many lures, so little time. And with so little time, a lot fear about selecting the best lure, given the scenario. No magic lure will ever key success. Walleyes can all the time be caught on a couple of lure, and sometimes even on extensively divergent lure types. But the intent stays to experiment to search out the one lure, seemingly from amongst a number of selections, that works greatest.
So it’s {that a} small contingency of choices, every in a number of sizes and fundamental finishes, has traveled with me from the Bay of Quinte within the East, to Wyoming reservoirs within the West. And I’ve not discovered it needed to change to native scorching lures to achieve success.
Lure classes—The important thing to confidence stays, first, stocking lures from every of three common classes. “Flash lures” just like the basic Bay de Noc Swedish Pimple and Acme Kastmaster make up one class. These lures entice fish by way of flash and vibration as they’re jigged up and allowed to settle again. Tip them with a minnow head to entice fish to chew once they transfer in shut.
Most anglers perceive the flash connection, however fail to notice how vital vibration is to attracting fish. Fish usually really feel baits earlier than they see them. So I double divide this class, carrying “bent” flash lures just like the Bay de Noc Do-Jigger and Jig-A-Whopper Rocker Minnow, together with straighter baits just like the Kastmaster and Swedish Pimple. I additionally inventory a number of super-action flash lures just like the Reef Runner Slender Spoon.
Commercial
The second class—swimming lures—is for me a small one, consisting of three baits, the basic Jigging Rapala, the Nils Grasp Jigger, and the newly launched Nils Grasp Jigger Shad. Lifted sharply 11/2 ft or so, these “swimming lures” dart up and out earlier than thumping down after which swinging (swimming) again immediately beneath the ice gap. The #7 Rapala and #2 Nils Grasp Jiggers are the preferred sizes for walleyes.
Swimming lures carry out subtly in comparison with the extra intense flash and vibration of a flash lure. These lures are likely to work greatest in clearer water, notably in the course of the altering mild durations of daybreak and nightfall. Most anglers tip them with a minnow head or fish eye, once more to tempt reluctant walleyes. Add the scent choice to the treble hook hanging beneath the center of the bait. In present, add the scent choice to the trailing physique hook. Small fish usually goal the fish head or fish eye, whereas bigger walleyes normally eat your entire bait. I need to inform you, although, that in most key night durations, I not often discover it essential to tip swimming baits.
“Anchor jigs” together with livebait make up the third class. Hook the minnow in reverse so it struggles away from the burden of the pinnacle of a plain (undressed) jig. The jig weight ought to match the dimensions of the minnow and the depth being fished. The load have to be simply mild sufficient to encourage the minnow to swim, however not so mild that the minnow can get away. For walleyes, I normally use a 1/16- or 1/8-ounce jig coupled with a 4- to 5-inch shiner minnow.
Commercial
Line—I take advantage of 10- or 12-pound monofilament for walleyes, though 8-pound is an efficient compromise in waters the place each perch and walleyes are the goal. Line visibility is not a giant issue after darkish, although it could be in the course of the day and into the start of twilight. Extra vital is to get lures to fall or swing seductively. Line that is too mild is as detrimental to presentation as line that is too heavy.
Superbraids like Berkley FireLine and Spiderwire Fusion additionally work effectively for ice fishing. A superbraid testing about 12 kilos is nearly proper. Add a monofilament (or fluorocarbon) chief to the top of the superbraid by linking the 2 strains with back-to-back uni knots. Double the top of the superbraid, utilizing a spider hitch knot, earlier than trying the uni knots. Lastly, add a small CrossLoc snap to the top of the road.
Attraction and Triggering
Every jigging movement consists of an attraction and a triggering section. First, entice walleyes, then get them to chew as soon as they have been drawn shut. The elevate and fall of the bait serves because the attracting maneuver, whereas the pause permits a walleye to chew. All of the little jiggles added throughout or after the essential lift-fall maneuver are simply small, however typically important variations on a common theme.
Jiggles may be notably vital when utilizing a swimming jig. My fundamental strategy could be a lift-fall-pause (3 to five seconds), adopted by a jiggle-jiggle, jiggle-jiggle, adopted by one other lift-fall. Jiggle solely sufficient to get the bait to roll barely left-right left-right on its axis, creating the identical type of flash that makes crankbaits engaging to walleyes in open water.
A lift-fall with an anchored minnow is delicate by comparability. Gently elevate the jig and minnow a foot or so, then let it flutter and flash right down to the place from which it started. Then pause for at the least 30 seconds to let the minnow do its factor. I normally lift-fall-pause by a number of sequences, then pause for a number of minutes (or extra) with the rod sitting on a bucket or in a rod holder on a bucket. Once more, the minnow is simply doing its factor.
Rip Jigging—On the opposite finish of the presentation spectrum lies rip jigging, an outdated variation on a common presentation theme. The essential jigging theme is lift-fall-pause. Make your individual thematic music any means you would like. Rip jigging, although, rests on the heavy-metal finish of the size.
Use a lure with a heavy vibration sample, then elevate tremendous sharply two or 3 times, ready just for the lure to thump again down on the top of the road earlier than ripping once more. Then comes the triggering pause—one second or ten—earlier than starting once more, though typically tremendous aggressive fish hit on the slight thump-down between rips.
One cause rippin’ is not well-known is that it normally does not work effectively. On many waters, I’ve not seen it work in any respect. But, it ought to all the time be one amongst many choices, albeit an possibility on the intense finish of the spectrum, as a result of on some waters, the approach may be magic. Most of those are large our bodies of water, the place walleyes typically roam for miles to search out meals. Lake Erie. Saginaw Bay. Large Bay and Little Bay de Noc. Sturgeon Bay. Mille Lacs. Oahe. Large waters. Large daring approach.
Ripping additionally may be productive in fertile, shallow, dingy waters with large populations of walleyes. The approach helps to name walleyes, and their aggressive nature makes them extra prone to react. A few of these lakes are giant, like parts of Lake of the Woods. Most, nevertheless, are simply outstanding shallow lakes like Oneida, New York; Devils Lake, North Dakota; Spirit Lake, Iowa; and Lake Poinsett, South Dakota. Any small dingy lake with a number of good fish, although, might supply the chance to tear jig.
The most effective lures produce probably the most vibration with out tangling usually. As a rule, small (compact), heavy, bent baits work greatest, whereas huge skinny baits that fall horizontally are likely to tangle. Baits I’ve used efficiently embrace the Jig-A-Whopper Rocker Minnow, Bay de Noc Swedish Pimple, Acme Thunderbolt, and Ivan’s Slammer. Add a cut up ring and a swivel to the line-tie finish of every bait to scale back line twist.
Including an aura of scent to the jig continues to be important. Eyes faraway from lifeless perch keep on greatest, however minnow heads work effectively as long as the hook’s run up by the cranium. On bigger (longer) lures, pinch off the minnow head proper behind the gills. I all the time let the entrails cling when attainable, each for visible attraction and extra scent. Change the minnow head or perch eye each 10 minutes or so to freshen the aura of scent across the bait.
Dave Genz, one in all North America’s greatest ice anglers and a contributor to this Ice Fishing Information, most likely has used the rippin’ approach on extra waters the final two years than another angler. He prefers a three-stroke course of that goes Rip-Chunk, Rip-Chunk, Rip-Chunk, Pause—the Rip being a pointy upward stroke of 11/2 to 2 ft, and the Chunk being the thump of the lure hitting the top of the road on the autumn. His pauses vary from 3, 4, or 5 seconds to 25, throughout which era he may additionally waggle the fish head on the bait when he is aware of a fish has moved in and hasn’t hit instantly in the course of the pause.
When no fish are seen on my electronics, I take advantage of Genz’s Rip-Chunk routine to name in fish. With fish on the display screen, although, I pause momentarily (a number of seconds) between Rips, adopted by an extended pause after two or three rips. In fact, potential jigging sequences are restricted solely by your creativeness and your interpretation of how fish are reacting. Preserve it easy, however get a rhythm going.
Sonar
The wonders of the capsular world held in suspension beneath the ice is introduced vividly to view on well-rigged sonar. The 2 basic sonars for work on ice stay the Vexilar FL-8 and the Zercom LCF-40, though any sonar setup is useful.
Nicely-rigged sonar not solely makes the sport we play extra environment friendly, but in addition extra enjoyable. As an alternative of simply sitting there questioning, you’ll be able to see fish are available and see how they react to what you are doing. I rue all of the early years I spent with out sonar, fishing a lure up and down, up and down inside a foot of the underside—realizing now what number of walleyes I missed.
At the very least half the walleyes I catch annually are caught due to one thing I’ve added to my presentation after seeing how a fish reacts. A fish is available in. I lift-fall once more. No response? I jiggle the bait and the fish strikes nearer. One other jiggle—increase.
One other fish is available in. I lift-fall repeatedly, enjoying the jiggle recreation with no response. A lethal tactic at that time is to elevate the bait a foot above the fish. Jiggle jiggle. Jiggle jiggle. Perhaps one other lift-fall. Growth.
Or I am fishing the sting of a bar in 25 ft of water. Notably on waters with suspended forage fish like ciscoes, a number of walleyes wander in excessive— as a lot as 10 ft off backside. I’ve caught a whole lot of those fish the final ten years—all fish I would not have recognized have been even there years in the past.
Bait, too. It is vital to see bait. In many of the pure lakes I fish, I would like perch on the display screen after I start fishing an hour earlier than sundown. Then I need to see ciscoes coming by as twilight units in. After I’m on bait on an excellent gap, I am normally into walleyes.
A Combo System
The previous a few years, In-Fisherman workers members have perfected a combo presentation system that depends totally on jigging, but in addition incorporates livebait when needed. A jigging rod is required, for the target is all the time to maintain jigging—that’s, actively presenting a lure to set off walleyes. Even when fishing turns ugly, the precise mixture of lure and jigging movement normally leads to some walleyes.
We add to our repertoire, nevertheless, one other rod fished as a “deadstick.” The deadstick is a lighter rod than the first jigging rod, for it is used to current a energetic minnow reversed on a jig. Drop the jig and minnow to the underside and reel up 6 to 12 inches. Then place the rod on a bucket or in a rod-holder on a bucket.
The tip of the rod ought to be mild sufficient so the minnow can work the tip because it struggles. In the meantime, wind additionally works the tip, prodding the minnow to maneuver. All of the when you’re shut by working a jigging bait. Transferring requires solely reeling up the deadstick—simpler than coping with tip-ups or bobbers.
Most days, jigging produces many of the fish. Typically, although, the deadstick contributes the fish or two that make the totally different between an excellent day and an amazing day. Then, at occasions, normally when fishing is tough, the deadstick could make the distinction between hamburgers and a meal of recent walleye.
If many of the fish are responding to the deadstick, change your jigging strategy. As an alternative of utilizing a conventional jigging bait, change to a regular jig and a reversed minnow—the identical rigging on the deadstick. Typically, actively jigging with this combo may be much more efficient as a result of you’ll be able to add extra “attraction” to the method, gently lifting (a foot or so) the jig and minnow and letting it fall, then permitting the minnow to work for 30 seconds as you pause.
We try to maintain our approaches to winter walleye fishing easy, but environment friendly. Secret lures do not exist, any greater than do secret jigging motions. The primary prerogative is to be in a great place on the proper time. A well-rigged sonar unit is the closest factor there may be to magic, to extend your understanding of what is occurring beneath. The walleyes in your lake aren’t totally different than the walleyes that swim in all places else in North America. The contingencies coated right here will be just right for you, simply as they’ve for us in a whole lot of lakes and reservoirs in additional than a dozen states and 4 provinces. Ice Fishing Walleyes.
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