A First Fishing For Walleye Through the Ice!

[JIvers]

I've used jigging Rapalas on walleye and sauger through the ice below the locks and dams on the Mississippi with great success for years now, and have caught quite a few walleye in lakes with them as well. Until this week, I had never caught a fish that was hooked on the front or back hook on the body of the jig--I've always hooked fish on the treble hanging beneath it.

I was out fishing a couple mornings ago through a frozen off-current area on the Iowa River down here--yes, they have walleye and ice in southeast Iowa, although not as much of either as back in Minnesota.

Anyhow, I've been catching a lot of mostly small walleye and saugeye through the ice over the last week, with a jigging Rapala in the proper color tipped with a minnow head working quite well. Sunday morning, I hooked not one, but two small walleye with the front hook on a jigging Rapala. That's never happened to me before. The only thing the front and back hooks on a jiggin Rap. were ever good for before was catching me, some other equipment, the ice on the bottom of the hole, or the fabric in my truck.

[WalleyeChaser]

That's interesting!! I have heard of many people cutting off the front hook and sometimes even the back hook for the very reasons you mentioned, espesially the hooking the bottom of the ice. That = many lost fish! I have left them on for that rare occasion when they hit like the walleyes you speak of.

[52#FLATHEAD]

All walleye & perch I've caught have never been on the back hook. So, I cut off all my back hooks & haven't gotten stuck in the hole yet.

[fishwater]

Trust me guys, if you leave all the hooks on, eventually you'll catch fish on all of them. It's bound to happen.