Catching lots of walleye this ice season but...

[DaveZman14q]

So in 2 outings this season we've iced a good 30-35 walleye on a lake within an hour of the metro. Problem is the 2 largest have been a 19 inch and a 14 inch. The rest have been your typical cigar walleye 8-11 inches.

Do the small walleye typically hang out with the small walleye and we're just in the wrong spot?

All the walleye came out of 17-21 feet right where the shallow rock pile starts turning to muck (the muck is out deep) except for the 19 inch which came out of 27 feet.

That makes me believe the big walleye are out deep but only 1 in 2 outings doesnt make me want to sit in 27 feet just waiting all day/night.

Any thoughts? Pick through the small walleye until a big one comes or are the large walleye hanging out together somewhere else?

[gixxer01]

Never assume big walleyes are deep! 6-12' might be the depths your looking for. Bait size might be your issue.

[Bogie04]

I've noticed the exact same thing this season! Tons of fingerlings and very few keepers. I think the real key is to keep on the move. Be sure to drill holes from shallow out to deep. Start deeper during daylight, and as it fades start to move shallower. All I know is that all these fingerlings will be good eaters here in the next couple years Those bigger ones sure know good spots to hide out

[GIANT1]

sounds like maybe Clearwater Lake to me

[JohnMickish]

Small walleye are food for the bigger walleye and they generally won't hang together. You may not be catching many big fish because there may not be many big fish in the lake. Take a look at the DNR stocking and survey results for that lake to see what is going on.

Look for transition areas in the bottom, like mud to sand for a place to start. Cameras work great for this kind of work.

[WalleyeChaser]

Try finding a weed line/edge instead. If the rock pile transitions to a weedy area find that. And move up shallower and keep noise and light to a minimum. I have caught many 25"+ fish in 13 fow or less! They will feed up that shallow at sunset and into the night. Find that "something different", ex.- A small outjet/point in the weeds or "u" shape in the weed line. Walleyes generally relate to these "different" areas when everything around is the same for a stretch of shoreline. And grab a bait with a little bigger size or profile. If worst comes to worst you can always go back to whats working. Good luck!