Early Ice Walleyes

[czl99]

The lake that I fish the most for walleyes has a steep rock ledge that drops off very fast. For every 1 1/2ft that you go away from shore it gets a foot deeper. I was wondering with a steep drop off like this what depth should I fish at. The drop off goes all the way out to about 42ft then it gradully starts to come up again. In the past few years I have started out in about 35ft of water and moved in shallower as it got darker and it seemed to work pretty good. But this year I have tried all different depths from 35-15ft of water and I havent even got bite or even marked anything. Should i be fishing shallow or deep for early ice?

[JoeTC]

If youre doing the same thing you did last year then maybe the walleyes aren't using this piece of structure this year. Try looking for fish on other structure near by. As far as where to fish on steep breaks like you explained I would either set up on the top of the break or at the base. Its harder to pinpoint walleyes in between because the could be roaming anywhere, some might be against the break while others might be suspended off the break. I like fishing the top of the break in the evening because I believe where I fish the walleyes move up the break as it gets dark pushing bait fish up to the top where they then cruise around feeding. I think this is a great pattern for early ice eyes but it won't work if there are no fish in the area and if you aren't marking any fish I would say this is the case and I would move on.

[TMan]

Just a thought for you to consider - I'd be careful relying on your Vex or Marcum or whatever to mark fish on a ledge with as great as drop angle as you have there. The cone angle (Picture an upside down ice cream cone) on those units will only pick up the first piece of structure it contacts so it is possible that you might not see fish within the rest of the cone. Thus, unless they are right at the contact area between the cone and the angled ledge you may not beleive there are fish present, if you know what I mean... I fish a similar area here in a Metro area lake and rarely can I "see" fish like I can on less steep structures. Now, if you aren't catching them and you've given it a good shot with different presentations and time's of day then the previous poster's comments regarding fish just not using the structure yet has some merit.

Good Luck - TMan

[Mike Walerak]

I would look for a turn or small piece of structure along the break. It might not take much to hold fish. A shallow bay near by might hold fish as well. If you can locate the bait fish you will find the walleyes. Spending some time locating baitfish could be what it takes for your lake.

mw

[Fishin Beast]

Walleyes sometimes aren't on those super sharp breaks but at the very edge on top or on the bottom. I would also second finding a shallower bay. If the drop off is that great a shallow bay is actually a different piece of structure than what your fishing. On lakes with a steep drop off like lets say it goes from a steady 8ft-20ft within 25ft. I will fish the 9-12ft range at or after dark. And I will fish the 18-20ft range right before dark. And if there is a weededge I would also look for those areas.

[Surface Tension]

Look for some sort of structure on that steep break. A bench preferably but a weed line will do. Personally I don't like a break that drops into water that deep for early ice eyes and prefer holding/loafing areas on the bottom of breaks. IMO the bottom of that break is too deep for my liking. If your dead set on this spot I'd error on the shallow side rather fishing to deep. Its better to fish too high then below the fish on those steep breaks and you can bet those eyes will come unglued from that steep edge as they move so figure out their preferred depth and don't be afraid to move out and away a little ways off the break. Hole hopping while varying depth and laterally along the bank might pay off too. As I type I'm reminded how much more guessing your in for when fishing this kind of situation. If you can't find any bottom features on the break that are good holding areas or areas for movement you might consider moving down the shore or out till that break is a bit more gradual, looking for holding areas or areas of movement.