Where the walleyes go

[Pig_sticka]

i fish a private lake near the metro alot with my friend. the lake used to have a ton of walleyes. the past few years the walleyes have disapeared for a while. the lake has 2 holes gettin near 30 ft, 2 rock points with nice drop offs. we usually set out tip-ups from 10-14 feet. usually he only gets 1-2 6# plus walleyes a year, i am guessing just by accident, cuz we fish it atleast a hundred times a winter. we are catching nice crappies n sunnies this whole time but i want one of those walleyes. What should i do different to catch one of those?

[Brian Gilbertson]

Is the lake particularly clear? If so, you may not be fishing deep enough. How deep is the deep weedline? I've been pulling 'eyes out of White Bear this week all the way down to 34 feet.

[Pig_sticka]

the lake is dirtier. i would guess 4-5 feet on the clearity. white bear would be atleast 4 times as clear. there actually isn't much for weeds. the ones that are there have been off reeds or bullrushes, in i am guessing 8 feet. we usually try on these spots though, right on the main rocky point on the top of the dropoff. we haven't had much luck fishing deep when we have done it. i am just kinda bewildered. there is a aerator in the lake would that have anything to do with it? there isn't a freeze out problem or anything.

anyone fish a lake with only large walleyes? where can i find them, i consider myself a good fisherman but these things are out of the ordinary.

[Pig_sticka]

well i know barely anyone fishes it, but it is a possibility. maybe they just aren't at a fishable number anymore. i will try that really shallow approach. there is a rocky point in about 5 feet of water right next to a nice weed edge. i still have seen some caught by others but for some reason the walleyes dont like us. i will post how i do the next time i go out there which probably wont be too long. if anyone else has a good depth or spot ill put a tip up on it and see what happenes.

[Guest]

Pig_sticka....you want more walleyes?? You got my #, give me a call. Oh by the way the eye's in your honey hole are in my bucket!!!! HAHAHAHA

Practice catch and release in little lakes like that, more times than not you can catch the same fish over and over again. If you want table fare go to the bigger lakes or to Cub Foods, little lakes are fragile and a couple years of taking fish is bound to have a negative effect, I hope I am wrong but it sounds like it is running out of gas.

later
morriscode

[Pig_sticka]

yea well i have never even caught a walleye out there so i am not depleting it, if i did catch one it would go right back in the water after a picture. i want a biiiiigggg walleye. u gonna take me out to mille lacs someday morris? i am going to catch one of these walleyes on the lake though. ill post the picture when i do

[Jim W]

pig,

You mentioned your friend ponly catches a couple big ones a year. Does he always let them go?
I would think those bigger fish are them main source of repro on a lake that small.

JUst a thought.

Jim W

[Guest]

Where do you fish it in the month of aug. I fish on a bigger lake but it sound the same 30 ft rock pts and not many weeds. I fish this lake the same pattern as in aug. and have found the same results.Belly to the bottom during the day and if there is a break around 15 ft on the point during the evening.On clear nights with some moon even up in small rock flat in 5-7.

[Pig_sticka]

he does keep them i think which kinda sucks. usually a friend he brings out catches 1 and keeps them. i dont know why you would keep them on that lake but who knows. haven't seen any small ones and the dnr actually doesn't stock it. i heard a private land owner stocks it, and might not put walleyes in it. if the walleyes reproduce normally in there they might not do great at it. muskies are in the lake, no northerns. as i said this lake is weird.

[almosthaddabite]

Piggy,

I doubt if the walleyes are reproducing in this lake. You need some wind swept gravel or a clean stream.

If the lake doesn't get a lot of pressure they should still be there.

The prime bite in the winter should be between 4:30pm and 5:30pm. I would start off by fishing on the dropoff in 13-22 feet. Use a tipup and rod so you can check 2 depths. Also take the vex an see if you can mark fish at this time.

I fish a lake similar to this (all big fish 20"+). Two fish a night is good on this lake, and you can't miss a bite cause you'll get few. The bite on this lake is 15 mins. so I'm only gone from the house for an hour, I love it.

Best of luck

[Steve Foss]

I think that if you're fishing 10-14 feet on a lake twice that deep that you're fishing a zone walleyes pass through during the prime late afternoon/early evening hours on their way to the shallows.

If there aren't lots of walleyes in the lake to begin with, and you're sitting on a migration route, your odds of contacting fish are lower. Fish really deep and right against the bottom in daylight, moving around a lot. If the deep water is near the 10-14 foot depths and those depths are near the shallows, you can drill holes at all three depths first thing, moving to the mid-depths about 3 or 3:30 and to the real shallows by 4:30 or 5.

But if it's a murky lake, those times might be skewed, because lots of dark lakes don't have night bites.

Also, if fish numbers are low and you don't have a really big chance of finding fish, try a more aggressive approach. Jig with a rattle/glow spoon on one line instead of just tip-ups. But jig near your tip-up. Could be that the hard jigging will draw in fish from quite a distance, and if they hit the spoon, fine. If not, they might see the tip.

Sounds like you'll have lots of fun experimenting, and that's at least half the fun. If we knew all the answers, how boring ice fishing would be.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 12-17-2002).]

[Pig_sticka]

anyone have any advice?

[Guest]

I would say look to the deep water during the day. Chances are they are hugging the bottom in the deep water, most likely not very active. At night I would still look shallower. I have been finding the biggest fish in 5-7 ft of water after dark. Worth a try. Scott Steil

[Scoot]

Here's a thought, but not a very pleasant one. You mentioned it's a private lake- is it small? If it's small and gets some pressure from you and others, it could be hurting for walleye numbers. It doesn't take many fish being taken out of a small lake over time to seriously hurt the total population of fish. Any chance of over-harvesting in this private lake?
Just a thought.
Obviously, this isn't what you're hoping to hear. Probably it's not the reason for your struggles, but it could be part of what's going on.
Scoot

[Pig_sticka]

i was just out on the lake
limit of crappies (11 inches-12 in)
few nice sunnies over 9 inches

i had on one of those walleyes. couldn't believe it. fishin crappies i decided to bounce the bottom a few times in 9 feet of water and i got him on. he wasn't hooked good with this little crappie jig and after a few battles near the hole it got off. i would have guessed a good 6 pounds. very nice fish. kinda good cuz it can go back n keep swimmin without getting hurt. would have liked a picture though.

[Guest]

Pig Sticka.....I fish walleyes alot because it's always a challenge for me. More often than not, they're negative after the ice has been on the lakes for awhile. I always try to get set up (early-by 3-3:30) on the deep side right at a transition from deep to shallow like at the bottom of a slope. Any commotion will drive them off. They seem to be more concentrated before they disperse over the shallower structure. When they begin to move right about sundown, you'll see them come off the bottom to check out your bait. Don't be afraid to use (lively) crappie minnows on small jigs (1/8th oz.) either. Some days, they just want a snack. For me, deadsticking works best but you have to be ready when they take the bait. If they feel much resistence at all, they're gone. I have also tried to get them after they have moved up after sundown by drilling a series of holes before prime time from deep to shallow, say about 8 feet. I seldom do that anymore because it's tough to stay quiet enough to be successful when shallow. The shallower you go, the quieter you have to be. After the initial bite window which is usually a half hour or less, it gets more hit and miss. Sharp hooks and a good hookset also help to put them on the ice. Once they take it, release the bail and let them have more line (about 2-3 feet at least) and then set the hook. Sometimes it pays to wait until you're sure they have it. Once again, do not be afraid to downsize your presentation. The biggest walleye I ever caught through the ice was at sundown at the bottom of a slope on a crappie minnow/small jig. They are not always looking for a five inch shiner. Some days, especially with a high pressure system moving in, you might as well stay home. I hope this helps. Good luck........T

[Guest]

Ok here is what i found out on this lake that is very hard to locate walleyes but has a good number of them. The lake is bout 5' clear with the water murky.

I was out one day fishing for suspended crappies in 40" of water during the day (thats the only time they are there during day light). And i caught bout 7 crappies then my bobber goes down like its another crappie i set the hook. The fish was starting to swim and fight like a walleye so got it up to the hole......WOW 16" walleye! It was 6' off the bottom bit a plain hook w/crappie minnow. So then I re-rigged one for walleye set it 1' off bottom b/c I was getting a strong reading there. Caught 2 more crappies then, about 20 min later the bobber goes down and its a 20" walleye! Came out the next day and the exact same happened.

The walleyes were right in with the crappies, they were suspended on the bottom every were but didn't have too much ambition. I would catch a walleye then but the lure back down and my other rod had a crappie on so they were scattered w/ the crappies. But I think at night they go to the nearby point in bout 20' of water then come down to 40' during the day.
Hope this helps, and yes I did do some research on this.

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FISHSTUNNER

[almosthaddabite]

TBone, Good post. I too go to crappie minnows after Christmas and have good luck. It is no secret that they slow down as the winter progresses. I have much better luck ambushing them on their way to the shallows, in 20+', in real clear lakes, then on Leech it's usually 6-13 feet. Not all lakes are the same.