Lets get some posts on whats working-

[Kyle]

Im not a big walleye fisherman. simply because I dont have alot of experience with them. When I do pick one up its a real treat!

Maybe we could get a post started on here that helps others with technique and presentation. How are the avid walleye fisherman doing it?

[PerchJerker]

Not sure if you're talking about now (ice fishing) or open water ...... but I'll assume you're talking about ice fishing.

I don't target walleyes that much in the winter, but when I am perch or walleye fishing, I am typically doing 1 of 2 things.

One - fishing in a portable with two lines. One line is actively jigged, frequently with a buckshot rattle spoon or rattling varmit and a minnow head. If that's not producing then I'll switch to various other lures like jigging raps and other jigging spoons, like swedish pimples, angle eyes, etc. I always start with active jigging and watch my electronics, and if I mark fish but can't get bites I'll change up my jigging action until I find what works (which may be holding the bait still for several seconds, or slowly raising it, etc.) My 2nd line will be deadsticked with a live minnow, either fathead or shiner, sometimes hooked through the lips and sometimes hooked along the back.

Two - hole hopping, moving a lot and fishing only 1 line. Again, I start with active jigging and slow down from there. Usually I use the same jigging spoons as when I'm fishing two lines in a portable.

Hopefully that's what you're looking for. If not let me know and I'll try to give you a better answer. I'm sure others will chime in too with lots of good info.

[Team Otter]

I ice fish for 'eyes a lot like PJ does. The only things I would add is that when I'm hole-hopping, I use lures that do not require bait; tube jigs, hair jigs, jiggin' Raps, or Chubby Darters. Also, tip-ups are a great way to spread things out with multiple people on the ice.

[bgreen82]

when you guys deadstick with fatheads or shiners, what are you hooking them with, plain hooks, jigs, spoons?

[delta hunter]

During the day what I do is use my tip ups quite a bit! Usually in deeper water, bottom of drop offs, or just off points in deeper water! One tipup with a crappie minnow and the other with a shiner or fathead. After tipups are set I move into shallow water and drill holes and drill more holes! Looking and trying to make a mental picture of what is underthe ice! Looking for weedlines, transitions (bottom matterial and small depth changes), etc. Other wise I will drill holes along dropoffs and hole hoping looking for active fish. Alot of this depends on weather, timing, and so on! The most important thing I can tell you is to study the lake whether looking at a contour map, drill holes, boating, whatever, it doesn't matter. The other thing with walleye fishing is to stay mobile, I don't just mean moving alot in one day. I mean don't fish the same spot through out the entire seasong!

[Kyle]

are walleyes in groups right now, or are they loners? What depths are they usually congragated in? do they like agressive jigging or do they like non agressive jigging? I too have a vex so I can see for myself, but I have caught crappies, sunfish, and northern in 30 fow, so Im not sure how one goes about locating just walleyes?

[Team Otter]

I use glow plain hooks and Northland Forage Minnows most of the time.

[Team Otter]

'Eyes typically like to school but will roam from time to time. Roaming typically happens during frontal conditions or baromteric pressure changes. As for jigging style, I let the fish tell me what they want. You say you have a Vexilar; use that to your advantage. With enough practice, you'll be able to tell the fishes activity level by watching how they respond to your presentation and technique. As far as what depth, that's open-ended too but two things can help you eliminate water; 1) Time of day and 2) Food. Typically, low light, look in 5 - 15' of water and during the day the fish can be out as deep as 40 - 50'. Also, find their food source and you're good to go. This all takes time and does not happen overnight.

Good luck with your search. I'm confident you'll have a lot of fun learning and experimenting.

[vermilionwally]

I havent caught a walleye through the ice this year and ive been out around ten times. The 2 lakes im fishing on dont have many walleyes in them but they both do have some. Ive got plenty of northerns crappies and perch just cant find any walleyes although my buddy showed me up and hauled a 17 incher up.

[PerchJerker]

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are walleyes in groups right now, or are they loners?

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I think walleyes are always in groups. The best situation for us fisherman is when the groups are active, feeding, spread out and on the prowl, and covering water ---- that's the best way for lots of feeding fish to see your bait. The worst situation for fishing is when the schools are tightly packed, not active, basically sitting on the bottom and not moving --- that's when the fishing gets really tough.

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What depths are they usually congragated in?

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It depends on the lake and the structure in the lake. Most of my winter walleye fishing is on lakes like Mille Lacs and Winnie, where the structure is rock humps or mid lake flats. Rock humps - I usually fish on or near the top. Mid lake humps - I usually fish the top edge early and late in the day, and fish the bottom edge or out away from the bottom edge in the middle of the day. Use your flasher and look for transitions from hard to soft bottoms and try fishing close to the transition line.

I don't target walleyes through the ice on other lakes very often, but points and/or steep breaks adjacent to deep water are good spots to try. Or flats on the top of breaks if the fish are feeding there (ie. green weeds present, or rocks).

One other point - you asked about the depths the fish are congregated in. Just to be clear, the fish move up and down breaks throughout the day and from day to day --- so depending on the lakes / structure you're fishing, the fish may or may not really congregate (and hold) at a certain depth.

[PerchJerker]

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when you guys deadstick with fatheads or shiners, what are you hooking them with, plain hooks, jigs, spoons?

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I primarily deadstick with a variety of ice jigs. Sometimes with horizontal jigs like fatboys or genz worms and smaller fathead minnows hooked through the lips. Other times with vertical jigs like gem'n'eyes, forage minnows, demons, wobblers etc., and with minnows of any size (as long as the jig size matches the minnow) hooked lightly through the back or side.

If the fishing is really slow, I will sometimes deadstick a live minnow on a spoon like a buckshot rattle spoon - it usually doesn't produce big numbers but will often produce a few fish when jigging and other deadsticking techniques aren't producing many fish.

I rarely use plain hooks (or colored hooks) when ice fishing. Not that I have anything against them, but I have a lot of really good looking ice jigs that I want to use first

[gowhenyoucan]

Ice fishing walleyes is primarily a early morning and late evening bite. Especially for the beginner, the most important question you could ask your local bait shop is how deep are the fish biting. Weedlines and rocky bottoms are good places to start but the right depth can be the key to your success. Truthfully I would stay away from the crowds, but they are a good indicator of where fish HAVE been biting if you are unfamiliar with the lake, or where they typically have bit at some point in the past. A live shiner placed about 12 to 18 inches off of the bottom on a set line and a red/silver swedish pimple on a jigging rod has accounted for many walleyes taken through the ice. Good luck!

[Fish&Fowl]

Basically everything has been pretty well-covered from what kinds of set-ups to use, which lures, time of day, etc. I too am big fan of two lines: one with a jigging spoon or jigging rap that closely matches forage, and another glow jig with a small, lively minnow under a bobber for the other line. A lot of times what works for me on Rainy is a 1/16 oz glow leadhead tipped with a minnow. Even though it's like my bobber presentation, the different actions can trigger fish that won't hit the deadstick.

I usuaully don't hole-hop while walleye fishing simply becasue the fish are usually not plentiful enough or schooled up tightly enough for it to pay off. If I don't graph a fish after 20-30 minutes, I will move my whole setup to either shallower, deeper, different structure, etc. until I start marking fish.

I do believe walleyes are schooled up somewhat in the winter, but not like they are in other times of the year. When I mark walleyes, they either come in alone but also in pairs every so often. Of course this will depend on the lake, but this has been my experience.

Along with all the other structures mentioned, the only thing I can add is going deep during the middle of the day and moving shallower for the morning and evening bites. Also if you can safely fish an area with some current, you may find the walleyes where the water is moving a little quicker. Walleyes can test the patience of even the most avid walleye anglers, just don't be afraid to try anything and think outside the box!

[walleyeking19]

I've had good luck with a plain red hook and a crappie minnow for perch and walleyes.

[Team Otter]

Keepin' it simple, often times, goes a long way.