Late season walleye

[beer batter]

With the closing of walleye season looming near, what are your thoughts on where the big girls are feeding? I've got one more weekend for the sleeper shack and want to chase after the trophy walleye strictly for CPR.

If you're looking for the night time rattle reel alarms, would you target shallow or deeper water for late season bigguns?

[bassbozo]

I just caught a 25 inch walleye this morning. She was in 18 ft of water. Got her on a sucker minnow. I have pictures and will be posting one in the walleyes of 08 when I can find my camera cord.

[Bigeye30"]

If it was me, I'd start looking shallow, find some areas with vegetation, lakes with curly pond will be the greenest right know, look for areas that are near breaks or close to deep water and have some current if possible, set up in the weeds, run large baits as well, at least 4 inches in length. And most importantly get away from the crowds when your shallow, Good Luck

[walleyeking19]

well my house is out deep and i haven't caught many walleyes this year. so i would recomend staying shallow.

[Team Otter]

In and around their spawning areas.

[fishgutz77]

I'm with Otter on this one, these girls have been setting up shop for years this time of year in the same place with deep water close to the spawning grounds. It's been my experience they are shallow at or near low light periods when I've seen them from a freinds spear shack. He's to old to spear now and I miss his company and staring at the bottom of the lake, even if I never stuck one myself. I always thought a big fish tends to hunt in deeper water only because it is harder for prey to get away in the open water with out the cover of weeds and wood. but they do school up in 6-8 fow. maybe it's oxygen levels

[beer batter]

Well, I went shallow for the weekend near spawning grounds. I was in 10 feet of water on top of rocks with some dropoffs nearby where it goes to 17 feet. Only got 1 female that went 22 inches, fat as a football - so she went back in the lake. Kept 5 male walleyes between 14-17 inches, and released 6-8 other smaller walleyes too. Also caught 3 fat northerns all over 33 inches. Some pretty good fishing for the last weekend. 34 inches of ice where I was. Needed every inch of that extension to punch through.

Others somewhat near by also caught all male walleyes but they were in some deeper water (14-16 feet) over sand and rocks. Never found the females.

Anybody have theories to where the big females are hanging around the late ice season?

[Kyle Sandberg]

Think shallow and think at night. During the day hours, I'm guessing those pigs will slide off the sturcture and roam the flats adjacent to it. Come night, they'll move in and feed on the young perch or other baitfish.

[tunrevir]

It depends on the fish you are after as well. If you want the possibility at a real hawg then you should be shallow with all of the right things in place, if your looking for #'s then I'd set up on the flat next to the deep water with the spawning area nearby. Think prespawn and staging areas with feeding nearby and shallow spawning habitat nearby and you have the makings of a good spot. Once you find an area like this then yoyu need to look for inside turns in depth contours, a weedline or substrate change and so forth. Depth is relative to the lake you are fishing as far as forage ect. but find the shallow gravel flats where spawning could take place, back off into the weeds or the deeper water and work the whole area. Like others have said, shallow water is great fishing but you have to keep the noise, traffic and activity to a minimum to catch those shallow fish. Stay away from the crowds, drill your shallow holes early and start fishing in the deeper water and progress shallower or jig one line and run a tipup in shallow. Keep the extras(friends,family,coworkers,kids) to a minimum this will all help you to catch fish. Oh and stay away from the roads, snowmobile trails as well or plan on fishing late into the evening or early into the morning. Put yourself on the water at the most productive times well before the bite is supposed to occur and get those holes opened up! These things should get you onto some late season fish. Just my .02.

Tunrevir~

[beer batter]

When you guys say shallow, how shallow are we talking? I was in 10 feet which I considered shallow. I was on a inside turn over rocks which sit on top of a gravel reef. I would consider this the prime spawning ground area of the lake I was on. Tons of perch in this area too, so I'd consider all the prerequisites listed were met in this area other than perhaps not shallow enough?

I understand what you're saying about keeping the noise to a minimum. I was in a sleeper house with my 2 boys so it was plenty quiet during the overnight hours. Maybe not so quiet during the day time hours, but my intention was for the overnight rattle reels. Boys have to play during the day though.

[Kyle Sandberg]

That sounds like a good depth. For water below the ice, I'd be looking anywhere from 5-10 feet. Without ice, translates to 8-13, maybe a little deep for spawning grounds but it makes for a good night area.

[Hardwaterjigin]

During the late season on LOW our group sets up deep to catch fryers for lunch then head to the 7 or 8 foot shallows to try and set into a hog. Seems to work out well...even if 'ya don't get the big one you still caught good numbers earlier that day. It is fun and frustrating at the same time though to see lunkers get pulled up from a house 5 yards away.