Ice Fishing Walleye

Success Can Be Yours at Late Ice

For the best success ice fishing walleye you need to know the right time of year to hit the hard water. To be blunt, do your best to accommodate a late winter trip! Chances are you will have good success as the walleye begin to beef up for the spring spawn.

There is no question that ice fishing walleye can be a challenge over the dead of winter. You have to worry about the usual things like the structure below, how often the fish move and the time of day. What makes it most challenging, is even if you do find these predators, they may not be active.

Things start to change for the better come late winter (February and March). Walleye start to become active and aggressive as they sense the spawn is a few short weeks away. Many anglers don’t ice fish walleye until late in the winter because of this reason alone. Quite often an angler will decide to focus on other species during the dark winter months.

You must keep an open mind regarding your location while ice fishing walleye in the late winter. Those with the most success are often the anglers who allow themselves the ability to be mobile. The fish will move during the day, and you will want the ability to follow.

The walleye start to form schools again, ending their solitary nature they were in over the dead of winter. When the fish do this, you can begin finding them in their “usual” holding spots. Identifying these locations as the ice thins is the key to your day. If you are having a good day with the walleye and the “bite” has suddenly shut off, chances are they have moved to another location. This is where mobility is a key.

Finding the right structure below can also be a challenge if you do not know the water you are fishing. If you do not have a flasher depth finder, you will have to do it the old fashioned way. Look for obvious structure on land, and follow it into the water. A "point of land" is the most obvious as it runs its course into the water (many times forming a mini-peninsula). There are often reefs or gravel bars associated with points running into the water. Often these are perfect holding spots for walleye.

Walleye tend to “travel” during the late winter. They are looking for these holding locations to gather getting ready for the spawn. If you know the migration routes, typically parallel to the shoreline, set up your holes and wait for them to come.

The key thing to remember is to fish locations close to where the spawn will take place. Ice fishing walleye can be an absolute rush if you locate these pre-spawn staging areas. The walleye are waiting for the water temperature to reach a certain degree before they move into the spawning area to reproduce. And boy, are they hungry.

For the most enjoyable day ice fishing walleye late in the year, do it early morning or late in the evening. If you are in a location that has a large number of anglers, the ice can get crowded during the day knowing the walleye are below. Pick your time of the day to go, and get out there and enjoy!

Ice fishing walleye success can happen at a variety of different water depths. Like any time of year on the hard water, you need to set up smart. Punch your holes at a variety of different locations and depths. Don’t assume you will catch them all at the same level, there will be variance.

As far as bait and equipment go while ice fishing walleye, there are some things to consider. A heavier line you would normally fish for walleye (10 pound test or more) is a good idea this time of year. As the ice begins to thin and rot, the edge of your hole can be jagged. This can cause scuffs on your line making it susceptible to breaking. A lighter line may not survive.

Because the fish have not been actively feeding for a number of weeks, they get quite aggressive when feeding. Quite often you can attract a walleye from afar, so use a lure and bait that has some vibration and flash. Many anglers will use jigging Rapalas this time of year to land some big aggressive walleye!

Most anglers use the simple lead-head jig with a large minnow. An aggressive jigging method can often nail aggressive walleye from afar. Check out our jigging best practice pages to implement some strategies to your arsenal.

There isn’t much science to ice fishing walleye at this time of year. Find them and present the bait in the right manner and you can have a day with huge success. You typically don't have to be fancy with your presentation at late ice, the fish are aggressive.

Don’t be discouraged with a mid-winter outing for walleye if you had no success. The right time of year is late ice. Remember that, and you might nail the walleye of a lifetime.

Be mindful of the ice conditions in February and March. Ice fishing walleye can provide great success on the hard water, but always keep safety in mind! Be smart, be safe, and good fishing!

Good luck out there!

For more great walleye strategies year round, check out our walleye strategies page !

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