approach for tight lipped walleye

[Salmonquest]

I am fishing a 14' hump in the middle of a 24' flat. It is the only vegetation around. The flat is marl bottom. I have caught pike and smallmouth over the flat. I've had several walleye on the camera at 14' among the weeds, but can't trigger a bite. Each trip I've marked and/or seen several. They come in and sniff but don't commit. I've tried still and keeping the jig pattern.  I've tried deadstick with blues and with suckers, spoon with minnow head in several colors and sizes, Jigging raps, chubby daughter, acme hyper rattle, basically the kitchen sink. My usual times have been two hours before dark till 20 min after dark. No luck.

I've had tip ups of various depths with large sucker minnows.

Is it more likely they are feeding deeper in the flats? I've marked bait and seen it on camera.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[appleye]

Sounds like your playing the game correct! Their not coming shallow to "hang out" It probably a time of day thing, mostly likely a night bite. I have had times in late winter where the walleye quit hitting minnows and want something with bugs. When the ice started melting a bit they went back to minnows.  Only way to test the deeper water is to start drilling holes. Maybe the base of the hump? Walleyes always changing the rules!

[Salmonquest]

great point about the bugs. I haven't tried that. Appreciate the input.

[esox_xtm]

Like perch fishing, banging the bottom and stirring up some stuff can get them more interested. It's often attractive (at least) where I fish. As far as going deeper, see if you can find the transition where the bottom goes from hard to soft. Many times that seems to be a focal point for fish in the basin that come shallow to feed.

[Doeslayer]

Try dead sticking just a minnow on a treble, small split shot and a barrel swivel.....

[slipperybob]

I will just accept that when the fish aren't feeding, they aren't biting.

So that leaves the only thing left is to trigger a reaction bite.  I look at two threshold of scenarios for reaction bites. 

One is the escaping lift and the other is the dying fluttering fall.  Depending upon lure, the escaping lift that I would most often use is lures of like a lipless crankbait or a blade bait.  The jigging technique that involves is similar but different from your jig lure jigging.  It's almost a rapid acceleration into a soft slow end.  Make it look like a minnow got tired at the end of the lift.  Has to be fluid to be effective.  If it's very mechanical, it will probably not work.

The fluttering fall.  This is what it is, nothing more than a hard bare metal spoon that flutters on the fall.  Yeah you may have to do some lifting to get them to chase, but it's not that lift that will get the bite.  Again looking for that reaction bite and looking for that trigger of fluttering fall.  Don't stop to dead stick the lure, you're not looking for the feed.  Expect the reaction bite while the lure is fluttering.