Suspending Walleye?

[PCB]

I was curious as to wether or how much walleye will suspend under ice... im thinkin about runnin some baits about 5' off the bottom.  The lake i mostly fish for eyes is relatively shallow (about 22') and has some decent structure, but i never seem to really hammer the fish.  I know theres a lot more in this lake than what people think, and im one of the only guys who ice fishes for em.  Theres a large population of wild shiners and lots of small perch, and was thinkin the eyes might hang out just below a school of shiners that may be suspended.... any thoughts or suggestions?

[iceintheveins]

I will on occasion see one if they are feeding on bluegills. Most of the time they are within two feet of the bottom though. Again, it all depends on if your lake has suspending baitfish like ciscoes, alewives, and smelt. In lakes that have them they will suspend some. My lakes don't have them so walleyes and lakers even rarely suspend.

[swantucky]

Last year on Erie there were quite a few times that the only fish hugging the bottom were the sub-legal fish.  You would see a mark on the vex 10' plus off the bottom bring your bait up and BAM you were hooked  up with a good fish.  The guys without electronics really had a tough time getting the bigger fish.  I have only hit the hardwater for 4 years or so and last year was the first time it was consistantly like this, not sure why???

[Dr. BlueGill]

It really varies and this is where electronics can be huge.  It really depends on the mood of the fish.  If they are feeding aggressively then they could be anywhere.
As a rule of thumb, the less aggressive the closer to the bottom they will be.   

[eyedoktr]

As a rule, walleye will stay at or near the bottom, but that isn't always the case. A few years ago, I tipped a small ant jig with a minnow and dropped it about 2' under the ice in 17' of water. Before I could get a second jig baited, the first rod was bouncing all over the bucket. Turns out a 6# walleye was on the tiny jig. Remember that walleyes feed "up" and in very clear water will come a long way for a meal.

Just another reason a Vex (or any flasher)is so important.

[pizalm]

I've always fished just off bottom but have heard of guys fishing bottom and seeing a fish at 8 feet off bottom on their vex and reeling the lure up and they would get a decent fish. I don't have a vex or any electroinics so I don't know if it's worth trying it in the river I fish.

[Grimace]

I would think the body of water would matter more than anything else weather they suspend or not.

The fish do whatever there environment says to.  Breathe and eat, oxygen levels and baitfish trends in a particular body of water will tell the walleye what to do.

[coldbum]

this weekend was a prime example of suspending eyes...

they were coming in 3-6 ft above bottom to wack our jigs above the schools of small perch 

[dwayne]

In 2 years of using a vexilar I've only had one instance where I actually hit a walleye more than a few feet off bottom.  I was over 35 feet of water that time and he was suspended 15' off of bottom.  I think he was coming off a drop off and didn't swim down with the terrain feature yet.

[Traxion]

Many times I have caught fish 3-6' off bottom.  But here and there you can find fish up higher than that.  Example- If the top of the point/bar I am fishing is 15', and the basin below the drop is 35', I usually go out over the basin and punch some holes and check for fish susupending in 15'.  Every now and then the fish will just move horizontally away from the bar without getting any deeper.  Happens with crappies too.  Always worth a check.