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The lakes around here with walleyes give you literally about an hour to catch em at the end or beginning of the day and that's it. It's a really short window of opportunity and you have to be EXACTLY on the right spot to produce. It's likely not that the walleyes don't bite it's that people are on the wrong spots or leave too early before they hit or get there too late.
I agree. Here however, since our elevation is so high, we have only about a 30 min period since the sun is so bright. I like right off the first dropoff in a rocky area that will soon meet a muck bottom, 10-20 feet is prime. Right near bottom always. i've never seen a walleye suspend. Sadly I haven't been able to icefish for walleye in a few years but that is a different story. At least I still know how to! lol. Here's to hoping you'll catch more walleyes this winter than the zero I will catch. Good luck.
Walleyes will usually be found just past the first drop off. Probably almost 90% of the walleyes I catch through the ice are caught right after sunset or before sunup. My theory is during ice season that since their metabolisms are slowed, they become even more nocturnal than during open water, because they know panfish, which have poor eyesight, are more easily caught in low light conditions. Bluegills and perch generally are pretty inactive in low light conditions, and walleyes will be there to eat them.Fish rocky reefs, points near the mouths of bays, and creek channels and fish near the first major dropoff. Best depths for me have been 10 - 30 feet.
I don't get your point here Mackdaddy . All species metabolisms slow during winter and if anything the prey species who like the warmer waters would not be any faster and why would eyes become more nocturnal in winter than in summer because actually in winter there is snow cover and ice blocking light so if anything their oppurtunities to hunt increase using their advantage over prey in low light conditions than the other way around . There is also less places for prey to hide in winter because the weeds die off more because the light is less and not much photosynthesis can occur . Have you ever caught a walleye or with any consistency fishing through the ice because by what your stating here you don't know even the basics of this species of fish .? Not even the lack of pelagic baitfish in CO can make this theory of yours wash this time and I outright disagree with you . TD