Walleye Ice - Out

[Moose-51]

I know that this is kinda open-water related but I'll ask anyway.

What do walleye do immediately following Ice out in your area?  Where do they stage right before ice out?

I guess this is relative to ice-fishing -where do the walleye go late in the year, towards the very end of the season?



Any of you do well in the spring after ice?  Thanks

[Wiener]

My experience is that just after ice out, the Walleye will be staging to run up the rivers to spawn.  In lakes they like a gravel flat. (not rock)

Hope this helps,

Wiener

[octanehi5]

W iener is right they will staged very near there spawning grounds on some type of structure

[eyefinder]

I wanted to raise this topic again too see if we can get any more responses. This is more for ice fishing in March, while we can still get a few trips out on the ice.

Thanks

[steelheader]

Definitly stage near spawning grounds before or after ice out , but the only downfall is where they spawn usually is in a creek , and has some of the most dangerous ice conditions on late ice , so if I am looking for them late ice I will work these areas but try to work outside the mouth of creeks and try to find gravel beds even if they aren't that close to the spawning locations they still stage on them .

[appleye]

In Wyoming head to the river or the dam along the rocks. I've caught them on cranks at night with ten to twenty feet of open water from shore.

[eyefinder]

I was thinking of trying the dam area. Not a big fan of the ice near the river. I have one spot about 500 yards away from the river mouth I would like to try, In the summer I have caught some big eyes there, but I think the water is extremely muddy at the moment. I've heard that the walleye spawn all over the lakes, instead of always going up the river. Natures way of making sure that there is always a productive spawn in case one area is wiped out. Is this true ?

[eyefinder]

In Wyoming head to the river or the dam along the rocks. I've caught them on cranks at night with ten to twenty feet of open water from shore.

You refering to Keyhole ?  Because if you are I was thinking the same, and have had the same results along the dam. I guess my main question was I know alot of walleye head up the river to spawn, but I think spawing takes place not only in the river, but at dams and in various places around the lake.
I personally don't know the answer to this question. But from reading some articles in the past, I seem to remember reading this somewhere. (walleye spawning in diffrent places around the lake) ?

[trout slayer 21]

theres a lake here that walleye run up the river under the ice and by time open water opens u may catch them on the way back down

[appleye]

The eyes at Keyhole due run up the "River" creek. LOL but he water is muddy! When I was much younger we fished catfish up there and would find dead eyes with their gills silted bad. I fish the dam and the points all over the lake. You will be fishing and see a big female with a couple boys following along doing their thing so they spawn all over.

The GF puts nets in the back of Aggie bay and if you go to the North East WY Walleye web page you can see the fish that run up that "Creek". And yes I have tried fishing it with no success. Just FYI