season goal.

[NortsNskis]

Instead of new year resolutions I've choose a ice season resolution to pull a walleye through the ice. My question is simple, madison area (and south of there) being my focus. Which lakes would everyone choose to have the best chance to complete my goal?  I'm not looking for size, I dont care if its 12", I just want to successfully pull one through the ice.  I've tried lake ripley, koshkonong,  turtle lake and waubesa a lot over the last 3 seasons and always wind up with bass or pike on tipups. Eyes always avoid my hooks  

3' flouro leader using either trebles or gamakatsu walleye hooks with small sucker minnows or shiners. I run them anywhere from on the bottom up to 3' up and never pull one through. 

Any help is appreciated, I'm a musky guy so I'm persistant and patient. 

[RapShack]

What time of day are you fishing?  I know some water bodies you can catch walleyes any time of day, but others like here on the river the odds go way up during brief windows around sunrise and sunset.

[NortsNskis]

I've tried everything except late night 10p-and later.  Maybe ill try that. 

[zhunter72]

I'd look to fish more the last 2 hours of the afternoon, and then maybe an hour past sundown. Monona and Mendota would be my choices. Focus on underwater structure, humps and points, with a good spread from deep to shallow water. Use small hooks and have lively bait.

Beaver Dam is a little bit of a haul from Janesville, but thats another great walleye lake. Not much for structure though, but I don't know the lake that well. I've only fished the north end of it.

[dbuchmann]

Can't help you as far as lakes but like others have said, find some humps or break lines with weed edges and you should be golden.  I've caught 23 walleyes in the last two weeks with my biggest being a 26" so far.  I set my tip ups 1-2' off the bottom, right on the edge of a weedline. Those eyes come in to ambush bait around dark at the edges which is why I'm having some luck.  I have also caught half of those eyes jigging with buckshot rattle spoons tipped with a crappie minnow head. All my fish have come in 10-13 feet of water. 

[NortsNskis]

Thanks for the the info. I believe were going to try monona sunday and see how it goes. I may try to dial it in and see if I can't strike "gold" I feel I've got everything needed and doing it correctly I just have yet to find a hungry one. Thanks again! 

[bigstorm]

Good walleye lakes in southern WI are hard to come by, at least for ice fishing. I am in Janesville too, but I go up to Petenwell if I want to drowning some minnows for walleyes. This year I did try Lake WI a couple times and finally pulled my first Sauger thru the ice last weekend (it was even a legal size one).

I'm sure they are in each of the lakes, just need to put in a ton of time to figure it out. I've never tried Kosh but I've heard that its a night bite there and they are really spooky with sounds as the lake is so shallow.

[zhunter72]

Let us know how it goes!

[NortsNskis]

Well I did it! 4 times! Nothing legal but I pulled 4 eyes through the water12-14". I was more than happy today. Felt as if I caught a huge musky. Thanks for the help! 

[zhunter72]

Congrats! Nice work!

[NortsNskis]

I also forgot to mention I caught them all jigging.  Nothing on tipups but i am not complaining! Thanks again.  Ill be out again saturday evening till late hoping for a bigger one.