help please

[jimyoumook]

this year i have set my ice fishing goals, and one of them is to catch a walleye on purpose i have caught them before but never targeted them any suggestions would be appreciated, i use both tip ups and jig poles   

[TType86]

this year i have set my ice fishing goals, and one of them is to catch a walleye on purpose

Lmao! I hear you on that one! Ive just recently been getting into walleye fishing. Ive got alot of learning to do myself. One thing Im going to be tryin is a rapala jiggin rap tipped with a minnow head. I bought a few of the jiggin raps way back years ago when I first started ice fishing and didnt even know what their primary use was, but thought they looked cool (lol). I have other things to try as far as a presentation, but my main weakness is where to start looking. I just plan to get out there and see what works. Best way to find out and learn imo.

[addicted to ice fishing]

If your jigging,  try a blade bait like a cicada,  or zip lure tipped with a minnow head.

[Gillfisher]

When I target walleye I take 6 poles pre-rigged with the following:

2 - #5 Rapala jigging raps 1 will be the shiny perch
2 - #3 Rapala jigging raps 1 will be the shiny perch
1 - #3 Swedish pimple hammered blue and silver
1 - small salmo chubby darter or northland 1.5" rippin shad live target perch

I work the jigging raps first and NEVER tip these with anything, I will put some pro-cure minnow scent on them, if they come in and I cant get them to hit I drop down the pimple, if they follow the pimple but wont hit I add a small minnow head to that, if they wont come into the jigging rap I try the chubby darter or rippin shad. Then depending on how things are going I start switching jigging rap colors, 90 % come on the jigging raps with NO BAIT. If all of that fails to get one on the ice I start trying zip lures, kastmasters, buckshot rattles, and what ever else is in my ice boxes. One thing that I did last season to improve my walleye catch was to keep moving, if I did not mark a fish in 5 mins I moved 25 to 100 yards depending on the area, if I marked fish but couldn't get them to follow I moved after 10 to 15 mins, if I could get them to follow I stayed untill they moved and tried to follow that school until they wouldn't bite.

[CrappieNutJustin]

one tip i have is, dont be afraid to try shallow, also try to focus on points, 95 percent of my winter walleyes come off points by covering the dropoffs with those points.  My honeyhole lake i used to always run my 3 tip ups in a line straight out from shore so i could cover the drop off, while successful, two seasons ago i decided to switch it up one night when the conditions were prime yet the bite wasnt, and stumbled across the dont be afraid to fish shallow tip.  I put two of my tip ups on the point in only like 3-5 fow with the bait about 6-12 inches off bottom, then still leave one tip up out in deeper water of about 10 feet or so also 6-12 inches off bottom. Since doing this, the honeyhole lake has now produced better than ever, i usually get mostly 4-5 pounders with alot pushing 8, unless is a clear night, but i try to make sure im out on a night thats cloudy or a storm systen is comin in, as the flags are non stop around dark in this scenario, i usually get setup 2 hours before dark and stay til 2-3 hours after. I thought maybe it was just the setup of the lake because the point is where the main lake feeds a bay, but ive found success with the shallow rule on lakes i dont know very well also.

[WalleyeTom]

I use a "grave digger" jig tipped with a small minnow.  The jig is tied to a 8# spool of line.  I hand jig.  When a walleye hits the jig  you will feel the bite.  That's fishin.
Watching tip ups does nothing for me.

[crankshaft013]

I'm with WalleyeTom on the tip up's..

My personal favorite go to jig for walleye is an Apex FinSpin.

And don't forget about the trusty stinger hooks.

Good Luck!

[Skipper]

And I'm not trying to be sarcastic.....

You gotta find water that holds numbers of them. Having a lake that has a few that pop up from time to time is one thing, having a population to target is another story. If they are spread to thin, they can be almost impossible to pattern. Even stocking reports can be deceiving... just because they dump them in, does not mean they stick. Try and find some records of dnr or dec electrofishing! It really can shed light on the mystery. 

[boss j]

good info here thanks all...

[Special]

Also time of day. Ice is still clear and allows light to penetrate it. Best time to catch walleyes are in low light days and hours.  Don't be afraid to move, if you don't get a bite move. They school up and you have to find them. If you catch one good chance you catch two.  Study your lake bait fish patterns, imitate the bait fish in tackle. After that get on line and study iceshanty, youtube, Pro advice. ext. You'll figure it out.  example "I catch more walleyes jigging then dead stick".  Also be not afraid to talk to fellow icefisherman on the ice to see if they have any luck. You can learn alot from your fellow icefisherman on the lake. If he is willing to tell the truth. LOL

[Ironeagle]

i have been trying to carch some last 3 years! its not real good around here for them. but there here. im about to give up...