Q: I live near a natural lake in northern Minnesota. For the most part, I understand the seasonal migrations for walleyes. They’re usually shallower during the spring, and then they move out deeper as the water warms. What about winter? I occasionally catch a walleye here and there on a tip-up but I don’t feel like I’m really targeting walleyes. Your input is appreciated.
-Richard Siklin, Bemidji, Minn.
A: Richard, walleyes in the winter are less active than they are in the summer, but they still feed and you can catch them once you find where they feed. In smaller inland lakes, I have found that it is most effective to target fish that are relating to structure. Structure like rock piles, submerged brush or trees, and shallower weed beds usually hold fish in those lakes. Concentrate on structure that has deep water nearby. Don’t be afraid to drill some holes in that deeper water during the daylight hours. Use a locator to search for fish that may suspend in the deep water near the structure.
It’s best to find the structure you are going to fish in the winter during the summer months. Use a locator or sonar on your boat during the summer to find the structure you want to target and save those waypoints to its internal GPS if it has one. If your unit doesn’t have GPS capabilities go out and get a good hand-held GPS to save those waypoints.
A few years ago I started mounting one of my Lowrance LCX Sonar/Chartplotter with a GPS module on my snowmobile and ATV to allow me to drive to the waypoints I saved during the summer months. Upon arrival at the waypoint I drill a hole and drop the transducer in the hole to confirm with the sonar unit that I am on the structure I was targeting. The more efficient you can be in finding the structure you want to fish, the more fish you will put on the ice. Good luck.
Q: Do anglers ever use anything besides night crawlers on Green Bay? I’ve never fished it, but some friends and I are planning a trip for this summer. We typically use leeches out here. Why are night crawlers the preferred bait and what presentation and location would you recommend for a late-June trip?
-Tony, Jamestown, N.D.
A: Tony, if you are coming to Green Bay in late June you are going to want to concentrate on the lower part of the Bay from approximately Oconto south. The last few years there has been a very good bite during late June in the Pensaukee Shoal area and near Green Bay just inside Frying Pan Shoal and Long Tail Point.
Leave most of your leeches at home and buy a flat of night crawlers to rig on harnesses. You need to cover vast areas of water on the Bay to find fish that will be scattered across large flats. To cover those flats pull crawler harnesses behind Off Shore planer boards rigged with their Tattle Flag upgrade kit. You need the Tattle Flags to alert you to perch, gobie, and white perch bites. If you happen to find the fish on a breakline or rocky-bottom area, don’t be afraid to drift or back troll a Lindy Rig with a leech or a crawler on it. There are not many anglers on the Bay using that presentation, but it will work once you find the fish.
Q: Do you think your four-day weight record will ever be broken? If so, on what lake?
-Danny T., Hutchinson, Minn.
A: Danny, I am expecting that my four-day record will be broken this year. In fact, it could be broken twice this year and you can bet I will give every effort to break it myself. First, it could be broken at the Detroit River in April, if we hit the peak bite. If it isn’t broken there it should be broken at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Erie out of Cleveland in late September. Both those bodies of water have big fish, neither of them have slot limits and upgrading is allowed at both fisheries. Keep in mind, the record at Green Bay was set on a body of water that did not allow upgrading.
Q: Why doesn’t the Tour ever visit Winnebago? I’ve fished the League events before on Winnebago, but I think it would be awesome if the Tour came to town.
-Michael, Oshkosh, Wis.
A: Michael the FLW Walleye Tour did come to Winnebago back in June of 2002 out of the Pioneer Inn at Oshkosh. Unfortunately since then the regulations governing the maximum number of days a tournament held on inland waters can run has been changed. Current law allows for events held on inland waters to run for a maximum of three days. The regulations regarding the tournament permit process and tournament rules are currently being reviewed. The proposed rules may be even more restrictive. If you want to continue to see FLW Outdoors events come to Wisconsin make sure you and all your friends share your opinions with your local lawmakers.
Hailing from Forestville, Wis., Pat Neu is one of the most accomplished walleye pros in the game. In 2005, he won the FLW Walleye Tour event on Green Bay. In doing so, he set the all-time four-day combined weight record in FLW Outdoors history with 20 walleyes that weighed 111 pounds, 8 ounces. To date, Neu has over $185,000 in FLW Outdoors earnings and five top-10 finishes. Neu also captured victory at the 2006 PWT Regional Series event on Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich., and finished the season as the PWT Rookie of the Year. A 1981 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Neu is sponsored by Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Cannon, Navionics, Frabill, Off Shore Tackle and Pamp’s Outboard.