More than 25 percent of the fish caught in Wisconsin are caught when the lakes have frozen over, indicating just how popular ice fishing is in the dairy country.
Most ice fishing begins in early December. This is when the local fisherman braves 3-4 inches of ice and starts looking for walleye. This year is an exception. There is a lot of ice in the north. This author was in the Eagle River Chain of Lakes this past Thanksgiving. Although it was too early to put up flags where he was fishing, my neighbor was able to catch a monster in a nearby lake. He Caught a 30″, 12lb Walleye! That would go on just about anyone’s wall.
Walleye and Panfish are the most popular fish for ice fishing, but if you can find a good spot for northern pike during the day, you’re in for a fun day of fishing. All these fish are good through the ice. During the winter the meat of these fish is firm and delicious. Sometimes during the summer Northerns and some panfish become mushy and dirty. This is not the case in the winter. You’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between a northern winter and a winter walleye in a blind taste test.
Panfish are usually caught by jigging. Some anglers have good success on Tip Downs. Tip downs typically have a wooden support next to the hole and a rod, wire, or even an umbrella extending from the top. When the fish bites, the wire droops downward. These are good setups for soft biting fish.
Walleye and Northern usually get caught up in Tip Ups. These tip ups usually have a flag on a spring that releases when the fish bites. In my opinion, the number one Tip Up is the Beaver Dam Tip Up. I do not own stock in the company nor do I sell any of their products, they just do a very good tip. When using an up tip it is important that your reel moves smoothly without binding. Winter walleye can be skittish and if they feel a tug on the reel they will drop the bait.
Early in the season I like to use medium to large through ice circles for walleye. It is important that you hook the black eye just below the dorsal fin for walleye. Put that treble hook as close to the back as possible. If you hook them too deep into the body, it’s what we call a “death hook” – your minnow will likely die quickly and lack the movement a well-hooked minnow has. Northerners will smack a dead minnow, but walleye like to get moving.
It is also important where you put your minnow in the water when you are fishing for walleye. The best position is to have that minnow about 10-15 inches from the bottom of the lake. Use a depth finder first to mark the bottom. I sink my depth finder first, grab the line at the waterline, lift about 20 inches off the line, and put a wooden match through the line. I then set the minnow and let the line out making sure the match is next to my spool when I put the tip in the hole.
This should get you started ice fishing. Remember, be safe and check the ice with a potato stick before heading out.
