Why is it that catching walleye in this area Super difficult

[DH]

I tried everything this last summer and only got about a hand full. It seems a lot harder around kato area vs the time I've spent up north. I am pretty new to walleye fishing so hopefully I get better. This will be my second year on the ice so pretty pump for some ice.  Any who I'm new to the forum and wanted to say hi and welcome any tips or wisdom you guy have to offer about  fishing walleye in this area. Oh and the lake I fished was lake Washington all summer. Think I might fish a different lake for now on

[Weathertite]

Welcome to the Family DH , I wish you the best of luck in your fishing endeavors. Stay safe and fish well my Friend.

[BringAnExtension]

Hi DH-

Here are my best guesses why it is easier to catch a fish "Up North" vs South Central.

1) Population.  There is little in the way of natural reproduction of walleyes in this area.  The habitat just doesn't suit walleyes for reproduction so nearly all walleyes are stocked.

2) Water clarity.  In the summer our lakes get stained and green.  It's a lot harder to get a fish's attention when they can't see your bait.

3) Heavy, thick weed beds in the summer.  Trust me, those walleyes are in there.

4) Sheepheads.  Those big old sheepheads love every walleye bait I throw at them.  And to a lesser degree lots of small perch fight for the bait when I downsize my presentations.  Bet you caught lots of them last summer when fishing for walleyes.  The good news is that if you are catching sheepsheads you are doing something right.

5) Fishing pressure.  There is a lot of pressure on these lakes compared to all but the biggest walleye lakes up north.  Especially in the winter.  Watch (if we ever get enough ice) the explosion of temporary cities on the best lakes in the area.

You say that you just started fishing walleyes, it is a learning process.  A few years ago I would have repeated your concern about it being difficult to catch walleyes.  But you have find something that works for you and a method that you enjoy.  My brother and I both caught quite a few walleyes last year, but we fish two totally different methods.  He trolls with crank baits, I tend to drift with a jig tipped with the biggest fatheads.  They both work.

And here is the number one way to improve your walleye catch this winter.  When those big cities pop up, don't fish anywhere near them.  The noise and number of fish taken from those areas will decrease your own chance of success.

Good luck!

[therat]

My tip is to stay away from Washington, while it is an amazing fishery, it's the most fished. This area has soooo many options for fishing and walleye. Go to the dnr website and learn a bit about your resources in the area. If you fish for the sport and not the meat, you can't beat the rivers around here. Some of the most unlikely of waters hold some really great opportunities. It's best to think outside the box in southern minnesota. It's very different than "up north".  Spot on the spot on the spot.

[BringAnExtension]

16 hours ago, therat said:

Spot on the spot on the spot.

Great tip and so true!

[ssom08]

On 12/29/2015 at 1:15 PM, therat said:

My tip is to stay away from Washington, while it is an amazing fishery, it's the most fished. This area has soooo many options for fishing and walleye. Go to the dnr website and learn a bit about your resources in the area. If you fish for the sport and not the meat, you can't beat the rivers around here. Some of the most unlikely of waters hold some really great opportunities. It's best to think outside the box in southern minnesota. It's very different than "up north".  Spot on the spot on the spot.

Are you saying not to eat to the Walleyes in the River...the walleyes that come from the MN River and Area lakes are identical...Ive been eating them outta the river for many years and I'm not glowing. But my catch rate is much higher

Edited December 30, 2015 by ssom08

[therat]

You can eat them. You shouldn't, though. The mn river is one of the most polluted bodies of water in the state. 

[TigerBlood]

On 12/29/2015 at 3:22 AM, DH said:

I tried everything this last summer and only got about a hand full. It seems a lot harder around kato area vs the time I've spent up north. I am pretty new to walleye fishing so hopefully I get better. This will be my second year on the ice so pretty pump for some ice.  Any who I'm new to the forum and wanted to say hi and welcome any tips or wisdom you guy have to offer about  fishing walleye in this area. Oh and the lake I fished was lake Washington all summer. Think I might fish a different lake for now on

 

Welcome.  You state you are pretty new to Walleye fishing, so my tips are going to be pretty basic/obvious, but very important:

1.)  Time of Day.  They have those big eyes for a reason.  Generally speaking, you'll have most luck fishing during low light periods (right when the sun goes down or right before it comes up).  That's not to say you can't catch them other times.  But if you want to play the percentages, I'd stick with low light times.

2.)  Depth.  I've had my best walleye fishing in 10 feet of water or less (vs. deep holes where a lot of people fish crappies).  In addition, Walleye generally stay close to the bottom of the lake, so that's where your bait/lure should be.  I think most people have the best success fishing Walleyes about a foot off the bottom. 

3.)  Population/Stocking.  Someone else already noted this, but I'll repeat it.  Check DNR for stocking and survey information.  Some lakes are certainly going to give you a better probability to catch walleyes vs. other lakes based solely on numbers.

Good luck!

[ssom08]

5 hours ago, therat said:

You can eat them. You shouldn't, though. The mn river is one of the most polluted bodies of water in the state. 

Maybe in the 80s...the river and lake washington are no different. You're living off myths.

[therat]

It is not a myth that the watershed for the mn river is exponentially larger than that of lake Washington. More runoff more pollution. That is fact.

[Mitch K]

The DNR lists most fish at 1 meal per week, which is the same as a lot of lakes.

Plus we all know how the Govn't is with their recommendations, so you could probably survive the occasional 2 meals per week

[BringAnExtension]

Okay, point ,made about MN River vs Washington, but lets get back to walleye fishing tips.

As TigerBlood noted, most of my walleye luck is in shallow water, 8-12 feet.

[DH]

Thank you every one for the friendly welcome and for the great tips! I would of replied sooner but I never got a email notification say I got any replies! 

You guys said stay 8-10 ft. about when fishing walleye but is that just a summer thing or should I be doing that this winter too? When everyone is on the ice they seem to be in the deep holes so that's were I thought I should be too.

also what do you guys think the prime colors are for the waters around here? Maybe Gold?

you guys were talking about the rivers and I launched down at land of memories a couple time this summer and fished the  Minnesota. I learned really fast that the river is no joke! I found it kind of hard to control the boat and once my jig found a snag ha oh boy... do you guys jig the river?

Thanks again guys!

DH 

[TigerBlood]

DH, 

Different guys will have different opinions.  But speaking in general terms, most guys fishing those deep holes are after crappie.  Any walleyes they pick up are a bonus.  If you want to specifically target walleyes, my recommendation would be to find some sort of structure (channel, point, hump, rocks/transitional area, weedline etc.) located in 8-12 feet.  Some guys will even go shallower than that.  But in my experience, when walleyes are on the feed, they are roaming along the shallow contour of the lake in that depth range.  And I'll repeat myself only because I feel it's so important....fish low light periods.  You can do everything right (location, depth, lure, presentation), but not catch a fish until the "prime time" hits.

[DH]

So you won't fish walleye in the day? say you are gonna spend the whole day on the ice. Do you just target other fish during the day till around sun down then target walleye? 

Thanks!  

[Tom Sawyer]

If I'm dead set on putting some eyes on ice for the day, consider bringing a windless tipup out of your bag of tricks. It will allow you to cover multiple areas at the same time. For sure, don't try to pull a rabbit out of your hat on a clear lake during daylight hours. Dirty water produces daylight hour bites. Plan on drilling out structure to find the sweet spots. Structure can be as simple as a transition, that may be attracting fish. Just remember, and even more so on hard water, the bite window can be very limited, and there is only one way to find out....

TIME ON THE WATER

Also, and it may sound stupid, but think outside of the box. Everyone thinks that a walleye eats a Jiggin' Rap, Jigging Spoons, or a deadsticked minnow stuck on a colored hook. Try getting those bottom hugging thick red lines amped up with simple panfish tackle. Eyes can get tunnel vision just as easy as a brown trout in a summer stream. If they have been gorging themselves (safely) on emergent insects from a muddy basin. a Impulse Mayfly may be the ticket to success.

[TigerBlood]

57 minutes ago, DH said:

So you won't fish walleye in the day? say you are gonna spend the whole day on the ice. Do you just target other fish during the day till around sun down then target walleye? 

Thanks!  

DH,

At the end of the day - fish whenever you can - right?  I know for myself, I don't often fish as late or as early as the good bite because my schedule does not allow it.  I just wanted to give you my experience as a reference point as to why you might not be catching walleye.  I personally do not catch many walleyes because I don't stay out late enough or fish early enough.  But when I've spent weekends in sleeper shacks, the walleye would come through in waves right after sundown, sometimes throughout the night and definitely right before sunrise.  During the day, I normally catch perch, sunfish, pike and maybe crappie if I'm lucky.  I think that's pretty normal for most people.  Good luck!

[therat]

Also, so many lakes in our area may only be 10ft deep or even 6ft. I love those type of lakes. For one, way less fishing pressure, two, they can be phenomenal, three, you can usually get fish all day, four, there really isn't structure in the normal sense...points, humps, holes. However, transitions are VERY important and kind of hard to find. You can use a vexilar and read your second ping and keep a close eye on your bottom ping. Drill tons of holes and use your vex or even a long stick to poke the bottom. Find where soft meets hard, small rocks meet bigger ones, or weeds vs. no weeds. Again, the dnr site is invaluable. I can literally spend hours on that site to the point of forgetting to eat and use the bathroom...it's fascinating!

[DH]

Thanks guys! Seems like I have lots to learn!!

[BringAnExtension]

On 12/31/2015 at 4:07 PM, TigerBlood said:

So you won't fish walleye in the day? say you are gonna spend the whole day on the ice. Do you just target other fish during the day till around sun down then target walleye? 

Thanks!

DH-

I catch most of my walleyes during the day.  Why?  Because that is when I am fishing.  Your best odds are at low light periods but they bite all day long.  Especially in the stained water.

[therat]

Caught more eyes and had more action during the day today. Things shut down for me as the sun dropped...sometimes that's just the way it goes.

[DH]

1 hour ago, therat said:

Caught more eyes and had more action during the day today. Things shut down for me as the sun dropped...sometimes that's just the way it goes.

You mind me asking what lakes you go to? Or what lakes I should try tomorrow morning?  

How many holes you guys think you drill in a days time? 

[therat]

It's not really a good idea to say lake names on here. I only drilled two holes the last three times I've been out. The best part about fishing is fishing. Pick a lake, spot, and drill...and learn! It's awesome. My favorite is when you're catching fish and nobody else is around...that's kinda always my goal.

[leech~~]

On 12/31/2015 at 3:01 PM, DH said:

So you won't fish walleye in the day? say you are gonna spend the whole day on the ice. Do you just target other fish during the day till around sun down then target walleye? 

Thanks!  

The setup that I try to use for Walleye's in the winter when I can is to find a nice shallow mid-lake bar that drops off in kind of a funnel down in to deep water basin. In the mornings I will setup in 8-10' feet at the top and then throughout the day keep drilling deeper to 30 to even 40' feet deep. Then fish those drilled holes all the way back up to the top in the evening. The bite seems to be slower but bigger fish deeper during the day but can be crazy with smaller fish piling up the funnel to feed on the bar right before dark. Good luck.

[DH]

Leech I like that idea! I was wondering what a good strategy would be. Last winter was my first time ice fishing  and I didn't have a strategy at all. I found my self drilling like five or ten holes and before I knew it the day would be over and I spent all day in those same holes. Once you out your flasher down and don't see and fish with mend five minutes do you move onto a new hole?

You think there is enough ice to try for walleye tomorrow? 

Sorry for so many questions guys I'm a noob!!

[leech~~]

35 minutes ago, DH said:

Leech I like that idea! I was wondering what a good strategy would be. Last winter was my first time ice fishing  and I didn't have a strategy at all. I found my self drilling like five or ten holes and before I knew it the day would be over and I spent all day in those same holes. Once you out your flasher down and don't see and fish with mend five minutes do you move onto a new hole?

You think there is enough ice to try for walleye tomorrow? 

Sorry for so many questions guys I'm a noob!!

I will stay at the edge of the shallow bar for a while in low light hours even if I don't see anything right away knowing they are coming or going. It's kind of like Bow hunting Deer and setting up on a field edge. You know they will be coming, but when?

During the day I will keep hopping the holes up and down the funnel sides at different depths to see where they maybe hanging out during the day. Then may only spend 1/2hr at each set of two hours if not seeing anything then move to the next set and start over again. I jig one stick and dead stick the other. The other thing I try right before I move to the next set of holes is put the biggest flashest sombitc spoon on that I have with minnow head and beat the bottom hard! Sometimes that will draw in some action. If not Move!

Sorry, will never give another guy advice on ice thickness and when to fish it. We all have to make that call ourselves.

Edited January 3, 2016 by leech~~

[Mike Dumas]

As far as enough ice, it will depend what lake you fish, and where on that lake you will be going on, most local lakes last I heard (last weekend before the snow came) had about 4 inches on the lakes,  but some still had 1-2inches in spots. I will be out on mazaska tommorrow at some point to check ice conditions and wet a line for a bit. I'll update the forum with the ice thickness. 

 

And as always early ice (even in January when ice making is like it is this year) bring out a spud bar, ice picks,  and a buddy with each of you having a rope for the "just in case" walk a few feet out using the spud bar as you go, go back to get the auger, and drill a few holes in the area you just walked to check thickness. Rinse and repeat,  don't assume because there was 8" in one spot that it's that way all over the lake. I was out this past weekend with 9" on shore,  and most every where else with 5-8" I found a spot that was down to just under 3". Don't push your luck on the ice!