French River Fishing

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Ontario Ice Fishing

Land More Walleye with Quality Gear and Proper Fishing Practices
By Tim Allard*

Weather, fish mood, and ice conditions are a few examples of variables that anglers can’t control. On the flip side, some elements to success are completely within an angler’s influence, namely how one fishes and the gear they use. Focusing on these important factors is a surefire way to catch more walleye in winter.

Maintain Contact
It's not uncommon for aggressive fish to raise several feet off bottom to hit a falling lure, sometimes catching an angler off guard. For this reason, keep lures on a semi-taught line during the drop when jigging. Follow the lure's decent with your rod tip. Give the bait enough slack so as to not impede its action, but don't let it free-fall. Instead, maintain either a loose feel of the bait or a slight bow in the line to be able to detect strikes immediately. This practice begets fast hook sets and more fish landed.

Be Hook Set Ready
Keep your rod in a hook setting position at all times. I've seen anglers lift their stick to their ear when aggressively jigging, but then have no room to set the hook when a fish strikes. Like open water, only raise your rod as high as the 10 o'clock position. Use a longer rod if you need to move more line. Another option’s standing up as this gives you more space to maneuver the rod while still having plenty of room for a quality hook set.

Jig with the Right Stick
Using a quality ice fishing rod that’s balanced for the lure you’re offering is essential to proper presentation and strike detection. The size of bait I’m using, and how subtle or aggressively I’m fishing, will determine whether I use a light, medium-light, medium, or medium-heavy powered rod. Regardless of the rod’s strength, opt for models with a fast action for jigging. Ideally the tip should bend slightly under the weight of the bait in order to impart delicate flicks and shakes that are critical to triggering hits. I also favour longer rods of at least 28-inches. These poles provide more fish-fighting leverage and have a greater surface area to absorb a big walleye's hard head-shakes.

Rely on Quality Reels
Spinning reels are popular for ice fishing and quality drags are a must to land trophies. Large walleye often put up a powerful surge the first time they see the hole. With only a few feet of line out, there's little room for error. An excellent tactic to take pressure off the drag system is disengaging the reel's anti-reverse setting and back reeling. It's especially effective when you hook a powerful fish with a drag unable to handle sudden, quick runs or when using an underpowered rod.

Consider Line Carefully
Five to 10-pound test monofilament ice line is a good general range. The inherent stretch in mono helps tame over-enthusiastic hook sets and eases tension during the battle. This prevents hook holes from widening in a fish’s mouth and barbs popping free - a common reason why walleye come unbuttoned beneath the ice.

Another option is superline. It’s no-stretch feature makes jigging heavy baits less work. Try 15- to 20-pound test tied to a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader. I often carry multiple combos with different line types so I have options on the ice depending on the baits I'm fishing. Note that some superlines will absorb water, which can lead to freezing and equipment failure in extremely cold conditions outside of heated shelters.

Don’t Let Hooks be the Weakest Link
Pay attention to your hooks and carry a small file to touch them up as needed. I also replace sub-standard factory hooks on my baits. Whether a treble or a siwash hook, quality ultra-sharp hooks give you better sets. I believe this lands me more fish over the season.
Paying attention to details is one of the best ways to increase the numbers of fish an angler can catch, so be sure to keep the above fishing practices and recommend gear in mind this winter to ice more walleye.

*Tim Allard of Ottawa, Ontario is a hard-water expert and author-photographer of the newly released book, Ice Fishing: The Ultimate Guide. For more information visit: www.helipress.com/product/ice-fishing-138.cfm