walleye through the ice

hey guys,
just wondered if where everyone catches walleye through the ice once we get some. i’ve seen some people out on pepin i think fishing for walleye. do they bite good in the winter or can it be pretty slow? what do you use? any other info would be great

thanks

Hey jake

Yeah, the ice fishing on pepin can be pretty good. Particularly during early and late ice… as is the case on most bodies of water. Hok si la, central point in Lake City, and Maple Springs all kick out walleye regularly. Jiggin raps in bright colors always performed well for me… as did a minnow on a jighead. I would typically concentrate my efforts in 12′ – 16′ of water for the walleye and deeper for the sauger. A few guys put out houses on some of the points around lake city but for the most part, the lake is yours for the exploring. I run into guys every year that talk of catching good numbers of decent fish with regularity so with a bit of looking you should be able to get in on some nice fish too.

thanks for the tip james. with my boat put away for the season now i was hoping that there would be something to catch through the ice other than sunnies.
i’ve been hearing rumors of a few brave souls going out onto the backwaters the last few days. you think this is true or just rumors??? i would bet with the temps staying below 30 for the whole week it won’t be long.

normally how long does it take to get good strudy ice on pepin? i’m sure the shore line and some bays probably are starting to get some. let me now when guys start venturing there will ya? thanks

I sure will jake. I’ll be driving through Lake City in the am and will stop and check things out for you and anyone else that might be interested. I’m sure some are getting out on the backwaters down near Wabasha. Some guys are just too crazy to wait and that seems to be one of the first areas with enough ice to consider going out.

Hey Jake –
If you are looking for ice fishing how to information, I would recommend the In-Fisherman video – Ice fishing Secrets 1. If you are like me I need to see what the guy talks about. Another good video is the In-Fisherman Ice Tech. This can save you some time and cold hands. You should be able to pick them up at Gander Mountain or any other sporting goods store. Good Luck.

Jake

Went past Pepin yesterday and the lake was ice-free with large piles of ice shards blown up along the MN shoreline. This AM the lake was completely iced back up… as far as the eye could see. Of course it was only half inch thick or so but its a start. It certainly isn’t afe for ANY kind of ice travel right now but as soon as I see or hear of anyone getting out, I’ll let you know.