They are but since we aren’t as mobile on the ice it’s more of task to get on them. I have much better luck early ice sitting on the soft/hard transitions in 17 to 18′ depths of shore related structure. I really haven’t ice fished walleyes on Tonka for a few years now. Ice time is crappie time for me. Pool 4 is for winter walleyes. I prefer to pitch over jigging when it comes to eyes. That’s your fault James 
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Oh last night’s action 1 pike a 25, a 19 and a 14. All on that glass perch HJ12. I lug around eight colors of HJ and an assortment of other sticks like Reef runners, Bomber A and Thundersticks. I caught a couple of fish on firetiger HJs but everything else has been the glass perch. Minnow raps which have produced in the past caught nothing. Shallow shad Xraps and regular XRaps ditto. Something about the glass perch color. Need to get Rapala to add that pattern to other baits.
Report for 11-18-09
Conditions:
Water temp was down a degree to 44.5, DEAD calm again, but with cloud cover last night. Air temps must have been low 40’s, rather comfortable.
Results:
Chris pulled a 19″ on the first pass. I finished the night off catching the next two walleyes, a pair at 22.5″ and a bonus mid 20’s pike.
Are we on the downward slide of our fall trolling?
I chalk it up to the DEAD calm conditions. I think we need wind and waves to stir up the water, disorient the baitfish and get the walleyes chomping.
The calm nights have never been as good for me as the nights when we get some wind. To compensate I’ve found that downsizing baits and running LONG leads can make a big difference in catch rates. But that might not be possible if you’re fishing around heavy weed growth. In those situations switching rods over to thicker diameter braid or mono can allow you to get those baits way back behind the boat without diving so deep that the lures get into the veggies. I know when I was guiding up on mille lacs at night in the fall it was standard practice to run out to 220+’ of line on a #10 HJ on calm nights. Even more when there was a lot of moon light on a calm night. Making that adjustment would often bump our catch rates from dismal to fantastic.
It’s that time of year again!
This was the second trolling trip of the season for myself. The first one was last Friday (10/29/10) and I blanked, but my boat partner did score a 23-1/4″ eye and a very respectable 34″ pike. The water seemed dingy, following the big winds and we were entertaining an out of town guest, so walleyes were not the only priority. Making some memories and having some laughs were top on the list.
Last night on the other hand turned into a very memorable trip. The word that best describes the fish we netted is Quality. There have been nights of more fish, but I don’t believe of this quality in size and structure. We only caught and released five fish also in seven or so hours of fishing, with two fish coming on back to back passes, so they were not necessarily jumping in the boat either.
Conditions: Wind! Steady wind out of the south all evening and night, 5-10mph steady. Wind did die down after 1am, which might coincide with the barometric pressure drop around that time. Mostly clear skies, witnessed many shooting stars last night. Air temps were in the high 30’s when we left the lake and the water temp was 46.9.
Results: Chris kicked the night off with a 41″ muskie at 7 or so, I followed up at 9:30 with a 26″ eye, it was over 2-1/2 hours later when I tied into a beast of a walleye at 29″ x 18″ or more of girth, very next pass and 20 minutes later Chris pops a 25.5″ eye and I sealed the deal for the night with a 26.75″ at 1:30am or so. Looks like a feeding window opened after midnight or 1 am, coinciding with the barometric pressure drop and a drop in wind speed.
Noteable: Every fish caught was trolling the boat with the direction of the wind. Boat control becomes difficult with the additional wind and water current, but it seems the fish must be waiting in ambush along the weed edge, head facing the current, waiting for its prey to drift through.
Forgot to mention, I think it was a new personal best. If not very close! I need to invest in a scale.
I had to post a few more pics of the big walleye from last night. The Dunwright Bump Board shows the massive build of that fish.
What are they eating? HJ-14’s
It appears by the belly anything it can fit in its mouth. Tell you the truth I don’t. Have not kept one yet to find out, but my guess is small perch and sunfish.
Awesome thread you have going on here – Thanks for sharing. As far as the Marble eyes – unbelievable! It looks like you have things pretty dialed in. With the November weather we are having you should be able to go after that 30″ up until December for sure 
Very nice walleyes. Fun to read your reports for the last few years.
Just have to wait a month and a half more. 
I don’t know if I can wait. 
That big moon in the sky last week obviously had the same effect on you as it did me. Time to start planning the night trolling trips.
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That big moon in the sky last week obviously had the same effect on you as it did me. Time to start planning the night trolling trips.
James, maybe it was the moon, but the hard freeze and frost on everything really got the wheels turning up stairs. I reread this thread a few times while watching football yesterday, amazing how all the little details come streaming right back, the exact reason I keep piggy backing this thread.
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That big moon in the sky last week obviously had the same effect on you as it did me. Time to start planning the night trolling trips.
James, maybe it was the moon, but the hard freeze and frost on everything really got the wheels turning up stairs. I reread this thread a few times while watching football yesterday, amazing how all the little details come streaming right back, the exact reason I keep piggy backing this thread.
My first trolling trip is scheduled! Headed to Mille Lacs on Thursday for a one nighter. I might have to put Tonka on the list for a November trip given it is only 20 minutes away.
James, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Made one trip to the pond by myself and it’s a long ways to go solo and now that it’s getting colder it’s probably a trip I shouldn’t make solo either.
Holler if you want to head over to tonka some night.
Got out last night (10-28-11) for the first trolling runs of the season. Unfortunately my fishing partner is out of town, but he was kind of enough to loan me his boat for the weekend. On the upside I got to fish with my dad! A few hours after making his 570 mile drive from Indiana we hit the water. To be honest I had a really hard time sleeping this week with all of the anticipation, preparation and hope that I could put dad on some fish.
Conditions: Water temperature was 50.5, wind from the west steady at 5 mph, clear sky, rising barometric pressure from 6 to 8 and then was steady, moon was 5% waxing and set at 7:36pm.
Results: On the water about 6:30 and I stuck first walleye at 8:00, a 26″. I then followed up with a 24″. Feeling guilty for having 50″ of walleye in the boat and wanting my dad to catch a fish I traded rods with him. We were running the same stick bait in the same size and color, but sometimes one lure seems to have better mojo than another. Well, soon after the trade dad says “fish!”. Seemed like a good fish, stayed down like a walleye, but ended up being a 39.25″ muskie. I popped the next eye of the night a 25″ and dad finished the night up with a 22″, FINALLY, we got him on the board. Trolled around a bit more and off the water by 11:30.
As always CPR’d.
Conditions: Water temperature was 49.5-50, wind from the south steady at 5 to 10 mph and was intensifying throughout the evening, especially around midnight,overcast, rising barometric pressure from 6 to 8 and then was steady, moon was 12% waxing and set at 8:25pm. The temperatures actually rose throughout the evening, was much more comfortable.
Results: On the water about 7:30 and dad stuck the first walleye at 8:00, a 25″. From there it went 23.75″ me, 26″ dad, 20.5″ me, 25.5″ me and dad finished the night on the last pass with a 23.75″ right at midnight.
At least four of the fish came on trolling passes with the wind at our back, wind blowing into the structures we are fishing, which seems to be very key for us, year after year. The walleyes must be facing the wind, laying in the weeds waiting to ambush prey as it blows in to them.
As always CPR’d.
Nice fish lots of luck! Thanks for the reports. Good to hear the water is finally cooling off over there and the fish are biting.
Thanks fish them all. It was great to spend time with dad on the water and to help him catch his personal best muskie and walleyes. I think it is only going to pick up with the falling water temps, only one way to find out though. Just hope the weather holds out for us in the boat.
Got out fishing tonight with my buddy. Short trip of 3 or so hours. Tonight’s story was the wind, wow! Winds were easily 15 sustained with gusts much higher. Wind out of the west, northwest, started out patchy clouds with a big full moon, but the cloud deck moved in, the winds picked up and the snow started to fly. Water temp is down to 45.
Matter of fact we just came off the lake about 40 minutes ago 10:00 or so, it was brutal out there! My buddy did get a 25″, it was a little heavier weight wise than what they have been as of late. I lost what I believe was a nice walleye and then right at about 10 or the “last pass” I battled, ok watched my drag peel off and my rod pump for about 5 minutes and then nothing. Boat was drifting with the winds, line angle changed, fish ended up under us and I think that’s when I lost her. Probably a muskie we catch a few each fall pulling cranks. That was it tonight! Not a “wow” kind of night, just a manage the weather conditions and thank god you get the opportunity to fish and see what happens kind of night.
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It was great to spend time with dad on the water and to help him catch his personal best muskie and walleyes.
That’s awesome, nice fish
I want to add 2012 to this running thread. I may just do 2012 in one big report. We have been catching and releasing many nice walleyes this fall, no super tankers yet though. A preview…
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