How to Catch Early Ice Season Walleyes

Catching walleyes shortly after the first safe ice forms begins with choosing the right areas, often in shallow water over a sand or gravel bottom. Primary fishing techniques are jigging ice spoons and dead sticking ice jigs and live minnows. Fishing low-light periods and minimizing noise on the ice are key to early-ice success.

For details on the best early ice approach, we spoke with Jon Thelen, host of Destination Fish TV and prior to that, Fish Ed, and a former Minnesota fishing guide and touring walleye tournament pro. Thelen is looking forward to the ice fishing season.

“We are poised to have what I think will be a great ice season,” Thelen said. “The fall bite was solid, and we’ve had a steady cooldown without big swings.” He is seeing skim ice in shallow areas, which is right on time for a good season.

Through the first part of the ice season, walleyes tend to be shallow because of shiners and other minnow species that moved shallow to spawn during the fall and remain plentiful in shallow water. The walleyes cruise the shallows and can be spread along a lake’s perimeter, especially over gravel and sand bottoms, which the minnows favor for spawning.

“You don’t have to be on a jagged rock reef to find walleyes at the beginning of the season,” Thelen said.

As fishing pressure increases the walleyes will begin to move. That might mean moving to the first break or to structural features like reefs that sit slightly deeper. However, if the forage remains shallow, that’s where the walleyes will want to remain, so they might just move along the lake’s edge, becoming less plentiful near access points where anglers tend to be the most concentrated but still shallow.

“Sometimes everyone will think they have moved deeper and will walk right past fish, and I’ll find a good bite in 5 or 6 feet of water, where no one else is fishing,” Thelen said.

Primary techniques for catching early ice walleyes are working ice spoons like Lindy Quiver Spoons and Frostee Spoons with subtle movements and dead sticking a minnow on an ice jig beneath a float. Because the fish are shallow and there often is no snow on the ice, keys to success include minimizing noise and capitalizing on the low light periods of early morning and late afternoon.

Thelen typically uses a two-rod set up. He’ll keep one rod in hand, actively working a spoon, which might be baited with a small minnow or a minnow head. He’ll sometimes choose a rattling spoon, such as a Rattl’N Flyer Spoon or Rattl’N Quiver Spoon, but will seldom shake a rattling spoon aggressively this time of year.

He’ll dead stick a live minnow on a Lindy No. 6 Tungsten Toad in a second hole, suspending the offering beneath a Thill Gold Medal Stealth Float. Thelen prefers to hook a minnow behind the dorsal fin, having found that the minnow continually fights the posture of a Tungsten Toad, which gets the fish’s attention.

“With a plain hook they’ll get comfortable. When a minnow is fighting to right itself on Tungsten Toad that creates a commotion that calls in fish and triggers strikes,” Thelen said.

• Capitalize on Low Light – Except on very dark days, the best walleye bite, by far, will occur early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Be sure you are in your key area and actively fishing at that time. If you’re not fully settled when the bite is best, you are missing opportunities, and if you’re still setting up your shelter, you’re scaring fish.
• Minimize Ice Noise – One thing live sonar has confirmed to ice anglers is that fish are very sensitive to noise, especially in shallow water. Simply walking lightly and minimizing the amount of stuff you move around can make a major difference in your success rate.
• Drill Holes Early – Related to the first two tips, nothing spooks shallow fish quite like drilling holes. They’ll return, but it takes time. For morning fishing, get out well before daylight and drill as many holes as you’ll want to have available before you ever start fishing.
• Prioritize Coaxing over Calling – Subtle jiggles, soft jigging and slow lifting tend to outproduce aggressive jigging and hard shaking early in the year, and a dead stick approach can be extremely effective.
• Be Cautious with Locations – Most accidents happen early in the season. Consult resorts and bait shops about ice conditions and areas and check the ice regularly if you’re venturing farther.

Upper Red Lake in Northern Minnesota is always a hotspot for early ice fishing for walleyes. It is a shallow-basin lake that gets good ice earlier than most large lakes, and it has a strong shiner population that draws the walleyes extra shallow through fall and early winter. It is also well served by resorts that provide angler services, access, information about the fishing and rental ice houses.

“It is one of those lakes that had a really good fall bite this year, and it appears to be setting up for good early ice fishing,” Thelen said.

An important distinction about Upper Red Lake is that it has dark, tannic water. That makes bright colors and especially glow colors extremely important. Pink Tiger Glo, which is available in the Frostee Spoon and Rattl’N Flyer Spoon, is one of Thelen’s favorites for Upper Red Lake.

Thelen also noted that a dead stick tends to be extra important at for fishing Upper Red Lake. Where a typical ratio might be 60:40 catches in favor of an active rod, Thelen finds that at Red it’s more likely to be 50:50 or even 60:40 the other way.

Frostee Spoon – compact, minnow-like profile and quick action

Quiver Spoon – lightweight for a slow fall and fluttery wobble and great flash

Rattl’N Quiver Spoon – same qualities as the original Quiver Spoons, but with a single rattle

Rattl’N Flyer Spoon – wide wobbling and loud ratting – a walleye-producing legend

Tungsten Toad – No. 6 Tungsten Toad has a stout hook that’s perfect for walleye fishing