Percid enthusiasts can't wait until the thickness of the ice is safe enough to pursue them.
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Sought after both in the cold season and in open water, the zander is very popular with brimbale and jigging handlers for its tender and delicious meat, but also for the exciting fights!
A specialist
The great guru, the ice fishing professional of the La Belle province, is undoubtedly David Vadnais. This chic 50-year-old guy from Saint-Hyacinthe was already teasing with his parents about the different species beneath the frozen crust when he was just 3 years old.
To give you an idea of how angry he can be, as the saying goes, know that for 25 years he volunteered to work an evening shift so he could go fishing in the morning. .
He now works during the day, which allows him to go out at the end of the day and try to outsmart the walleyes. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him on this topic. Here is the gist of what he said.
Location
As the water cools in the fall, walleyes begin to eat more to accumulate fat and survive the long winter months in cold water.
They are very active from late November until the ice forms and then until the second or third week of January.
During this peak period, yellow perch are often in shallow waters. They develop near structures or directly on them.
In fact, they look for places where the ground is uneven. Embankments and embankments in depth are recommended. The shallows and flat areas that reach close to the surface are also real zander magnets.
You can fish on the slope of the structure and even above it, especially in the dark or at night. If there is current, David suggests fishing downstream of the shoal, on the side where there is no water movement.
Just like in the summer, walleyes also like rocky points. If you have the opportunity to take advantage of this type of structure, don't hesitate to present your bait at different depths. If you plan to fish the point until nightfall, it's a good idea to drill your holes in advance up to 1m from the shore. This way you won't scare the specimens when they approach.
At nightfall, it is not uncommon to catch large predators hunting at depths of less than 1 m.
Large flats 3m deep and less near banks with a stream or river mouth are usually very good early in the season. If these plateaus are dotted with a few patches of water grass, everything suggests you're in for more action.
Best times
Lucifuge, this species is often fished in the evening, at night or at dawn. In fact, the best times are the first two hours after sunrise, the last hour of daylight before dusk, and sometimes even when darkness falls.
The eyes of walleyes have a layer of daylight-reflecting pigments called a “choroidal carpet.” It gives the fish excellent night vision and forces them to avoid too bright light. In cloudy water it can remain active all day long. On certain bodies of water, such as Lake Saint-Louis, our expert has often achieved success when he arrives in the afternoon. Therefore, you should not be afraid to carry out your own tests.
Waddle
Contrary to what some people think, you don't need a huge arsenal to target walleye. Note that in recent years, jig fishing has become the most popular technique for getting them to respond.
It ensures a lot of success and also offers nice emotional moments during the fights. The appropriate equipment for this approach is a 28- to 32-inch rod with medium power and a small, light cast.
The reel is spooled with a winter-grade braided line weighing 10 pounds/test, connected to a P-Line HP-Ice fluorocarbon leader weighing 8 pounds/test. You can also attach a small swivel to the end of the line to make changing your bait quicker.
Rod holders with electronic jig mechanisms have become very popular over time. Equipped with a reel and rod, it will shake up your bait to encourage fish to chase.
Some models offer the option to activate the rod for automatic hooking.
For his part, David Vadnais prefers not to bait them, since the walleyes generally grab the victim in a subtle way, which has the effect of taking it out of their mouths. It simply sets the reel tension to a minimum while the rod holder mechanism produces the jigging action.
Artificial baits
Walleye are true predators. When hunting, the waddling motion of an offering is very provocative.
However, to increase your chances of success, the professional interviewed strongly recommends adding an odor attractant.
Ideally, regulations permitting, adding a portion of a dead shiner will significantly increase your success rate. If you can't use this method, an artificial egg or a small earthworm will do.
Proven offerings include FishLab's Organic Minnow Vertical Jig 1⁄2 oz Bass, Mister Twister Meeny or Teenie on a jig head, Mepps Bucktail Jig, CC Spoon, Lindy Rattl' n Quiver Spoon, Ice Jig J50 , Nipigon, Jigging Rap, Rattl'n Flyer Spoon, Williams W30-40 with Dead Shiner Head, FishLab 2″ Guppy Blade Bait, Glow Spoon and Glow Streak.
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