Ice extends for miles, surrounded by wooded shorelines with no roads, no old holes to use for guidelines, no bait shops, no towns, no lodging. That’s where we would send you if this article referred only to the very best spots for winter walleye hunts. The sidewalk ends far away from these places. The parking is iffy. A good winch is priority one. Snowmobiles or 4-wheelers would comprise priority two. A good map and a few handheld GPS units are essential components, as well.
Up there, the numbers are great and the potential to chance upon a walleye topping 15 pounds is greater than anywhere else on earth. With lots of options, including rivers, reservoirs, and natural lakes, Saskatchewan is Valhalla for walleye nuts any time of year. But that’s a long way from home, unless you live there. And really long trips won’t be mandatory, because most of you live within easy driving distance of the following destinations.
Lake Erie, Ohio
“Last year was one of the best ice bites we’ve had on Erie in a long time,” says Craig Lewis of Erie Outfitters. “For sheer numbers of fish, from ice-over to April, it was the finest season I’ve ever heard of. You could catch a limit in an hour or you could catch-and-release multiple limits in a few hours, all in the Western Basin, where the ice bite is usually confined. The ice is generally unsafe in most other areas of Erie.
“The bite was hot about two miles out from anywhere along the southwestern shoreline. Some guys were running out 14 miles on 4-wheelers, sleds, and ice boats, looking for monsters over 13 pounds,” Lewis says. “But sometimes we were walking out only 200 yards, right off Catawba Island. Turtle Creek and Camp Perry represent the two other most popular spots for accessing the lake. Most people go out with snowmobiles or 4-wheelers.
“The hottest bait all season was the 3/4-ounce Jigging Rapala,” Lewis adds. “Average size was 2 to 4 pounds, but every angler that spent any time out there caught a lot of big fish, too. It seemed like every fifth fish was 8 pounds or better. Typical spots have 40-foot depths surrounding shoals that rise to 24 feet or so. Just look for some kind of structure under the ice. Any kind of reef, rockpile, or sunken island in the right depth produced fish.”
“The most popular guide services are run by Bob Hanko (877/464-0172) and Pat Chrysler (419/285-4631),” he says. Information and supplies are also available from Erie Outfitters (440/949-8934) in Sheffield Lake, Ohio.
Saginaw Bay, Michigan
In-Fisherman PWT pro and ice-angling fanatic Mark Martin says, “Saginaw Bay should be on everybody’s list of hot walleye spots on ice.” Mark Martin’s Ice Fishing School Vacation headquartered on the Bay in mid-February, 2007. “We had 17 students,” he says. “They caught 600 legal walleyes, and one guy had 45, with several fish over 8 pounds, all in one day. And the fish were taken on a variety of techniques, from tip-ups to jigging to deadsticking. PWT pro Mike Gofron was there and said he never saw walleye fishing like it in his life.”
Martin says safety is the most important aspect on any Great Lakes fishery. “The ice isn’t always stable,” he warns. “You have to watch for white-outs, wind shifts, and ice shelves breaking off and floating free. Look for the bites closest to shore. It’s rarely necessary to go more than a few miles out to get into good numbers.”
Structure can be found, but much of Saginaw Bay is comprised of massive flats and gently tapering slopes with sand, clay, and gravel on bottom. “We fish 17 to 20 feet deep in most areas, right on the edge of smooth and jagged ice,” he notes. “The jagged side provides more shade, creating the same effect as shade from a bluff or a mudline created by an incoming river. Walleyes hang in the shade just under the jagged ice, near the edge of the smooth ice.”
