Ice fishing is great in Eagle River Wisconsin

More than 25 percent of the fish caught in Wisconsin are caught when the lakes have frozen over, indicating just how popular ice fishing is in dairy country.

Most ice fishing begins in early December. This is when the local fisherman braves 3-4 inches of ice and starts looking for walleye. This year is an exception. There is a lot of ice in the north. This author was in the Eagle River Chain of Lakes this past Thanksgiving. Although it was too early to put flags where he was fishing, my neighbor was able to catch a monster in a nearby lake. He Caught a 30″, 12lb Walleye! That would go on just about anyone’s wall.

Walleye and Panfish are the most popular fish to ice fish, but if you can find a good spot for northern pike during the day, you’re in for a fun day of fishing. All of these fish are good through the ice. During the winter the meat of these fish is firm and delicious. Sometimes during the summer Northerns and some panfish get mushy and dirty. This is not the case in the winter. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a northern winter and a winter walleye in a blind taste test.

Panfish are usually caught by jigging. Some anglers have good success on the Tip Downs. Tip downs typically have a wooden support next to the hole and a rod, wire, or even umbrella extending from the top. When the fish bites, the wire bends down. These are good setups for soft biting fish.

Walleye and Northern usually get caught in Tip Ups. These tip ups usually have a flag on a spring that is released when the fish bites. In my opinion the number one Tip Up is Beaver Dam Tip Up. I don’t own any stock in the company nor do I sell any of their products, they just make a very good tip. When using a tip up it is important that your reel moves smoothly without catching. Winter walleye can be skittish and if they feel a pull from the reel they will drop the bait.

Early in the season I like to use medium and large shiners through the ice for walleye. It is important that you hook the black eye just below the dorsal fin for walleye. Put that treble hook as close to the back as possible. If you hook them too deep into the body, it’s what we call a “kill hook”: your minnow will likely die quickly and will lack the movement that a well-hooked minnow has. Northerners will smack a dead minnow, but walleye like to get it moving.

Where you put your minnow in the water when you are fishing for walleye is also important. The best position is to have that minnow about 10-15 inches off the bottom of the lake. Use a depth finder first to mark the bottom. First I sink my depth finder, grab the line at the waterline, pull up about 20 inches of the line, and place a wooden match across the line. Then I put the minnow in and let the line out making sure the match is next to my spool when I put the tip in the hole.

This should help you start ice fishing. Remember, be safe and check the ice with a potato bar before you head out.