Jiggin spoons for big walleye

If you asked most anglers what their favourite lure would be, a jig would be the answer most of the time. When you are dealing with frozen water that answer changes substantially. Jigging spoons, chunks of metal that are hammered into different thicknesses and weights, start to make huge inroads as far as the go to bait. The nice thing about ice fishing is that you get to use two rods, which means you can use a jig on your dead stick line while working a jigging spoon in another hole to either bring fish in or trigger aggressive bites.
At this time of the year, and again in March most of the anglers I fish with and talk to, say the number one lure choice would be a jigging spoon, a piece of metal that flashes and flutters, attracting fish from a distance. In the middle of December last year we hit Lake Winnipeg for the first of many trips. About half way through the day the fish really started to become active. I could tell that by how the fish were reacting to my presentation below the ice on my ice flasher.
I could see the mark coming up on my electronics, a black bar rising rapidly to where my Northlands Buckshot rattle jigging spoon was suspended two feet above the bottom. Watching my line intently, I shook the rod lightly. That was all that was required to trigger this big walleye from engulfing my offering.
Fishing in fifteen feet of water, the big walleye bulldogged down. Roger Stearns, who was fishing nearby came running to my assistance. Peering down the hole, he grabbed the fish once I got the head started up the hole. After a quick measure along with a couple of digital images this Lake Winnipeg walleye was sent back down the hole. Roger is a veteran walleye angler and he has a small box jam full of every jigging spoon known to man. He loves to work spoons, relishing the smack a big angry walleye. Over the years Roger has developed a certain stroke, a medium lift and drop with the spoon falling on slack line for about a foot. After a pause, Roger will usually jiggle the bait a couple of times before the next lift and drop. If he marks a fish looking at his bait on the electronics, he will lift the bait up ever so slowly before giving it another shake.

JIGGING SPOON BASICS:
Jigging spoons can be broken down into three categories. You have the light flutter spoons that work extremely well in shallower water. These are excellent choices right now for first ice walleye and stocked trout. One of my favourites is a Williams Ice jig. These light metal spoons will roll and flutter when dropped on a slack line.
In the second category are the spoons that fish a little more vertical. These include the Northland Forage Minnow, the Rattln Snakie and the Kastmaster, all extremely effective vertical jigging spoons. The Northland Buckshot Rattle jig falls in that category as well, though it has a little more size to side roll on the drop.
The third category involves spoons that have both a glide and flutter on the drop. This in-between category is especially effective on neutral fish. One that worked well on Lake Winnipeg last year as well was Lindy Legendary Tackle Flyer Spoon. It has a semi glide and flutter. There is no shortage of different kinds of jigging spoons in your local tackle shop. Over the last three years I have really expanded my stock to three small tackle boxes of jigging spoons from very light to quite heavy for winter lake trout fishing. For walleyes I prefer something in the one eight ounce range depending on depth, while for lake trout I will move up to three quarter of an ounce.
When using jigging spoons you are probably advised to use a nice small inline swivel to prevent line twist and lure spin as well as a small snap for lure attachment. Line twist and lure spin can really diminish your odds at catching fish.
SPECIAL TIPS:
I have replaced all my treble hooks on my jigging spoons with a single hook. This has dramatcially increased my hooking percentage. A single hook allows the fish to take the bait deeper on the bite, and with a Tru Turn hook most of the time the hook is set in the corner of the mouth. You can also thread on a minnow, another way to stop short strikes.

What does the 2010/2011 ice fishing season look like

The ice fishing is in full swing with a spell of very cold weather. Anglers are always looking for information, especially at this time of year when everyone is just starting to get out on the lakes and rivers in Manitoba. Lake Winnipeg has been a primary hotspot of ice anglers for about six years now. Two of Manitoba’s most knowledgeable are Roger Stearns and Lee Nolden. I have had the opportunity to ice fish with both of these individuals and their insight on the fishery is as good as any I have ever heard.
LAKE WINNIPEG
Stearns and Nolden both agree that when trying to find numbers of walleye, along with big walleye, clear water is preferred. Stearns says can always catch walleye early in the season relating to perch, but numbers of fish are not as easily attainable until after the water clears up, usually after Christmas.
Here is Stearns theory how the recent nutrient loading of the lake has affected the fishing in the south basin:
“Lake Winnipeg has an issue with phosphates and nitrates. Phosphates and nitrates happen to be the best friends of zooplankton and plankton. Plankton is also the preferred food for shiners and other minnows. Keep in mind that zooplankton and plankton have zero ability to move other than up and down to be in their preferred light level. They are totally at the mercy of the current which is a key point to remember.
Now go back in history about 8 or 10 years when the people studying the lake figured out that the Hecla causeway was causing a huge back eddy in the south basin. The rotation of the back eddy is headed north up the middle with the help of the river and headed south down the west side. The east side is affected as well but more like a back draft and not as strongly.
Now that we have massive amounts of phosphates and nitrates and loads of plankton in combination with a back eddy the plankton just keeps going in circles and recharging with shiners. As it circles back out into the lake picking up more and more shiners it picks up walleyes. The back eddy pushes the plankton and minnows down the west side. The walleye follow the shiners down the west side, and to a lesser extent down the east side.
Plankton is lost in dirty water, not setting up in distinct pods like in clearer water. Plankton is always moving up and down in the water column to its preferred light level. The minnows follow that depth, which easily explains the abundance of suspended fish in the south basin. Three and four winters ago the suspended bite was on fire for months, from 10am until 3pm. The perch bite was still there but could get super hot when the walleyes pushed the shiners closer to shore. In the month of March the shallow bite in particular can really heat up. This could also be in part because of the upcoming spawn and the peak of the migration.

Stearns believes this will be an interesting ice fishing season on Lake Winnipeg because of the heavy current flow coming out of the mouth of the Red River. A lot of his consistent big fish spots are in deeper water five to eight kilometers out from shore. He believes that further out will be better to get away from the flow and heavily stained water. He also believes the east side will be the best producer for numbers of fish. This because it is less affected by water coming out of the Red River. Despite poor ice conditions most experts are predicting another exciting year for ice anglers on Lake Winnipeg

Anglers Notes: Manitobans have selected Jake Macdonald's novel Juliana and the Medicine Fish as this year's featured book for On the Same Page, a province wide reading initiative. First published in 1997, this is a book for all ages by a tremendous Manitoba writer. It's a coming of age story about a girl dealing with her parents' divorce and the turmoil that it creates in her life. Juliana's dad owns a fishing lodge which is in financial difficulties. If she helps her dad win a fishing derby by catching an enormous and elusive fish all might be saved. When the fish is finally caught, she must decide what is more important, protecting the last of a mythic species- or saving her father's livelihood. On the Same Page may be considered a province wide book club but the concept is to promote discussion that reaches into all communities, showing the power books have to unite people. During January and February, the Millennium Library will feature Jakes book along with a number if fishing exhibits that promote the sport.