I am pro at catching brookies on the Boulder Mountains in central Utah…But now I live in Provo and I want to learn how to catch walleye. So if someone could tell me how to pull one out of the ice at Yuba or Deer Creek this winter… that would be so rad.
I thought this post was going to be some funny Blonde Joke[;)]
Walleye can be pretty elusive, they are not usually easy to catch. I caught some at Deer Creek while trolling a worm harness on the bottom with a bouncer. It was by the rocky cliffs just past the boat ramp in about 35-40 feet of water.
I suppose you might could try a minnow on a jig in that area and try it out. I am by know means a pro, and I am sure that you will get some better help from other on this forum.
Welcome to the site by the way.
Fish for anything else but Walleye.
Study there habits, they are one hard fish to catch consistently. Good luck.
steep and deep. go with jigging spoons and minnow heads. from 30 to 80 ft. best bet is down by the main boar ramp around the corner towards the dam. high way side. good luck may see ya on it soon. [;)]
**Welcome to the board. Catching walleyes through the ice? A worthy goal. Now, for a reality check. **
MOST WALLEYES ARE CAUGHT BY ACCIDENT…BY PEOPLE FISHING FOR SOMETHING ELSE. That is especially true for walleyes through the ice. Anybody who fishes just for walleyes will catch some perch and other species but is likely to be disappointed about the walleyes. On the other hand, folks who send down the right baits and lures for perch or trout will sometimes ACCIDENTALLY hook a walleye. Bonus.
Oh yeah, one other truism: ANYBODY WHO CLAIMS TO BE ABLE TO CATCH WALLEYE WHENEVER THEY WANT WILL LIE ABOUT OTHER THINGS TOO.
Basically, your BEST chance of catching walleyes through the ice are to first find schools of perch and then keep fishing in that same area with larger jigs or spoons…tipped with a large piece of nightcrawler or perch meat. Walleyes feed on perch and stay in the same area as the perch schools. But, they do not feed as often or as aggressively in the winter, and if they are full…or feeding only at night…your odds are not good.
One of the big problems with both Deer Creek and Yuba is that they fluctuate a lot on water level. The spots you found a few fish last year might be too shallow…or too deep…this year. But, after you get to know a lake through different water cycles you will learn where the best potential spots might be. But, even then, the walleyes do not always read the same books you do and they will do whatever they want.
We have BFT get togethers and small groups that meet up on the waters from time to time. Watch the boards for announcements of someone going to one of your targeted waters and then PM them, inviting yourself to either ride with or meet up with them on the ice. Most of us are fairly open to helping the newbies. If we are honest, we all remember being there ourselves and how grateful we were to get help from others.
Good luck. Enjoy your quest. As with many fishing pursuits, the journey is its own reward. Hopefully you get a handle on it and score some walleyes soon, but do not be discouraged if you don’t. There are some pretty good anglers in our BFT family that remain frustrated in their own attempts to catch walleye…EVER.
I have heard they are hard to catch. The only time I have ever seen one caught is when we were fishing for smallies around the Moqui Wall at Lake Powell, and like you said, it was an accident. To be honest, I would rather get into bass fishing. My posse and I were planning on meeting at Yuba around 4 pm and then fishing into the night… is night fishing legal? Anyway. I don’t expect to get anything other than perch, but I just need a general area to fish…
Fish the Lake of course, no just kidding
dude gave the real truth. good luck. when fishing eyes the first 2 hrs of the day and the last 2 before sunset. you can have the other 20 hrs per day. wish i could get that lesson into my thick skull.[;)]
Bass fishing is the way to go… keep your eye on these posts here, there is always someone looking to take someone out. I fish alone alot but have taken BFT’ers out with me a few times and caught some fish. Go to minnesota if you want to consistantly catch walleys…
Night fishing is both legal and potentially effective…for walleyes. However, the perch are mostly diurnal (day feeders) and shut down in the dark. Make sure you have shelters and heaters. That basin with the lake in it gets COLD.
One of the big problems with Yuba these days is being able to determine what you are seeing on sonar. Once you get out into deeper water your sonar screen will show lots of fish. Only problem is that a high percentage of them will be carp…usually. But, they could just as well be perch and walleyes. (See the pic)
Bass fishing is likely to produce more positive results and enjoyment, but don’t give up on walleyes. If you are up for some good action on both smallies and wallies (and perch) this summer, try to hit Starvation Reservoir, near Duchesne. Great place for all three species…plus some bodacious browns.
Attaching some maps of Yuba. You should also pick up one of the blue and white paper maps and study it to learn the access point, contours, etc. After that you pay your dues to learn the lake like all of us have had to do. And, knowing the lake is never a guarantee of success.
Posse? You got arrest warrants for those fishies?
**The ice at the main state park (Oasis) has been sketchy and there are no real reports from there for ice fishing yet. Your best bet would be to fish to the west of the ramp at Painted Rocks…in as deep of water as you can find…at least 25 to 30 feet deep. But, there have also been some good perch and a few pike hitting in shallower water. **
The only sure fire way to get walleye through the ice that I know of …
1 Make sure you have a chain saw and power auger…
2 start by drilling one hole in about 15’ of water…
3 Drill another hole about 40 yards out in beeper water..
4 take the chain saw and cut out a slot from one hole to the other…
5 push the ice down and under the other ice along side the long ways…
6 Rig with a bottom bouncer and a night crawler…
7 Now troll from one end to the other being sure to keep it on the bottom…[;)]
Thats how Blonde Girls ice fish for walleyes…[;)][sly][crazy]
They catch pike through the ice? Like this year? How?!?!
And yes. We do have warrants out for the fish, and in the summer we even ride horses into those lakes you can’t drive too to get em.
Thanks so much for all of your advise! I am glad someone takes me serious!
Ha ha ha ha HA HA HA HA. Nice. Ice Trolling huh? Should I troll of the back of a snowmobile?
I have fished for bass down at Lake Powell a lot, but if the stripers were boiling it was hard to get the posse to fish for something else. ha ha. Where are the best bass holes (ha ha that sounds funny) in Utah?
Do you recommend using ice skates with that technique?
What about a bottom bouncer.
That might confuse a blonde right there saying “bottom bouncer”[;)][:p]
Jist Kidding tnabna!
The best bass in Utah, that is a pretty big question…Jordanelle, Pineview, Starvation, Pelican, Flaming Gorge, Lake Powell, Quail, Sand Hollow, etc…
If you really want to get into some bass Sand Hollow in the spring time is a blast. You can catch bass on anything down there at that time. Knowing what lakes hold bass is alot different than catching them I might add. Your best bet is just to get out there and give it what you got.
That would beet walking…[sly]
Who knows you mite get a little dance???[;)]
“They catch pike through the ice? Like this year? How?!?!”
The pike are like walleye…most are caught by accident, by people fishing for perch…or walleye. But, unlike walleye, most of the pike hooked never make it through the hole. Unless someone hooks them outside their teeth…on the tip of the lip or the corner of the mouth…their sharp teeth take care of having to wonder about releasing them.
There are pike fans who use their second rod permits to soak a big minnow…on a wire leader. And, some iceaholics use large jigs tipped with big pieces of meat to try to attract a pike. Those who learn the winter habits and hangouts of those toothy critters sometimes score a few through the ice.
There were quite a few hooked in the Painted Rocks area last ice season. There have already been at least a couple iced this year, with a couple more that were “pre-released”. Haven’t heard of any really large ones though. Most are in the small to midsized range. Still, a bonus for any perch trip.
You wrote: "[#000000]Thanks so much for all of your advise! I am glad someone takes me serious!"[/#0000ff]
I never take myself too serious, but I am serious about my fishing and I try to always be respectful of the serious questions presented by any BFT members…even blondes. I used to be a little tow-headed (blonde) kid myself. My daughter was also a blonde, but has darkened in her older years. She now refers to herself as a “recovering blonde”.