Gord Pyzer’s 12 all-time greatest winter walleye tips

#10  DEPLOY A DEADSTICK

The ultimate finesse presentation for tricking finicky walleye is to place a deadstick rod across a plastic pail so that the flimsy tip is positioned over the centre of the hole. For this set-up, start by attaching a light 1/16- to 3/16-ounce jig to your four-, five- or six-pound monofilament or fluorocarbon leader. Then grab the liveliest minnow from the pail and carefully slide the point of the hook under its skin along the backbone, starting from just behind the dorsal fin, so that it emerges pointing forward. Now drop the offering into the hole, suspend it a foot off bottom, engage the bail on your reel and lay the rod across the pail.

With a lighter than normal jig, the shiner, dace or fathead will be able to attempt to swim away, typically towards the surface, and attract walleye in the process. Once the minnow tires, it will get dragged back down by the weight of the jig. And with the hook pointed forward, it’s positioned perfectly for walleye that attempt to eat the minnow headfirst. Paired with aggressively jigging a lipless crankbait or spoon in an adjacent hole, this presentation will catch practically every wary biter.