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

#8  PUNCH THREE HOLES

Most provinces allow ice anglers to fish with two lines, so take advantage of the opportunity if it’s available. Sometimes, that means actively jigging in one hole, while you watch a tip-up or set line in a distant one (see tactic #9) This lets you spread out, cover different water depths and use a variety of baits.

Once you’ve located fish, however, the best option is to drill three holes together, only a foot or two apart. Place your transducer in the middle hole, and your attracting and triggering baits down the other two. That way, you can actively watch your lures—and the fish. I like to jig a lipless crankbait or spoon in one hole, while suspending a lively minnow in the other (see tactic #10).

With this set-up, I rarely tip the lipless crankbait or spoon with a minnow, as that dampens my aggressive jigging to call in the walleye. If a fish strikes, it’s a bonus, but the second line with the suspended minnow usually catches the fish. Many days, I’ll even use a bigger, brighter, noisier spoon or crankbait as the attractor bait, letting it fall into the mud and disappear when the fish show up. That way, the only thing they’ll see is the easy minnow meal.