an icy walleye in the hand of a guy

Baits

Northland Glo-Shot Fire-Belly Spoon
The glow-craze continues. One noteworthy lure is the Northland Glo-Shot Fire-Belly Spoon, which is powered by a mini glow stick for a brighter, longer shine.
Tikka Jigging Mino
Clam’s one-piece, zinc-alloy Tikka Jigging Mino.
Freedom Blade Bait
The Freedom Blade Bait is available in chrome colours.
Rattl’N Vibe Mini
Yo-Zuri has expanded its Rattl’N Vibe Mini and 21 ⁄8-inch Rattl’n Vibe lipless crankbaits to include glow and luminescent perch colours.
Williams' Wabler
Williams’ Wabler and Dartee see the addition of a flashy perch colour as well as Moon Jelly.
Williams' Dartee Moon Jelly
The latter combines a silver finished spoon with a holographic tape strip that reflects different shades based on angle.
Jackall Lures
Jackall Lures’ new TN/50 is a 2-inch lipless crankbait well suited for hardwater walleye jigging. It’s available in several colour patterns.
Rapala’s Rap-V Blade.
I’m curious about Rapala’s Rap-V Blade. This bladebait lipless-crankbait hybrid is sure to have a unique auditory signature under the ice and at 21⁄2 inches, has potential to be a good trophy bait.
Thundermist Lures’s Stingnose Peanut Bunker
Thundermist Lures’s Stingnose Peanut Bunker.
Northland’s Rattlin’ Puppet Minnow
Northland’s Rattlin’ Puppet Minnow features a loud glass rattle.

Long rods

Power-jigging the above lures on long spinning rods is a prevailing strategy for walleye. Long rods have a plethora of perks for mobile anglers and those hole-hopping outside a shelter.

Shimano’s Sienna 36-inch medium power

Shimano’s Sienna 36-inch medium power.
3 Fishing’s Omen Ice

3 Fishing’s Omen Ice in 36-inch medium and 42-inch medium-heavy.
Fenwick HMG Ice

Fenwick HMG Ice 38-inch medium-heavy.
G. Loomis IMX-Pro

G. Loomis IMX-Pro Ice Rods 35-, 37-, and 39-inch medium-power, 41-inch medium-heavy, 33- and 35-inch medium-lights.
St. Croix' Custom Ice Eye Raiser
St. Croix’ Custom Ice Eye Raiser 38-inch medium-power.

Lines

Sufix Advance Ice Monofilament
Noteworthy monofilament lines include Sufix Advance Ice Monofilament and Clam’s Frost Mono Ice (made by Sunline).
Clam’s Frost Mono Ice
These premium ice lines come in clear and hi-viz colours. They are abrasion resistant, have low memory for fewer line coils, plus, their hydrophobic qualities reduce ice-up.

Electronics

Garmin’s Panoptix LiveScope Ice Fishing Bundle

Garmin’s Panoptix LiveScope Ice Fishing Bundle with a 9-inch display, features easy-to-interpret live scanning sonar showing fish and structure up to 200 feet in any direction.
I used this unit and found LiveScope reduced the number of holes I needed to drill, and provided a new perspective on how far walleye will travel to inspect a bait.
Humminbird’s third generation Ice Helix Chirp GPS

Humminbird’s third generation Ice Helix Chirp GPS
fish finders with either five- or seven-inch HD LCD displays are a success. These units feature Dual Spectrum CHIRP sonar for crystal-clear sonar returns and 3 ⁄4- inch target separation, so you can see those belly-to-bottom walleye.
Vexilar’s FLX-30BB

On the flasher scene is Vexilar’s FLX-30BB. According to Vexilar, the broad band Ice-ducer is like having seven transducers in one, each with its own frequency. The ransducer doesn’t have traditional side lobes, and that means less clutter, less interference, and more precision.

Originally published in the Jan.-Feb. 2021 edition of Ontario OUT of DOORS magazine.

Headshot of contributor Tim Allard

Tim Allard is a full-time freelance journalist and photographer based in Ottawa. He’s the author of the multi-award winning book Ice-Fishing – The Ultimate Guide. Reach Tim at [email protected]

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