Trophy Walleye not out of Lake Winnipeg or the Red

A video clip of your jigging cadence would be great too

But seriously though what depths and structure types have you had success for big fish in shield lakes?

Hope you get some replies Matt because I can't find the "big" girls in the winter. Fish lakes that have lots of summer master action and once winter sets in..they disappear it seems. I have a theory that they are "unfishable" at times in depths of 50 plus feet feeding on small burbot...just a theory though.

Ya that seems to be logical even in late fall I lose the pattern and very rarely catch anything over 25 on lakes that I do very well for big walleye through most of the summer right up until the temps start to drop and they just turn off. I know the lakes well but still can't make em eat.

mattpaul said:

... how you hook your minnow too please 😜

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Please post a video of how a Jig is baited using a Salted and Unsalted minnow.
Thanks.

LizLakeZed said:

I have a theory that they are "unfishable" at times in depths of 50 plus feet feeding on small burbot...just a theory though

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You theory may not be that far off. In the late fall I do often find walleye with burbot in their mouths.

For me getting to the location due to dangerously thin ice. Fishing structure with steep breaks to deep water sunrise and sunset has worked in the past. Set up in 6-10 feet of water close to the breaks. Be mobile and drill holes mid day and prepare for morning and evening fish. Use a bar to open holes in am.

Super shallow has produced lots of eater sized eyes for me... Occasional bigger fish but those were on super shallow shield lakes...

Word of advice if you plan on targeting eyes deeper than 32', it's pretty much catch and keep as they will suffer barotrauma from those depths...

Patty said:

Super shallow has produced lots of eater sized eyes for me... Occasional bigger fish but those were on super shallow shield lakes...

Word of advice if you plan on targeting eyes deeper than 32', it's pretty much catch and keep as they will suffer barotrauma from those depths...

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That is why I stated they may be "unfishable" in my previous post. If my theory of them being deep is valid...I have no intention of pulling a 30 inch trophy walleye out of 50 feet of water and killing it. That is why it is my "theory"....I have not and will not test it because it would be almost certain death for the fish. Not worth it and goes against my fishing ethics.

The lakes up north can be tough, we've had some success fishing outside edges of softbottom bays with creeks flowing into them and again as previously discussed, in deeper water.

Couple years ago on a trout/walleye lake east of cranberry portage we had a outstanding evening/morning bite on a 30-40' ledge the dropped into +100' located at the mouth of a softbottom bay. It's been the same every time I've been back there since. I'm guessing allot of the better fish are chowing in open water during the day, and going shallower at night?

LizLakeZed said:

That is why I stated they may be "unfishable" in my previous post. If my theory of them being deep is valid...I have no intention of pulling a 30 inch trophy walleye out of 50 feet of water and killing it. That is why it is my "theory"....I have not and will not test it because it would be almost certain death for the fish. Not worth it and goes against my fishing ethics.

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had a couple buddies land 6 walleye from 60' when they were targeting whitefish.

A buddy caught a walleye in 55 feet on Reed Lake when we were laker fishing.

I've caught master picks in 25-30 ft, I know many others who have as well. Basically it coincides with the bottom of the lake....which shouldn't be a surprise.

inmate0308 said:

had a couple buddies land 6 walleye from 60' when they were targeting whitefish.

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I have taken larger walleye past 50 feet as well when targeting whites. Beautiful dark golden fish. Really sad because they are dead meat.