Page 67 - ODUNovAndDec2018

Different fish like different things

and different lakes offer fish
different types of habitat, so lots of
it depends on what is available to
the fish in their home lake.

Walleyes like rocks and gravel
bottom, steep breaks into deep
water and large complex food

shelves capable of holding enough
forage for them to live comfortably
most of the winter.

I usually work backwards when
looking for walleyes during the cold-

water period. I look for the deep
basin areas and then look for
anything that touches the deep
water, whether it is shoreline or mid
lake structure.

If I am fishing in a shallow lake, I look for shoreline rocks or weeds with a sharp break and “deeper”
water nearby. I also look for baitfish on mid lake structures or along subtitle changes in the bottom

I can get a lot of information from my Humminbird Helix 12 just from what I see on the sonar screen.
Sometimes, I still want to see exactly what things look like with my eyes, so I know what species are in
the school of fish and also the average size of the fish in the school.

I have my AquaVu HD10 (pictured above) on a Ram mount on my Ranger Boat right next to where I sit,
so I can quickly check out things I see on sonar. I always bring it with me in the boat and I also bring it

with me when I am ice fishing.

Crappies are an important species for me during the winter because I guide for them along with
walleyes and perch.

Crappies spend
much of the fall and
winter in the basin

of lakes. Crappies
like “isolated open
water”, which can
be deep holes
between structures,
deep water
beside