Having guided on Lake Erie for more than two decades, I can usually anticipate which aspects of this fishery will surprise visiting clients. For some, it’s the sheer number of fish and the average size. For others, it’s the scope of the water itself: Erie seems like an ocean compared to their home waters. Even experienced anglers get thrown off here—this unique fishery requires the right gear and proper approach. The tackle, rigging, and presentations that consistently catch fish in your local walleye lake probably won’t work here. I’m not saying Erie’s more challenging; it’s just different.
I’ve already explained how to ensure your safety and where to start looking for fish on Lake Erie in the first two articles of this series. Now that you know where to go and how to get there safely, I’m going to cover what to bring and how to use it.
The Stick
Using the correct rod action is just as crucial in ice fishing as in open-water fishing. Yes, I know you don’t have to cast on hard water, but casting is only one of the jobs your rod has to perform. On the ice, there’s no retrieving or trolling, which means fish can take all the time they want inspecting, dissecting, and scrutinizing every aspect of your lure and presentation. Erie’s generally clear water further complicates this matter. I often joke with clients and friends that a Minnesota medium ice rod is an Ohio ultra-light. Your little noodle rods won’t get it done here. You need a rod that can stop a lure immediately, have enough backbone to handle heavier presentations (more on this later), and fight a big walleye in current once hooked. My personal choices are the G Loomis IMX Pro 392 and 413. The 392 is my lighter option, and I’ll use it when fishing lures up to 3/8 ounce. The 413 is the big gun, 41 inches with true medium-heavy action, perfect for lures that are 1/2 ounce. and heavier.
The Line
There is no perfect line for every situation. I use monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braid for particular applications in specific conditions. That said, I mostly spool up old-fashioned monofilament when ice fishing. Mono has a couple of properties that I think give it an edge on Erie. It stretches more than fluorocarbon and a lot more than braid, which provides you some leeway when fighting big fish: that stretch might keep them pinned even if you make a mistake. Mono also has less buoyancy than fluoro and braid, which allows you to present baits with a slower fall rate. Some people worry about the additional stretch of mono, but if you think about it, you only have anywhere from 15 to 35 feet of line out in a vertical presentation, so that stretch distance is minimal. Another knock against mono is that it’s more visible to fish than fluorocarbon, which is a significant problem when ice fishing. This is easily solved by adding a micro swivel and a couple of feet of fluorocarbon leader to the end of the main line. Finally, mono will absorb water over time, which leads to decreased strength and issues with the line freezing on the spool, but an occasional shot of silicone or other line dressing solves that problem.
While the braided line isn’t my regular choice because of its lack of stretch and water absorption (and it really loves to freeze up on the spool), I usually keep one reel loaded with it for specific situations. The lack of stretch makes it much more sensitive, so on days when the bite is very fickle, braid can help you feel those subtle taps and make the most of limited opportunities.
The End of the Line
The most significant difference between Erie and most other winter walleye fisheries is current. Erie is massive, relatively shallow, seldom frozen over completely, and has near-constant wind moving across its length. What that means is that the water is almost always moving, even under the ice. It’s kind of like fishing a very slow river. You need weight here, sometimes as much as 3/4 ounce, to keep your line from sucking over to the far side of the hole or getting swept out of the cone of your electronics.
I suggest you keep it simple and carry a few lures in each of the five following categories. These will cover most circumstances:
Horizontal Jig—The Jigging Rap remains one of the most popular ice fishing lures of all time, just about everywhere I’ve ever been, and for a good reason. When worked aggressively and with just the right amount of slack, it will dance in a complete circle (practice this in a bucket or tub, seriously), but it also performs in more subtle situations. Try it with very slow twitches and lots of pauses if the fish are acting spooky. Many days, this is the only lure I fish.
Rattle Spoon—As we discussed earlier, you can’t cover water when ice fishing like you can when casting or trolling. Sometimes you need to bring the fish to you. In duck or turkey hunting, you use a call. When ice fishing for walleyes, you use a rattle spoon. My all-time favorite is the Silver Streak Rattle Streak. Available in sizes from a 1/4 ounce all the way up to 3/4 ounce, there are very few days that this doesn’t make at least a couple of trips down the hole.
Flutter Spoon—When the current gets light, walleyes have even more time to inspect your offering, which can elevate pickiness to a new level. That’s when I go with a flutter or light spoon such as the VMC Tingler, which seemingly never does the same thing twice. This erratic but subtle action, combined with a super slow fall rate, can turn a tough day into a successful one.
Heavy Spoon—Every Erie local has at least a couple of Swedish Pimples in their box, if not on the end of their rod. This unique spoon doesn’t produce the most action, but it will get down and stay down when the fish are deep, or the current is raging.
Jig—Yes, I realize that this sounds so obvious as to be borderline idiotic, but, believe it or not, basic jigheads are often overlooked by Erie locals. The fish don’t see a lot of them. I go with a classic ball-head jig when the bite is tough. I generally rig that on a dead stick, but you shouldn’t be afraid to pick it up and work it a little if walleyes are hanging around but not committing. I like the VMC Sleek Jig because it has a large hook, even in smaller sizes like 1/8 ounce. This allows you to use any size minnow and still have enough gap to get a solid hookup.
To some extent, ice fishing is ice fishing, and walleyes are walleyes. If you’re a reasonably knowledgeable angler, you’ll do fine on Lake Erie. But now that you know how to stay safe, where to start looking for fish, what to bring, and how to rig, you should be able to get a sense of why Erie is the greatest walleye fishery in the country—maybe the world.
