Deadsticking Winter Walleye.

[Walleye Express]

New subject guys.

I've been fishing Saginaw Bay for just about 45 years now. Of course, I didn't really put any serious thought into much when I was 5. I do remember being yeld at a lot less than my brother on fishing trips through the years, as I was always more interested in the whole thing than him. I missed the end of the walleye era on the Bay as I was born in 1952. That last natural Saginaw Bay walleye had long since been dead, probably around the late 30's early 40's.

Our place to catch walleyes before the re-birth of the bay started was in Canada, Michigans Upper Peninsula or Northern Michigan Lakes. And Tip Up's were a big part of how to catch these walleyes through the ice.

So why don't they work now on Saginaw Bay walleyes? My buddy comes down from Black Lake (where they do work great) several times a year to fish the Bay. He sets up tip-up's religiously, and they set all day and never get touched. Yet, I've been using a dead stick in the shanty with a Gens Worm and minnow and catch half the fish I catch on it. And I've seen pleanty of others who use tip up's and "Notta". Any thoughts on this matter.

[WalleyeOne]

Gotta be the Genz worms.........lol. I cant tell you why but I have had similar results here in the midwest. That Genz worm and a minnow left alone will produce just as many if not more fish than anything I throw down the hole and jig with. I do believe I draw fish in with the flashy commotion the spoons/jigs make......however 75% of the time they take the Genz worm.....or as we call 'em "tripple be-be's.
WalleyeOne

[Walleye Express]

WalleyeOne.
That is interesting. The first time I seen a Gens in action was on the Midwest Outdoors TV Show. Mr. Gens himself was using them on that Big Lake in South Dakota, or North Dakota, I forget. It's that famous Lake where they catch those giant perch. The fishing crew was complaning that they were catching more walleyes than giant perch. I looked high and low for them and nobody in this area knew what I was taking about. Low and behold, I called Gander Mountain on a whim and they had some. I've found that hooking the minnow just under the skin, between the Dorsal and tail fin, actually gives them a little vibrating/shimmy kind of action while they strugle. I also jig with a spoon while I let the gens soak next to it. The FL-8 will light up, and the gens rod tip will start to shimmy from the excited minnow. Being that close to Jaws might do that to me as well. Then the rod will just slightly start to bend. Bang, got'em. Seem's I catch more on the gens in the morning and the jig turns on later in the day.

[WALLEYE DREAMING]

Dan I was wondering what your buddy uses for leader material on his tip ups. First ice I have always done well on them. I use a mono leader 8# Stren magnathin with a very small treble hook I put a couple of shot two feet above the hook so the minnow or minnows can swim freely. I always set mine pretty close to the shack so I can get to them in a hurry. Heard about those worms. My best bait has been a#5 jiggin rap fire tiger last couple of years. Before that the dojiggers were my hot bait. Sometimes I try the dead sticking approach but most of the time I jig two rods. I will try this method though.My dad used to say its all in what you have confidence in son.

[fishguy]

I highly doubt it's the lure deadstick alone. A combination of fish activety level and placement of your presentation. You both "jig" the fish in and catch the fish on the still bait next to you. Tip-ups are usually alone somehwere not next to a actively jigged bait.
It's about Location Location Presentation, not Presentation, Presentation, Location

[Walleye Express]

Jim.
I'm pretty sure he uses some light line or at least light leader. When I go up and fish with him on Black, he always telling to play them slow and easy, because he has light line on the Tip Up's. He usually uses the #10 treble and one small split shot. Fishes it 3 to 10 inches off bottom. Everything I'd do myself, if I was still serious about using them. Even fishing in those massive packs out by the spark plug, I've seen few if any tip up's on the ice.

[Walleye Express]

A valid point Fishguy.
The fish may be drawn in by the flash of the jigging motion, and then because he is not exactly in the (lets call it frisky mood), he takes the more subtle acting Gens and Minnow. I've been using tip Up's lately for white fish on the Bay. Just chunking bait and using a two hook set-up on the tip up dead on the bottom. I'll try bringing a live bait tip up inside the Old Otter Skin next time out and see if that is indeed the only difference. I guess the only down side here, would be the fish might drop the offering on the tip up, whereas I usually give him the steel right away on the Gens rig.

I Would like to give a tip on deadstiking walleye. I use a very light willow and a long shank straight hook or 16th oz char/white jig home made with long shank hook on 8# test line. I start by hooking a good 4 to 6 inch red chub by the very back of his tail and threading it threw the middle of him until it comes out as close to his bumb hole as possible. This makes him swim like a wounded minnow. I don't use any weight at all and it doesn't take very long to get to bottom. I set it 3 to 4 inches off bottom. You can see the minnow get real hyper just before the fish bites and you won't see that on most tip ups. I stress, to use a very light willow and feed it to him good. You will see everything that the minnow will do. I could go on and on about ice fishing, its all most as exciting as fishing the RCL. Try this, I don't want to be the only one having fun.

[Walleye Express]

McCanada.
Your Willow and Red Minnow sounds like an old family fish catching recipe. It was both easy to mentally visualize you setting this device up on some slave lake, and it's effectivness, when reading your post. I'm just wondering about the play and drag system on a red willow.:-).

If a Genz worm is catching most of the fish on a dead stick, why not put it on the tip ups? They are basically dead sticks anyway.