Targeting early ice walleyes with the Humminbird 385ci
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As November fades into December, open water in the north country gives way to ice cover. During this early ice period, the walleyes that chased panfish in shallow weedbeds during the fall will remain in that shallow cover for as long as the weeds stay green. Moderate temperatures that slow ice growth, coupled with scarce snow cover, will ensure that those weeds remain healthy and vibrant...and excellent walleye attractors! Such are the conditions during the early part of the 2011/12 winter in my part of the north country.
In this article, I'll describe how I target photo-worthy walleyes under these conditions, and how I use my electronics (especially my Humminbird 385ci) to identify areas that are likely to focus walleye feeding activity during early ice.
Dr. Jason Halfen
Professional Walleye Angler
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In the clear bodies of water that I fish for early ice walleyes, the primary walleye feeding activity occurs at low light...from an hour prior to sunset until an hour after. Walleyes can still be caught during other times of the day, but it is this dusk feeding window that provides the best chances for photo-worthy walleye. Since the ice is still relatively thin (certainly not thick enough for full-size vehicle traffic), I typically elect to travel by foot, which means that I have to carry or pull everything I will need for a successful trip. This is first reason that I select my Humminbird 385ci for early ice trips, as the 385ci combines a GPS chartplotter (with internal antenna) , dual-beam LCD sonar, and a designated ice fishing flasher mode that any ice angler will find familiar and very effective. All of this electronics firepower is bundled in a self-enclosed, portable unit that weighs no more than a traditional, mechanical flasher like the Humminbird ICE 55.
The screen capture on the left shows the sonar returns associated with the narrow beam, 200 kHz sonar. This frequency provided bottom coverage equivalent to 30% of the water depth, or 4 feet in this case. Thus, objects need to be close to the center of the ice hole to be observed by 200 kHz sonar. On the right is a screen capture that shows the sonar returns associated with the dual beam sonar option, with 83 kHz sonar on the left side of the split screen and 200 kHz on the right. 83 kHz sonar is the best choice for identifying fish (or weeds) that are farther removed from the center of the ice hole, as this wide beam sonar provides coverage equivalent to the depth of the water. Thus, with 83 kHz sonar, I can observed ~ 13 feet of bottom in 13 feet of water. When I can just *barely* see weeds on 83 kHz sonar, yet see a clean bottom with 200 kHz, I know I've found a prime area to intercept feeding walleyes that are cruising the weed edge.
Here is a look at a screen capture of the ice fishing mode included with the Humminbird 385ci. One of the features I really appreciate about this mode is that it represents "one stop shopping" for important ice fishing information, including digital depth (in the center), remaining battery power (upper left), sonar sensitivity and noise attenuation (lower), and zoom information (upper right). All of this information surrounds a familiar flasher display that closely emulates the output from the Humminbird ICE 55, a mechanical flasher. Also, like the ICE 55, the color palette on the 385ci is fully adjustable, should you prefer to work with other, 3-color palettes. One difference between a mechanical flasher and the 385ci is that the 385ci operates in complete silence, because it is an LCD GPS/sonar combo. If you are fishing with multiple other anglers in an enclosed space, you'll quickly appreciate the absence of the "whirr" that is associated with mechanical flashers. Also, because the 385ci and the ICE 55 operate at different frequencies, you won't have to worry about any "cross-talk" between these units two units.
Because the Humminbird 385ci includes the same robust software and design features associated with other open water Humminbird units, you'll also have access to other, traditional displays for sonar output. For example, here are two additional screen captures from my 385ci, each showing a small jigging spoon being worked in ~ 13 fow, as I try to attract walleyes prowling the periphery of the weed edge as dusk settles in.
Once my attention turns from finding likely spots to catching fish, I will scatter tip-ups (rigged with Sufix metered tip-up line and a 2 foot leader of Sufix 6 lb Fluorocarbon) baited with shiner or sucker minnows along the weed edge, and select a small number of prime holes for hole-hopping with jigging spoons or Jigging Raps. On a given evening, the fish will quickly tell you whether they prefer an active approach with the artificial baits, or a more casual presentation afforded by the tip-ups. Whichever presentation the walleyes prefer, you will have the opportunity to enjoy some very consistent early ice walleye action if you identify key feeding locations using your Humminbird 385ci.
