Walleyes, walleyes, walleyes!

One of the nice things about walleyes is that they are one of the fish least affected by the mid winter/February funk.  They may slow down a bit but they still seem willing to bite regardless of the conditions.

Indeed, I was out on Lake of the Woods last night and the bite was superb – unquestionably the best of the winter so far.  And from the reports I am getting from across the country, it seems to be the case from the Bay of Quinte in southern Ontario to Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan.  Need proof?  Well take a look at Ashley Rae holding two beautiful Quinte ‘Eyes.   And don’t let this pretty young gal’s looks fool you, Ashley is one heck of an angler.

By the way, Ashley was fishing with buddy Jeff Chisholm who guides full time on Quinte.  Like me, Jeff is a big fan of Rapala Jigging Raps and he tells me they have remained his bait of choice all winter long.  By the way, you can check out Jeff’s website and you can reach him at jeff@quinteicefishing.com or by phoning him at (613) 848-7881.  And if you want to see the kind of fish Jeff’ has been icy this winter, feast your eyes on this beauty (and notice the lure in the walleye’s mouth).

Two other friends and Quinte guides are also catching the heck of the walleyes.

Grant McAllister runs G2 Angling www.g2angling.com and you can reach him at grant@g2angling.com or by phoning (647) 330-4413.  Like Jeff, Grant has been using horizontal jigging minnow baits (Northland Puppet Minnows) to catch a good portion of his Quinte eyes.  Grant’s biggest so far this winter has been a humongous 13.11 pounder.  When you spend a day with a good, reliable guide like Jeff and Grant, you up your odds of catching fish so much.

Last, but certainly not least, Quinte guide Darcy Hammerton www.hardwaterobsession.comhas been, well, “hammerin” the walleyes of late.  Like Jeff and Grant, Darcy offers full service which means fishing inside a quality heated shelter when the weather turns cold and nasty.  As it was the day when Darcy caught this beautiful winter Quinte ‘eye.

Moving further north, along the north shore of Lake Superior, I’ve got a special young buddy by the name of Tory Whitton, who lives in Terrace Bay.  Tory’s 18 years old but let me tell you, he is one heck of a big game hunter, angler and all round outsdoorsman.

Tory was out for ”keeper size walleye” and jumbo perch the other day and got into some great action.  It is important to carefully release the big spawning walleyes and keep the smaller, immature fish to eat and species like perch.  All I can say, Tory, is make sure you call me when dinner is ready!

Even further north and to the west, Colin Gosse is slaying the winter walleyes on Lac Seul and surrounding waters.

Colin is one of the best muskie anglers on the continent (which shouldn’t come as a surprise, given his access to the best muskie lakes on the planet) but when winter locks up the lakes he turns his attention to guiding anglers for walleye, lake trout and just about anything else that will bite.

If you’re looking for the winter ice fishing adventure of a lifetime, you can contact Colin at www.lacseulguide.com The wilderness places he will take you to and the fish you will catch (not to mention the numbers) will simply blow your mind.  Like this one.

Finally, I couldn’t do a winter walleye roundup and not talk about Jason Matity over on Last Mountain Lake, Saskatchewan.  Jason is a producer / on air personality for CTV news in Regina and he is also the host of CTV’s Reel ‘Em In television show, the only one of its kind in Saskatchewan.  Heck, even if you don’t live in the province, you can check out the segments at http://regina.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101209/sask-reg-reel-101209/20110106/?hub=Regina

Jason’s brother Jeff, is one of the hottest walleye sticks in the province and he showed me a technique last summer that is a true winner.  I can’t tell you anything more about it, you’re just going to have to pick up a copy of the April/May edition of Outdoor Canada Magazine.

Now, what is stopping you, folks.  There is so much ice covered water out there – and so many walleyes waiting to meet you!