How do walleye behave under the ice?
They keep living the same life at half speed. Walleye winter along basin edges and the structure adjacent to them — bars, points, and flats in roughly 6–12 m (20–39 ft), shallower on dark-water lakes — and cruise these edges in loose schools rather than sitting still. The low-light rule survives intact and sharpens: the last hour of daylight into early evening is the signature bite of the ice season, with a lesser dawn window, and midday best spent on perch or setup work. Fish respond to the classic one-two of an aggressive jigging lure to call them in and a plain live minnow on a deadstick nearby to convert the lookers. Depth discipline matters more than in summer: a school's cruising band can be a single contour wide.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
Same topic, other species
- Why are crappie such a prized ice-fishing target, and when is the ice bite best? — Crappie
- Do largemouth feed in winter or under ice? — Largemouth Bass
- Where do muskie spend the winter under the ice? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- What is the best time of day through the ice — and why not dusk? — Yellow Perch
- What is the winter pattern for pike under the ice? — Northern Pike
- Do smallmouth feed all winter? — Smallmouth Bass
- What happens to trout during the ice season? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)