Chasing Ice Out ‘Eyes

Chasing Ice Out ‘Eyes

By Steve Weisman

Ice out! Those two words create a feeling of excitement for walleye fishermen in northern Iowa. Two of those anglers, Kevan Paul, owner of Kevan Paul’s Guide Service out of Clear Lake, and Laef Lundbeck, owner of Blue Water Guide Service out of the Iowa Great Lakes (Royal), can hardly wait. Each, of course, has his favorite lake(s).

“As a guide, I always have my boat ready to go, but this is a time before most people have their boats out of storage. By the end of March to the first week of April, the ice is usually gone, and it isn’t long before wader fishermen are working the shorelines here on Clear Lake”, notes Paul.

Lundbeck sees the same thing happen on three of his favorite early ice out lakes in northwest Iowa: Storm Lake, Five Island and Silver Lake (Lake Park). “I’ve been wader fishing these lakes since back in the 1980s, when I was still in high school.”
Let’s take a look at how each of these guides approach this early shallow water bite with Paul talking about Clear Lake and Ludbeck talking about the other three lakes. Both agree that they will be targeting mostly male walleyes in the shallows in advance of the spawn with the females staging out in the deeper water.

Clear Lake
Even though this is wader fishing season for many anglers, Paul still likes fishing from his 21-foot Ranger. And why not? It’s definitely more comfortable than being in a pair of waders. “I know it is early, but I like fishing from the boat.” Paul will target the same areas, but with the boat he can move from spot to spot and work from “lake to shore,” which he likes, especially if a wind is blowing.

“I do like a nice chop when I fish the shallows,” says Paul. “Wind is good. It pushes the bait in and also stirs up the water. I think it also helps to have an overcast day.”

Prime areas on Clear Lake include the east side between the downtown sea wall and the outlet, the island and Dodges Point. Best fishing times include before sunrise and sunset to after dark. “If I do fish during the daylight, I will just work farther out.
Paul has two favorite presentations. The first is a plain jighead (1/8 oz to 1/16 oz) tipped with a minnow, while the second presentation is tipping the jig head tipped with a Berkley Paddle Tail in perch and smelt colors or Ripple Shads. Paul likes to use a 7’ rod for casting and will use Fireline (4/10).

“I like using my I-Pilot to hold in a spot and then to slide the boat along the shoreline to the next spot. It’s much easier than an anchor. Plus, I like being able to cast up to shore and then drag it back with a nice straight retrieve. Nothing beats the thump of a fish.”
When talking shallows, Paul means just that. “The fish can be in just a few inches of water all the way out to 4-5 foot of water. “
This type of bite will go on, depending on how quickly the water warms, for two to three weeks.

Storm Lake, Five Island & Silver Lake
Although Lundbeck’s boat is ready to go, it’s mostly reserved for trips to South Dakota in March and early April. “A bunch of us around Royal like to wader fish, so when the ice goes out and the water warms a little, we’ll all jump in a vehicle and head out.” Since they are wader fishing, Lundbeck says dressing for the weather is important. “You have to have a good set of waders. That water is really cold, so I like to go with a good pair of 1600-gram thinsulate chest waders, like LaCrosse or Cabela’s.

Lundbeck has the same game plan for all three lakes. “It’s about working the shallows, and I like the windy side of the lake.” On Storm Lake, the rocky shorelines are key to finding the pre-spawn males. “Storm Lake is the first lake that we will hit. Of course, it is south of the Iowa Great Lakes and is likely to open up the first. At Storm Lake, not only are there a lot of wader fishermen, but you will also find a lot of shore fishermen casting out lighted bobbers and a minnow. People also cast from public and when they have permission, from private docks. Most of the time, we will be catching males but every once in a while we will take a big female that’s on a feeding binge before spawn.” According to Lundbeck, last spring was incredible at Storm Lake. “Limits of male walleyes were taken night after night.”
Five Island, which is located on the north side of Emmetsburg, is also a great early spring fishery. “It can be really good in town, around the trestle area, around boat ramps and the city park area.” Again, it is the lure of the rocks and rubble that bring the pre-spawn males into the shallows. “There are also public docks that people can access and fish from.”

Finally, there is Silver Lake by Lake Park. “The city park area and all along the south side of the lake are good places to fish. A bunch of tree limbs have been cut around the city park and are in the water, which makes it a little tricky to cast and not get hung up.”

Like Paul, Lundbeck likes a longer rod for casting. “I like a 6’6” fast tip rod. I will use either Berkley 6-pound Nanofill or 6-pound Berkley XL.” For Ludbeck, it’s all about casting and working the shallows with twisters and1/8 to 1/16-ounce jigs tipped with Berkley Gulp!

or Berkley’s Havoc Minnow. For presentation, Ludbeck will cast out, let the jig slowly fall and then start a slow retrieve back. “I do like to twitch it every so often and sometimes even throw in a stop and go once in a while.”

Both Paul and Lundbeck agree that they will change things up based on what the walleyes want that particular day.

Yes, ice out means one thing: the walleyes are going to be in the shallows and on the bite. Give it a try!