Walleyes Inc. Action packed adventures in walleye fishing on the internet.

Editor's note: John Kolinski is the 2002 Professional Walleye Trail Angler of 
the Year and a 12-time championship qualifier on the PWT, RCL and Masters 
Walleye Circuit. His articles can be read in numerous Midwestern outdoor 
publications and several web sites. Kolinski is sponsored by Triton Boats, Mercury Motors, Lowrance Electronics, Normark/Storm Lures, MinnKota, Lindy Legendary Tackle, Flambeau, Tempress Rod Holders, Off-Shore Planer Boards, Berkley Trilene, Optima Batteries and Panther Marine.

For most of the year, my career as a professional walleye fisherman consumes 
the angling opportunities I have on open water.It's walleye this and walleye that day after day, week after week and month after month.
Once winter puts its icy squeeze on the upper Midwest, I'll still spend a few 
days on the water in pursuit of a fish I truly love to catch.But like a legion of hard-water anglers, I've also developed a passion for crappie fishing. 
While walleyes are wonderful, bluegills are beloved, perch are palatial and 
pike are perfect, crappies are crafty, cranky, crazy crackerjacks that can be 
as challenging as any species and as satisfying to conquer.The challenge with crappies is their finicky nature. 
While there are those rare situations when they exhibit reckless behavior and 
whack almost anything you drop down the hole, more often it becomes a 
cat-and-mouse game between angler and prey.When a fish forces an angler to dig deep into his or her bag of tricks to achieve success, those are among the most rewarding and memorable experiences. 
And when a 12-inch crappie comes through an 8-inch hole in the ice, even the 
most seasoned anglers have been known to get a little giddy.In my experience, crappies seem to move around in small groups when they are active. They'll pass through an area and then vanish, leaving an angler to wait for the next group to show up.

Lowrance X 67C Ice Machine

When the weather is cooperative, I like to drill about 20 holes around the areas I believe are holding crappies, then go from hole to hole with my Lowrance X67C Ice Machine until I spot fish.Among its numerous features, the Ice Machine provides 800 watts of peak-to-peak power, full-screen and split-zoom color display and a Fish Reveal feature that exposes fish hidden in cover. In other words, there is no doubt when I've located fish and I can then get about the business of attempting to catch them. At other times, the weather is not so friendly, and it limits our mobility while forcing us to take cover inside an ice tent or shelter.

Early in the season, there seem to be more of those fish that rush right up  to an ice jig and eat it. However, after the initial first-ice binge, a little  more finesse is usually in order. We've all experienced those situations where a crappie will show up on the sonar or an underwater camera and eyeball a jig for several seconds without committing. Sometimes, they nudge it and back away like they are waiting for a  reaction.So that's what I try to give them.  First, I slowly raise the jig a few inches in the water column and wiggle it slightly. If that doesn't draw a charge, I'll lower it back to the crappie's level and try the same maneuver with an aggressive lift-drop stroke.

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