Let's face it, most folks have never caught a ten-pound walleye, the size generally regarded in Walleyedom as the Holy Grail.  Indeed, I know many highly-skilled, fulltime, FLW touring walleye pros who have never caught a double digit 'eye.     

Buddy Jeff Matity, on the other hand, catches the darned things with amazing regularity, as witnessed by the 31-inch long giant - with an enormous 20-inch girth - he caught and released on the weekend.  The eye popping 'eye calculated out to weight 13.48 pounds! 

  

Still, it was just another day at the office as far as Matity is concerned!  

But, what an office he has to work on.  It is Saskatchewan's famous Last Mountain Lake, where Matity works out of G&S Marina Outfitters http://www.gsmarina.com/ as the head guide.  According to Jeff, the lake is on "first ice fire" right now.  

"The walleye are biting like crazy," Matity says. "Spoons, jigs and tip-ups are all getting the nod, but the hot lure on the Qu'Appelle system right now is a 1/4-ounce REELBAIT Flasher Jig.  Especially, the one with the short shank and small flasher blade."  

For those not familiar with the Flasher Jig, it is a standard fish-head shaped jig but with a willow leaf blade moulded into the bottom of the leadhead.  The blade flashes and vibrates and increases the attraction quality of the jig big time.  

"I've been sweetening the hook with either a minnow head or perch eye," Matity elaborated, "and applying PRO-CURE's new Mr. Ice Hole Ice Gel in the smelt/shiner scent to the blade. This lure is compact, the perfect mouthful for a walleye, and fishes just right.  It has accounted for the best start to an ice fishing season I've had ever."  

Matity adds that when the ice first forms on Last Mountain Lake and the water is super clear, he finds natural colors like white, chrome and gold to be hard to beat.  At sundown and when he is fishing in deeper, darker water, on the other hand, natural glow is his "go to" hue.  

"Natural glow is the colour I was using the other day when I iced the big 31-incher, Matity added.   "I was fishing with my brother, Jason, who won a major winter tournament on the Red River last year, icing a 16-pound 6-ounce goliath also on a Flasher Jig, and we caught several other walleyes in the 7-pound range to go along with the giant."  

Jeff also confirmed, like most good ice anglers, that he found the spot where he iced his giant by looking for it in the late fall.  It is a first ice location tactic we emphasize all the time.  The best spots on which to start ice fishing for walleye are where you left the fish in the fall.  

"Jason and I started our "ice fishing program" in November," Jeff said, "by getting out in the boat and hitting all of our favourite spots in order to determine where the walleyes were concentrated when it came time to drop a line through the ice.  While 3/4-ounce and 1-ounce Fergie Spoons dominated the program prior to ice-up, we've been slamming the walleyes through the ice using 1/4-ounce and 1/2-ounce Plain Jane and the new Prototype spoons."

By the way, walleye aren't the only fish on fire in Saskatchewan right now.  Jeff says he and Jason are also icing limits of jumbo perch and some bonus bruiser pike.  



But, he adds a strong caution.  Huge Last Mountain Lake, which stretches for almost 70 miles, was at maximum capacity at ice-up despite being drawn down all summer.  As a result, the Saskatchewan Water Corporation is releasing nearly three times the normal amount of water through the dam in an attempt to get the system back to normal pool.  

All that current and moving water can create safety issues for first ice anglers.  Indeed, one unfortunate angler lost his life two weeks ago when his ATV crashed through the ice and he drowned.  

So, fishing safely should be uppermost in everyone's mind.  

"There is current raging through all the Qu'Appelle Valley lakes," Matity cautions.  "Katepwa Lake, the largest and deepest of the Qu'Appelle lakes only iced-up about ten days ago and there were areas of open water in Round, Crooked, Katepwa and Pasqua Lakes.  Ice fishermen need to be cautious and avoid current areas near river inlets and outlets.  You need to avoid constricted areas between major deep water points where the current picks up and creates bad ice."  

If Saskatchewan anglers play it safe, stick to secure sound travel routes and follow Matity's fishing tactics, I've got a hunch a lot of double digit walleyes are going to be feeling ice on their bellies in the days ahead.  
Stay safe and have fun.