The presence of walleyes within a general area is often determined easily by the location of other anglers. Arrive early on such sites, and using your hydrographic map and sonar, decipher what specifically seems to be attracting the walleyes. Some of my best winter catches have come from less than five feet during twilight and evening winter walleye feeding frenzies. Next, rotate your fishing effort across the structure, spending ten minutes or so in each hole, trying to cover as much area as possible before activity on the ice spooks active fish. But when the fishing gets tough, the tough get going.
Mobility now becomes the key to consistently locating and catching active winter walleyes.
Too many anglers stroll onto the ice, drill a few holes and plunk down for the duration of the trip, regardless of whether the fish are biting or not. The trick is to locate these routes. In Wisconsin where we're allowed three lines, I drill sets of three holes a couple feet apart across different depths and structures, then jig two holes simultaneously while watching a Polar Tip-Up placed in the third. Often, I've taken limits from one hole, but few or none from others, despite the fact they're positioned only a few feet apart. If there's a lot of activity on the ice and the action shuts down across the entire pressured area, reference your map, and look for similar locations.