Minnesota angler Terry Tuma pulled a small walleye from the ice. Photo by Ron Hustvedt Jr.

February is the best of times and the worst of times for walleye anglers for a wide variety of reasons. Some consider late ice to be some of the best fishing around, while others say that the walleyes just are too tough to find and too tough to make bite for it to be worthwhile.

Both are actually good reasons to head out to the local walleye lake to drop a line through the ice. The number of ice-anglers is generally way down and walleyes are there if you are willing to search for them. That’s what you must do most of the time anyway.

There are a handful of waters that actually get going really hot in February with Lake of the Woods topping the list. Many anglers won’t even venture to the northern border until February, but the urgency isn’t quite there since the walleye season closes Feb. 22 throughout most of the state but is open until April 14 on Lake of the Woods.

It’s a good thing there are plenty of other quality walleye waters elsewhere around the state where anglers can expect a good bite in those waning days of walleye season. A few of them get a lot of attention because they are just too good to ignore. When this scribe asked several walleye pros why they only gave big lakes as their top spots, they said it wasn’t to protect some little honeyhole, it’s because those big lakes have big fish and plenty of fish.

“When you have a lot of water, you have a lot of forage and walleyes seem to respond to that better than other species, such as bass which can actually get bigger on a small body of water,” said Jon Thelen, professional walleye angler and outdoor media personality.

Call him a member of those who aren’t huge fans of the late season, Thelen said it doesn’t mean you should put the ice gear away early and call it quits until the ice melts.

“It’s not my favorite time of the year, but I like to fish for walleyes until the absolute last day of the season,” he said.

Whatever your thoughts on the “walleyeness” of February, being on the ice is much better than sitting around the house. Here are a few spots to try these final days of the walleye season that began last May.

LAKE OF THE WOODS
Lakes of the Woods County

Lake of the Woods absolutely has to top the list because it is the best choice for late-season walleyes. Thelen said it’s his top pick for late-ice walleye fishing, even though it’s a healthy drive from his home in the Twin Cities.

When the bite is steady, anglers can catch dozens in a day. When the bite is hot, anglers can catch numbers in the hundreds. Even a cold bite on a frigid February night yields a few good eaters. No matter what the weather, there’s always a solid chance at a trophy.

Walleyes are found in 14 to 17 feet of water and out in the depths in water 30 to 40 feet deep.