Late ice and early ice get so much attention it's only fair that mid-ice gets its fair share of ink. After all, it's the timeframe more anglers fish and it is largely neglected by the experts who are too busy debating the merits of early ice versus late ice.

This scribe has wandered through that debate with some early ice fishing in December and a late March fishing trip last winter. Similar to other anglers, the majority of my ice fishing comes when the ice is at its thickest, the weather at its coldest and the lakes their busiest. This year has been "interesting" at best but the story remains the same. Why so little attention to this mid-ice timeframe?

The answer to that question might be tough to find, but big walleye over 20-inches are thankfully not as difficult. Oh sure, a lot of work and a certain level of luck comes into the equation for finding walleye with of a respectable size, but anglers need not worry with a few tidbits of advice. This scribe recently chatted with fishing guide Bryan "Beef" Sathre of Fathead Guide Service out of Cass Lake and Bemidji for some advice on finding walleye big enough to give a good fight. The conversation took place during a furious jumbo perch bite on Lake Bemidji:

Q: First of all, where can you expect to find walleye that measure 20-inches plus? A: It's not like they hang out in a specific area away from the other walleye, but combine your location with the right presentation and you'll find yourself catching a lot of walleye in that size range. On the lakes I fish, there are a lot of 20 to 24 inch walleye to be had with these tactics but you will occasionally find yourself with a walleye pushing the 28 inch mark or beyond. Don't be surprised if you catch a hearty pike or eelpout as well. Walleye in that size range hang out in the same places as other large predators this time of the year. What I look for is a wide variety of locations, but my favorite is a transition zone where a soft bottom meets a hard bottom. You can use an underwater camera to find these areas, a high quality flasher will work as well but a simple weighted dropper is the cheapest way to go. Just put it on your hook and feel it make contact with the bottom. If it sticks after bottoming out, then you have a soft bottom. Soft bottoms have a lot going on with them including bug hatches, worms coming up and crayfish moving around. All of these activities attract baitfish and, in turn, larger predators. I also utilize the best mapping technology I can get my hands on to find breaklines, inside turns, underwater points, rock piles and donuts.

Q: Besides what we had for breakfast, explain a donut. A: Large sandy flats are especially good for them but you can find them elsewhere on a lake. They essentially are areas of a consistent depth with a deeper hole contained in the middle. It might only be a 12-foot flat with a 15-foot hole in it, but that's what you want to find. I like to fish these because they provide a natural edge that predators tend to like patrolling around. There's often times a weedy edge nearby providing shelter for baitfish and cover for predators. Where there's not a weedy edge, and when I'm on a spot I know has walleye regularly cruising by, I'll toss down my structure on a string and create a weed bed. Perch and other baitfish come into the area and hold tight to the artificial weeds which is more incentive for those big predators to move in. If you find just such a location, try to figure out which direction the predators typically move in from. It's amazing how the walleye can be almost like creatures of habit for the right location. Q: How deep of water? A: I know a lot of anglers who swear by deeper water, but I'm one who likes to stay shallow. There are some who fish as shallow as eight feet but I like the 14 to 18 foot range most of the time. Where I consistently fish is on the top half of a breakline. The depth drops gradually from eight to 12 feet and then fast from 12 to 15 feet. It's gradual from 15 to 18 and then it drops off fast. Just make sure to stay away from the crowds and limit your movement. Noise is a big factor largely ignored by anglers but I've seen it time and time again on the ice.

Q: What presentation tends to work best? A: If I'm fishing a tougher bite I'll use a jigging spoon with a minnow head. If the fish are neutral and need to be willing to be coaxed into a bite, I'll use an eye-droppers jig that has a stamped, spoon-shaped body tipped with a small to medium-sized shiner minnow. If you want to fish two lines, I like to deadstick the eye-dropper on a slip bobber rig while I jig with the spoon. With the eye-dropper, hook the shiner after the dorsal fin so that when it swims it has to put up a considerable effort and provides additional flash. In other situations when the walleye are steady but not strong, I'll tie on a dropper spoon rig with a whole shiner minnow. A jigging spoon is the most versatile rig both with color and size. Tipped with a minnow head, jigging spoons can be absolutely deadly. If you have electronics, be sure to watch how the fish react to your presentation.If they come in and hold, only to leave again, it could mean you have to slow your presentation. Be willing to let the walleye tell you how to react. Usually they want the action slowed down, but every once in awhile you can only get them to hit while aggressively jigging. Just be sure to pay attention if one comes in and leaves again because if you see that walleye once, and you didn't try and set the hook in it, the chances are good that it will return. Q: Any other advice? A: With walleye over 20 inches be sure to practice catch and release as much as possible. There's nothing wrong with a fish or two for a meal but let the rest of them swim another day. On yeah, watch out for the occasional pike using these tactics in these locations. They lurk around for the same reason as those larger walleye. I hate to say it, but there are also plenty of eelpout down there and that trophy walleye could turn into an ugly catch in no time. It might be slimy out of the hole, but under the ice a 'pout provides you with an epic battle.