Sometimes they don't bite readily -- one reason that most anglers go after both walleyes and perch. "In January it's weird, because these lakes like Waubay, for instance, are places you go catch 100 walleyes and a few perch during summer," said Coester. "In wintertime it's the opposite. You catch a lot of perch, and hardly any walleyes. Most people go after perch (during winter). That's the way it is on the other lakes, too."

According to Coester, part of the reason for the slower winter walleye fishing may be that people fish with a different pattern during winter. "Obviously you aren't as mobile in an ice shack as in a boat," he said.

And the fishing depth is often different. During winter, fishing the bait just off the bottom is the usual thing to do. That may be a mistake, thinks Coester.

"People fish in 4 to 5 feet of water in the summertime," he said, "but nobody every thinks to do that in the winter. Fishing shallow is a key sometimes -- 4 to 5 feet depth." That's the depth he sometimes probes for walleyes moving around the lake looking for food.

"They are roaming," said Coester. "Maybe the baitfish are up in there; I'm not real sure. But they are definitely in there. There is some structure. Breaks go into deeper portions of the lake, and long points. There is some relation there, but not always. Sometimes you find them wherever you find them."

Like most other avid ice-fishermen, he uses sonar to help find walleyes. At the beginning of the season, before Jan. 1., when he needs to move fairly frequently, he deploys his portable ice shack. "Later on, I use a more permanent shack," he said. "It's still mobile, but not as mobile. I do move with them."

Coester also likes the evening bite. For walleyes he uses Jigging Raps made by Rapala. "You jig it like you do a vertical jig off the bottom, tipped with a minnow head," he said. "I've been using a jigging Shad Rap, which is new by Rapala. It has shown real positive results."

Favorite colors are perch and fire tiger. "I would say perch and fire tiger are my go-to ones," said Coester. "Blue is not very far behind."

In South Dakota, ice-fishermen can use four rigs at one time. When Coester does use that many, he has a plain hook with a split shot, which he tips with a big chub. He then jigs with another rig. The big sucker chubs are for big walleyes.

"It works well," he said. "Just let it set there. Put it about 6 inches to a foot off the bottom. I'm using 6- to 7-inch chubs. I let them run with it for at least 10 minutes. It seems like what they do is hit it and attack it, then carry it a ways, then reposition it and swallow it. That is why we wait so long."

Last winter Coester caught a 9-pound 6-ounce walleye using that technique. "I went out and saw the flag go up, and didn't think there was anything there," he said. "I set the hook, and there he was. I've got a 10-inch hole, and I have a lot of room to play with. If you have a guy to grab them when their head comes out of the water, it sure helps."

And then there are the little surprises -- or huge surprises, as the case may be. "With this fishing technique you have a really good chance of catching northerns, too," Coester added.

And those toothy critters, as many of you anglers already know, can be a real handful!