Brosdahl uses the sliver-minnow package as a secondary line positioned near his primary jigging hole. Or, if he's fishing out on the open ice, he will mount the sliver-minnow package -- including the rod and reel combo -- on an Arctic Warrior and set the drag loose enough so a walleye can run with only modest resistance. Clam Corporation's Arctic Warrior, like a tip-up, sends up a flag when a fish strikes. But you don't have to fight the fish hand over hand like a tip-up, because the battle transfers to the rod-and-reel combo that you have married into the system.

HOW ABOUT A SHOT?
Brosdahl has been drop-shot rigging through the ice ever since the bass guys brought it to the forefront. Although his drop-shot rendition is lighter, more surgical and customized for ice-fishing, the intention and results are similar. The goal is to put a panfish-sized morsel in a walleye's strike zone, and consequently, causing the fish to go weak-kneed.

A true finesse rig, Brosdahl's version features a small bell-sinker or appropriate amount of split shot fixed to the end of his main line. He recommends using only enough weight to reach the bottom, not anchor to it. Too much weight yields opposition when a walleye takes it and swims. Remember, you're dealing with a relatively uninterested fish to begin with.

Some 6 to 12 inches above the weight, he ties in a short snell and tiny hook. How high up the line the snell gets tied on corresponds to what the walleyes are doing on that particular lake, at that particular time. Are they riding tight to the floor or somewhat elevated? Place your snell accordingly. The snell, Brosdahl said, "is merely a finger of line, maybe 2 inches long after the knot is cinched and snipped." He uses a loop knot or "drop-shot knot" to affix the snell. On the business end goes a No. 10 or No. 12 fine-wire Aberdeen hook. Yes, a hook of panfish proportions, not walleye lore.

Again, the sliver minnow gets the call, but this time it is hooked daintily through the lips, thus not crushing the nose or puncturing the skull. Brosdahl wants plenty of swim. He then lowers the sinker to the bottom and watches on the Vexilar when using the drop-shot presentation as his primary offering. As a supplement to jigging, the drop-shotting combo gets placed in a rod holder with the bail closed and the drag set light enough so a walleye can dine and dash without detectable opposition. This presentation works great with an Arctic Warrior as well.

What if even sliver minnows aren't getting the job done? In a pinch, Brosdahl resorts to a clump of maggots hooked on their fatter end, or tail-hooked wax worms. Tiny ice-fishing plastics are worth trying, too.

DROPPER RIG
I've become so confident in their production that I often start with a dropper rig, forgoing the atypical spoon or Rapala-like swimbait. The basic dropper rig consists of a vertical jigging spoon with its treble hook removed and replaced by a short strand of monofilament or fluorocarbon line attached to a tiny lure or plain hook, which is fortified with meat.

In the presence of sleepy 'eyes, Brosdahl goes to a 4- to 6-inch drop-line ending in a No. 6 to No. 10 thin-wire Aberdeen hook. Tender jigging causes the spoon to boogie enough to draw attention and gets the meat moving in a seductive way. It sort of drives them to eat while being in a trance-like state.

In this package, Brosdahl lip-hooks a sliver minnow, but not the entire specimen. Before hooking, he snips off its tail just past the dorsal fin. Snipped properly, it'll still shimmy.