Drop a worm in the water on a summer day and just try to not catch a bluegill. But in winter, sometimes those same big slabs get finicky and only bite best at classic walleye times—dawn and dusk.

Those four little words will put any angler on tilt. Old or young, novice or expert, there’s something about a dancing bobber that stirs an instinctive adrenaline rush. What kind of fish is thinking ...