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.

Dobbing on commercials is often the only way of getting a bite in the depths of winter from lethargic carp that aren’t feeding properly. It looks easy enough when you watch another angler in action, ...