Mid- to Late Ice Action and Adjustments

Along about midwinter, things begin changing on the ice-fishing front. Gone are the easy days of first-ice, where the initial flurries of unpressured schools have been located, fished and often harvested to some degree. Obvious prime spots that drew the bulk of anglers at first-ice have likely seen many of the surviving fish begin dispersing to other, often secondary areas that are less obvious in nature. Time to probe that secret hump no one else knows about. That little turn in the weedline. That deeper spot amidst the shallows that no one else seems to know is there. You may not find as many fish as on a huge classic spot, but then again, you won’t have to share them, either.

Several months of ice and snow cover have created other changes in the underwater environment as well. Oxygen levels in deep water may have diminished, forcing fish to move a bit shallower. This is often most apparent with panfish like crappies, which begin the ice season hugging bottom like walleyes, but slowly shift into more suspended behavior, often well off bottom by this time of year. Crappies routinely patrol middepth mud flats or soft basins between 25 and 40 feet deep. When your depth finder shows fish 10 or 15 feet off bottom, hey, don’t make the mistake of fishing under them. Use a slip bobber to hang your baited hook or ice jig at or a few feet above their level, coaxing them to become more active while rising to examine the bait and then hopefully biting. Lures positioned below them, by comparison, often remain unseen and untouched. And as midwinter begins giving way to late winter, seasonal migrations begin to occur as well. Gamefish and panfish alike gradually begin moving toward spawning areas, although they still relate to modestly deep, midlake structure like points, humps, deep weedlines, etc. They just shift from one portion of the lake to another. If you can predict the walleyes’ route toward shallow, rocky spawning sites, you may be able to intercept them along the way.

Same principle for pike, which eventually spawn in marshy bays just as the ice begins to thin and break along the edges. Fish weed edges nearer to these bays in mid- to late winter, and you should be on the fish. Even so, not all midwinter movements are toward spawning sites—at least not initially. Take perch, for example. They often roam middepth mud flats, much like crappies, although they’re often associated with deeper water, like 30 to 50 feet. Well, as we pass the midwinter mark, perch often begin tucking tighter to classic structures like humps and points. They may not be directly along the base of the hard-bottomed dropoff where it meets the soft basin—but they may not be far away from it, either. Be sure to check the soft bottom immediately outside some of your favorite walleye structures. Drill some holes, check depths with your depth finder, and perhaps drop an underwater camera. Don’t be surprised to find perch there. A small jig and minnow, or small jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head, should do the trick. Midwinter ice fishing may not be as easy as first-ice escapades, but then again, the crowds have usually left the lake, and once you find fish, you can have them all to yourself. Those equate to pretty good odds for success and enjoyment.

- Al Lindner

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