Locating Fish Ice Fishing - Finding Fish

Locating fish while ice fishing is a problem that haunts many ice anglers. Let's take a look at some possible winter fish locations by species. This is not intended as an all-inclusive listing, but will put you on fish in the shortest time possible. These are high-percentage haunts that will narrow down your time on the hunt.

Bluegills & Sunfish: On many lakes, it won't matter where you drill a hole; small sunfish will be there waiting for you. But in general, mud bottom bays and flats--the bigger the better-- hold the most consistent sunfish action. If the areas are close to deep water, that's even better.

If you're willing to search for rod-benders, seek out the biggest areas of shallow or deep weed growth. Do your best to get away from the crowds and be quiet in your approach. And even though sunfish have a reputation as good daylight feeders, the twilight periods of dawn and dusk are prime big-fish times.

You'll have to fish your specific body of water, because some fish hold big sunfish all winter. Heavy fishing pressure, though, can cut down on the number "big bulls", making deeper weed or mud-related fish a better bet. Look for mud and weeds in 20 to 30-feet of water, and sometimes even deeper than that.

Yellow Perch: Yellow perch are notorious bottom feeders, and winter is no exception. Keep those baits sitting on or near the bottom. They tend to lie in deeper water, down to 40-feet or so. Don't look on drop-offs, but instead along the flats out from them. Perch feed on insects and larvae that live in the mud, and breaklins (edges) tend to be along harder bottom. Go for the mud!

Northern Pike: These eating machines bite well in the winter. I'm not trying to be vague, but they can be anywhere the food is. If a bay is full of small panfish, tip-ups can take pike. But also look for them to drop relatively deeper as winter wears on. Check the outside of weed edges, but pay special attention to deeper rock and other hard-bottomed areas near good-sized shallow food shelves.

Walleyes: Classic midwinter walleye locations include deep edges of remaining weed growth, and good-sized hard-bottom points and sunken humps. First, find large expanses of deep basin water, then look for these structural elements close by. You'll find walleye.

Fishing pressure will force walleyes off the most obvious spots. Check around the perimeter of groups of anglers, even out over deep water. If you find stair-stepping drop-offs, fish each small "stair" or flat.

Smallmouth Bass: Generally, a much deeper winter fish, and more catchable, than largemouths. Smallies like expansive areas of rock or other hard bottom in deep water zones of about 20 to 40 feet.

Largemouth Bass: They're pretty much roamers. By working shallow cover such as weeds or stumps, you can catch some on small minnows, but don't expect to catch a lot of largemouths very often during the winter.

Crappies: You will find some nice crappies on shallow flats mixed in with sunfish. But many winter slabs are in deep water, often suspended. Check out the areas just away from deep weed edges, or the edges of other cover.

Deep points and deep inside turns, can hold concentrations of midwinter crappies. Searching vast areas of deep water can turn up big schools, but it's a low percentage proposition.