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One of the most anticipated times of the year is winter ice fishing. Whether you've never been, are just getting started, or have been ice fishing your whole life, here are some tips and tricks for fishing specific species in the winter.Fish feeding and behavioral patterns often change as the seasons change. If you wish to target a specific species, you can choose the depth, bait size and location (such as near shore or around land sites that extend into deeper water) to increase your chances of catching that species. Brook trout: The number one tip for ice fishing brook trout is to stay shallow. Brook trout prefer shallow inshore habitats in winter, and the best brook trout are found in water depths between 4 and 12 feet. Although some prefer less than 5 feet of water!Brook trout are especially hungry in winter, so using worms or live bait can be very effective on slant and small tackle (be sure to check the regulations to make sure these baits can be used in the waters you plan to fish). Lake trout (tongue): If you're fishing for lake trout (togue), try fishing around land spots that extend into deeper water. Focus on water depths 15-40 feet from these landmarks. Large tongues roam these areas in search of food and are often caught close to the surface and bottom.Lake trout can be found at different depths, so using a combination of traps and jigging can help you determine at what depth they feed. Inland Salmon: Inland salmon are often caught "under the ice" and should be fished within 15 feet of the ice.Ice fishing for inland salmon can also be very productive in winter using smelt or other legal baitfish of similar size (such as common silverfish, silverbait, or eastern silver minnow).2 to 5 feet of 6 or 8 lb fluorocarbon line tied directly to the hook behind the ice line will minimize gear visibility and may result in more flagging. When working with smelts, the #8 hook size is ideal. Splash: Splake is a hybrid trout, a cross between a brook trout and a lake trout. This cold water species is easy to catch and offers excellent winter fishing opportunities.Splake feeds primarily on smelt, white bass, yellow perch and minnows. Therefore, baiting with baits that mimic these species can be very effective. Tips On Stay Warm When Fishing in Winter Nothing makes a day on the ice more miserable than getting cold feet. Learning to keep your feet warm while ice fishing is essential if you want to catch more fish so you can spend more time outside. It's easier said than done, but there are plenty of ways to beat the cold and warm your feet and body. 1. Stay dry. If you want to stay warm, you need to stay dry. Yes, it may seem like an easy task, but even the smallest leak in your wader pants can be a real problem in winter. The water temperature is usually not much above freezing, and even the tiniest trickle can soak the warmest wool socks and end your day early. Before you go fishing, make sure your wading boots will hold up. Also consider the need to keep your hands dry, which is not an easy task, especially when you are catching and releasing trout. Remember to keep a dry hand towel in the pocket of your wading jacket so you can dry your hands after releasing a fish. 2. Keep your extremities warm. When fishing, your feet and hands (and your ears and nose) often bear the brunt of the cold weather. Warm socks are a must – wool socks under wader pants when fishing in winter – and hand warmers are often required. With the Ocoopa Union 5s Rechargeable Hand Warmer, you get a simpler but better experience. It features 4 levels of adjustable heat for an enhanced hand warming experience. You can choose how much heat the hand warmer emits. Then, once the battery dies, all you have to do is plug it in and charge it for later. The rechargeable battery allows you to charge the hand warmer outdoors for 15 hours anytime, anywhere. 3. Anything But Cotton (ABC). If you only take one thing away from this tip, it's this: Anything But Cotton (ABC). Wool dries faster than other materials, but the general rule is best described by knowing your ABCs. Cotton soaks in water quickly but dries slowly, so it is not suitable to wear it next to your body when fishing in winter. Again, follow the simple ABC rules and consider fleece or microfleece tops and bottoms. If it's really cold, wear your thickest pair under your wader pants. For warmer winters, a thinner fleece. 4. Drink plenty of water. Drink water, even if it's not hot. Hot tea and coffee may help, but both are diuretics, which means you may need to get out of the water more often to answer nature's call. Hot alcoholic beverages? Avoid them, or wait until you get back to the car or truck. While you may feel warm when descending, alcohol can actually lower your body's core temperature. 5. Has everything you need to start a fire. Even just some kindling and a lighter are worth carrying in your fishing vest. If you or a buddy dunk and you're not near your car or truck, a fire by the creek could save your life. And, let’s be honest, it’s always nice to have a fire to keep warm on a cold day.

Ice Fishing Reports for Untited States by Region and/or State - Click here. Ice Fishing Reports for Canada-Click Here

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE SEASON IT HAS BEEN SO FAR, AND WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED! Now, certainly hitting some of the best fishing of the season for ALL species!!! Walleyes have been on the chow on most of the midsized bodies of water along the weed edges, sunken humps and bars anywhere from 12” to 28” of water. Keep an eye on the primary transition areas such as sand to muck, boulders to gravel, weeds to sand (etc.) These areas are key right now. Leech Lake does have a bug hatch going on currently, but the fish are still active and hitting. Slowing down your troll, and using simpler presentations like a Lindy Rig, Slip Bobber, or Spinner or Slow Death Rig tipped with Crawlers, Leeches, or Chubs have all been producing exceptional numbers. The Bass have been extremely aggressive! Smallmouth can be found off the rock bars and sunken humps, hitting both Drop Shots and Swim Baits. Likewise, Largemouth Bass, can be found along the pencil reeds, out from docks and various surface structure, as well as in the cabbage beds. Spinner baits, Drop Shots, and Jerk Baits have all been effective in targeting the “bucket mouths”. Crappies and Bluegills can be found within the cabbage. As cabbage is just starting to peak, find the tallest and greenest cabbage which is close to deeper drops and you will find the fish! Small jigs tipped with Crappie Minnows or a Small Leech, or even rigging slowly over the cabbage has proven to be successful! We certainly hope you all have been out enjoying this terrific weather we have been having and been able to keep your lines tight! Cheers! -Alice Wiese Wheezy Outdoors

Hi All March is here and travel conditions are better then it’s been all year. ? Cheers ?

I recently met up with my buddy Al to check out a small lake that I had never fished before (Al had only open water fished it). We didn't get to the lake until after sundown and we immediately started drilling holes looking for fish. It didn't take us too long to find an area that the fish were frequenting. We caught a couple fish and set up the flipover. We wound up getting into some nice Crappies and to our surprise some really nice Sunfish. I would really like to get back to this lake soon to explore some new areas and learn it a bit more as it definitely has quality fish!

I'm looking into insurance options for an Ice House and wondering what advice or recommendations anyone has on the best type of coverage. Also, if I want to be able to rent out my ice house when I'm not using it but not as an "outfitter" or "guide" would that be something that typical coverage wouldn't cover if a profit is being made since I wouldn't have the coverage that a company running as an outfitter would have? (Such as how normal car insurance doesn't cover an Uber driver when they are logged into the app and giving someone a ride because they are consequently on the road more often and making a profit.) Any and all information or recommendations would be extremely helpful!

A few friends and I decided to try our hand at something we've never done before - targeting Channel Catfish through the ice. This definitely proved to be a bit of a challenge and took me out of my comfort zone. After getting a few bites and fish up the hole we started to figure out a method that worked for us. I don't feel like it's the most productive way to catch these fish but it worked out for us that day. At the end of the day everyone in our group caught quite a few fish, had their rods doubled over and left with smiles on our faces. These fish put up a heck of a fight on Walleye gear! I will definitely try to get back up there this season.

A few friends and I gained access to a small lake recently and went out in search of Panfish. We tried some shallower water but the fish seemed to mostly be out roaming and feeding in the Basin. We didn't catch a lot of fish but the Quality was definitely there! The key to catching them was to stay mobile and only fish a hole for a few minutes before moving on and using heavy Tungsten jigs and Hardbaits to get down to the fish that you did mark quickly.

Anyone know what depth I should be looking for Walleye’s at? I’ve always went just south of the main city in bayport on the wi side. In 32-36fow seems to be a crappie spot. Any suggestions would be great.

Wondering if anyone has access to ice reports around Morson yet. I know it iced up at Mylie's a few weeks ago, but I'm wondering if it's all locked up and making ice. Anyone?

I just wanted to share some of my experiments with solar power and solar heat on my fish house. It's 8x12 with one 100 watt solar panel and a custom made 4x7 active solar heating panel on the back. It puts out some incredible heat for free, up to 110F.

Roll call of what you use and why. I am biased as a prostaff member so I will stay out of this, but want to hear what you use and more importantly why you use that kind. Thanks, and good luck this upcomming season and please be safe!

Just got back from my local Wallyworld, they have all Icestuff on about 75% or better Clearance. Jigging raps are $3, all the clam ice stuff.....ALL of it is $1 Berkely ice mono is $1 Fireline is $3 Better check it fast.

Hey everybody, Dan Schmidt from Sunset Lodge! Say, we're starting our new season for 2016. Got the fish houses ready, we've got about 7 - 8 inches of ice between here and Young's Bay so we're hauling people in our people hauler. We've got 5 houses out and the first group out got their limit of fish this morning so things are looking really good. So come on up for New Year's - we got ice! Dan Schmidt Sunset Lodge danfishreport12.28.15.3gp

The wee beginnings of a wonderful ice fishing season to come. I predict fishable ice by Dec. 12. What say you?

I have dabbled with ice fishing the St Croix River above the Taylors Falls Dam. I have fished the lions park and have seen other holes punched there. Anyone ever ice fish the lions park right above the dam as well? has anyone else ever tried fishing backwater pools on the upper stretch of the Croix? does anyone have a guess on where the fish in that stretch of river would migrate during the winter months?

I've got a Lowrance HDS 9 - Gen 3 touchscreen unit in my boat and wondering what all I need to use it out on the ice. I know I need the blue connector ice transducer and have gotten that, but my main issue is power. My buddy is running something similar, but his power is running off DC, I am preferring to run mine off a 12V battery since I'm usually not sitting in a shack or in my truck. I picked up what I thought was the right power cord for this from my local Cabelas, but there are 3 different cords coming out of the one blue plug in. Can I just cut off all but the red/black power? Or do I have the wrong cord? Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated.

Hi everyone, trying to plan out a winter camping trip for the first week of January and looking for some suggestions of MN lakes to look at. Spent a week on Trout Lake in the BWCA north of Vermillion last year fishing lakers and camped on Vermillion the year before that but looking for something new this year. Decided against another BWCA trip due to the work involved with hauling in all the gear so looking for something accessible by snowmobile. Ideally looking for Walleye and pike; crappie or other species would be a plus... I know both Upper red and LOTW are good fisheries but seems like camping there would be a little tricky as we typically just set up a tarp in a swamp or sheltered area and sleep under that. Not looking to steal anyones secret lake, just hoping for some suggestions of areas that we could check out. Thanks!

We have gotten a sleeper rental on mille lacs in the past, only got a few eyes each time and with the new regs. possibly looking for some place new. Are there any suggestions for lakes,areas,resorts etc. opinions and thoughts are very appreciated. Our group will be 4-5. Thanks for the Help MNBEEF

Outdoor writer David Harrison was in my neck of the woods this week, so I took him kayak fishing for panfish yesterday. When we left the launch the temperature was 18 degrees. It felt like we were preparing for an ice fishing trip rather than a kayak fishing trip. Honestly, it left me itching to get on dome ice. It won't be long before there is ice in some parts. Be safe on that early ice. I know you've heard it all before, but complacency kills. Bring your spud bar, ice picks, and a throw rope at the very least. Check as you go, ans have fun!

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