How do you form an ice-fishing gameplan?

[stick]

I was wondering how people dissect a lake and form a gameplan for walleyes or pannies. Those of you that really know what you are doing, how do you go about it. I always start with a contour map (I use Lakemaster whenever I’m fishing a lake that’s in there), and I try to form a gameplan, or several based on different conditions. However, when I get to the lake, I typically draw a blank, and sometimes sometimes second-guess or even abandon my plan.

Just curious from those that are true successful fishermen.

[renny]

I do the same thing you do-- go blank!! actually in the summer too but at least i do'nt look as lost to others.lol first off i'am not brave enough to just start cruising around on a frozen lake, and usally end up where the tent cities are. i figure someone else knew what there doing. of course i do'nt catch lots of fish and just have a good time getting away from it all. if i understood ice more i would venture out alot more.

[BDR]

This was also posted as a reply in the Walleye section about early ice Eyes in a bowl shaped lake.

My short theory is they will be where the food is at. Early ice you will find an abundant amout of green weeds still, however with the snow cover we have that will change fast this year. The green healthy weeds feed the food chain from the smallest up, also providing cover for the bait fish.

In the lake you describe I would look to the maps real hard and try to find an area where the break turns sharp or goes a little further out than the rest. During the day I would look off the edge in the deeper water. As you get closer to sundown I would move right up tight to the edge.

Weather permotting I like to "hole hop" I like to find the exact edge during the day, get all my holes predrilled for the shallower bite. I will drill a series of perpindicular to the edge. I have one right at the edge and then in a straight line to deeper water 2 or 3 three more. I will make 3-4 series of holes in this pattern. Alot of times I will first catch fish in the deeper hole and as it gets darker I will catch fish in the shallower holes.

As the weeds die off this becomes less effective. I start fishing current areas or deeper transition areas. Bowl shaped lakse will usually have some bottom changes that can be invisible on maps and to they eye. I try to use any summer experience to help me find key spots now. You can cruise the lake and watching the sonar signals strength of the bottom and find subtle changes. If I see any changes in the bootom signal strength I will check it out. A camera would be very valueable for this. Also I like to fish the area slowly with a lindy type rig where I can cover some ground but slow enought to feel the bottom. With a good sensitive rod and son power pro, I can tell if I am in sand, mud, gravel pebbles, rocks and relative size of rocks. Any thing that stands out as different than the rest of the bottom is a great transition area I would fish thru the ice also. A GPS is very helpful for finding spots in the summer and getting back in the winter.

[Jim Hudson]

Stick,

A game plan is always good to have... and a second or third plan is a must too... You never know when conditions are going to change for catching fish through the ice or open water. So being versatile is a must for being successful on the ice. If it isnt working, change it.. and opt out for plan b or c. Sooner or later you will find that sweet spot that will get you bit. A note here, the best time to search out a lake, is during the open water period... here you will be able to find structure much easier and comfortable. So this is where my game plan starts for a lot of the lakes I fish.

You are starting out good, examining your maps, learning the layout of the lake. One thing I can stress, is if you do have a plan, stick with it, try it out. Then if it doesnt work, write this down in a journal for the time of year, conditions, lakes, etc and as you start fishing the lake more... you will know what works and what doesnt.. And where on the lake these things work, and where they dont work.

Specifically talking about walleyes and or crappies, these buggers can be the hardest fish to catch in the winter months. Especially during the mid winter bite.

But when I am looking at particular lake for these species, especially for the first time. I want all the info I can get... Looking through different maps... check out bottom composition... the secci disc reading... stocking reports..forage type... and most definately where is the best available structure for the fish I am looking for. All this info is going to give you the basic knowledge on where to start, what time of day might be best to fish, and what depths to fish. Also, talk to people, find out what they are doing, and where... some stuff you have to weed through, but if two people tell you they caught fish on a weedline or a mud flat, you know this could be key. And of course, be sure to check out where people set up out there... this could bring you into an area where fish are holding, but by moving off just a bit from the community you can find active fish.

After gathering my information, and say I am fishing a lake for 'eyes, where the lake has good shoreline and mid lake structure. First ice, I will head to the shallows on top of points that drop off into deeper water (if you can find a point adjacent to an island, reef, etc that shows good "walleye structure" check this out, usually walleyes will roam the deep cut between the island and the shore point, then as prime time sets up, they will slide up onto the point to feed), mid lake rock or gravel piles, or an available green weed edge. Here, a GPS w/ mapping software works wonders, letting you walk the perimeter or drive it when snowmobile or ATV travel is safe. This allows you to see your tracks, to get a big picture of the structure, and then drill holes in the spots you feel the fish will come to or come from. Drill holes, and drill some more holes... Check depths and confirm what the maps says. And once your there, fish it... If it works... GREAT... if it doesnt, chalk it up and learn from it. Just remember, fish will be using this structure at first ice because of food and getting a couple more meals in before mid-winter sets in. Oh, and if you have a general idea where the 'eyes spawn during the spring, check structure near these areas. As some lakes show a migration of walleyes back towards their spawning areas during the late fall/early winter.

Then as mid-winter comes along, and you start to see less and less fish using these first ice spots, drop back, they are heading deeper, but will stay in the same general area. Survival mode is on, and they are searching out the warmest water along with an ambush spot for an occasional meal. Walleyes will start using deeper sections of these points, or the secondary point off the main hard bottomed point. Hard to soft bottom transitions, such as this, can be killer for icing a few walleyes during this time. Funnels, such as what I listed between an island and or point are great, or between two islands. Check the deeper water out in these areas!! And one thing to remember, you are not going to catch the motherlode during this time...If you do catch a few, your doing good. Search out active fish, moving around can be good in these areas, as there will be some walleyes that want to feed, but they will not want to move a lot. So by hole hopping on these types of areas, your success rate can go up.

And as late ice comes around, think shallow again.. And spawn and you should locate some fish.

This just some examples, and hopefully someone will chime in for the Crappies. I think you are off to a good start, just stick with your game plan once you have it marked out on your map. All we can do is get better from what we do wrong, and sooner or later it will pay off!!!

Good luck man...

[stick]

Good stuff guys. Thanks a ton. Let's keep this thread going if others have advice.

[CrappieJohn]

Had to toss that in about crappies, didn't you Jim? lol

The absolue first thing you need to do to be successful in any water at any time is to get to know your fish and what they go through as far as annual shifts in habitat and and why these movements occur. READ, READ, READ! Just understand that what you read is actually quite general, though.

Next, if you really want to know where to start fishing for early ice crappies, and even more-so for panfish, keep the boat and some time handy until a couple days before ice up. I don't hunt birds other than fall turkeys and the deer will take up a few days too, but then it is back to fishing. It is where I find my greatest deep fall success on these fish that I will go to first at early ice.

If you are visiting new water, get a map and start with baitshops. Have them mark some "general" areas on the map for you. Check these places for fishing activity. Ask where weeds are present adjecent to deeper water. Maps will show the points and drop-offs as well as where any incoming creeks will be found. Creeks will be an important part of finding fish as they will likely provide the only source for moving water when you are looking at a lake environment. Impoundments have current, so if the "lake" you are fishing is actually an impoundment, know which way the water is moving.

Where to start is tough even with all of the study you've done. This is because the hot spot from last year might not be hot this year.....crappies and panfish move and follow food sources that are driven by weather patterns and those patterns are never static from year to year. That's the primary reason for my being in the boat late into the fall and early winter! The fish are NOT going to magically move out of an area overnight just because ice forms on the water....a move might take weeks.

A map will give you a decent amount of insight regarding the physical characteristics of the lake itself, but you need to consider structure too. Wood/ sunken or floating, can be a fish magnet early on. Weeds can be a primary shallow water haven. Deep weeds that stand very vertical in the water will create a "pseudo" wall. Vertical walls, or drop-offs that are near vertical, are some of my favorite structure all year....the fish will move along it and up or down it. The vertcal structure will create a "stop" that forces fish to move in specific directions and it is my contention that fish relate to vertical structures all year long more than any other element in the water. Submerged points are often another source for this type of structure.

One of the things I look for when I fish a new area or a new body of water is the lone angler who appears to be hiding something....we've all seen one like this. He huddles over a couple holes and likes to keep his back to you and everyone else around him. His actions seem almost deliberate in that they "omit" you form partaking in watching. Yes, groups of fishermen might be giving up the fact that the fish are doing this or that at a spot, but any one who looks like they are hiding something usually are. Most often they are on to something that every one else isn't. I don't botther these people, but I do pay particul;ar attention to them when the line is up, trying hard to see what they are using or what exactly they are catching.

If no one is around when you hit a lake following direction to a spot, check around existing holes. Any blood? Dead minnows or spent waxies? All can be giv-aways to fishing successes, but they will not tell you exactly what the former user was catching either. These are nothing more than indicators.

Panfish and crappies can be easy or they can be tough. Or they can be anywhere in between. Experience is the best educator, but it has to be learned , not simply told. Remember I said that reading was "general" information? It is. Panfish are the most complex of our winter chases. They can turn on or off in a heartbeat, or change a preference to baits, or how a bait is presented, or maybe a different color will trip their trigger, or maybe a toothie has come into view. Lots of things can mess with winter panfishing so what we offer is simply a general thing. They are what they are.....you just gotta do it to get them.

[Jim Hudson]

I knew you would come through Tom...

Stick... another thing to mention, is once things start working out for ya.. confidence will play a role in catching fish.... Another important aspect of a good plan!! If you believe you are going out to catch fish, on the spots you have chosen, you are armed to search out these fish better, instead of constantly thinking in the back of your mind that you made the wrong decision after the first 15 minutes of fishing. Ya know what I mean?