February Ice Fishing

Finally got out on the ice again last Wed. the 15th. Action was descent but not fast. I ended up keeping 13 perch 3 crappie, 1 bluegill and 1 walleye. I started out on one lake concentrating on a deep weed edge looking for walleye but had no luck. I also fished the area for panfish with little success. I did pretty well when I moved shallow on an adjacent shoreline weedbed in less than 7 feet of water. Sorted through dozens of tiny perch to keep about ten. Those fish were caught on waxies and small teardrop jig (bright yellow). Left there and fished a lake on the chain about noon. Fished a mud flat around 21 feet deep and caught the crappie, perch, walleye, and bluegill there. I had better results with a small black and silver jigging rapala than I did on crappie minnows. One tip here is drill lots of holes even when the area is relatively flat. I found a very small brush pile in one hole and that's almost all the fish were caught. On this same lake 2 years ago a found an area about 5' X 5' where the fish were stacked up and never did discover what was holding them, but they stayed there until ice out a month later. Use caution out there when driving around, while there is plenty of ice, there are also spots with deep slush. I got my truck stuck once when exploring a spot no one else had driven before. Good luck and never stop fishin.