What a winter it has been, but the end is in sight!   There is still 20” of ice on many of the lakes, but the condition of the ice is rather poor. Be extra cautious!  The north side accesses are getting tougher to walk on by the day.  In fact most of the north accesses I would recommend some tall boots if you plan to get out fishing.  The other sides of the lake are in much better condition.  I walked on the west side of a lake last night without any issues at all, there was firm ice all the way to shore.

The fish have moved into the shallow areas the past couple weeks.  I’ve been finding my fish in 5-8’ of water.  Some days the fish are right up under the ice and other days they are about half way down.  In most of the lakes you can visually see the fish come through.  When the fish are just feet away from you make sure to be quiet.

As for a technique I’m just drilling out shallow areas near the deep water the fish had been holding in most of the winter.  These areas are teaming with bugs and oxygen and do a great job at concentrating the fish.  All I’ve been using a small #12 horizontal jig.  I think finding places to fish this weekend will be no issue at all, but depending on the amount of rain we get will determine how much fishing we are able to do next week.

Good luck and be safe!