The ice fishing season closed last Sunday night for northern and walleye, and the wait begins for the next season to open in June. This is my least favorite time of the year.
But the off season is the time to target the fish for whom the season never closes. For me, this is crappy and channel catfish. The Crow in Rockford is still frozen, so it's not quite possible to go after the cats yet. But crappie fishing is good year round.
Late ice crappies are mostly out of the shallows, although a few may be returning to the shallows in preperation for the spring. The fish school in basin areas or outside the weedbeds.
These schools can be hard to find, because they basically drift around the lake in search of zooplankton and minnow sources. My strategy for this time of year is to find the part of the lake that is most likely to concentrate fish, and wait for a school to move through and get hot.
Look for indentations in drop offs and inside turns in basins. Best ones are at the end of the lake. You may be fishing in up to or over 30 feet deep.
Black crappies are usually the most prevalent, but you may also find whites. I like crappies for a few reasons - A) They're delicious, B) They are found in almost every lake, and C) the season never closes. You can also usually feel good about taking a lot out of a lake, because they reproduce and grow quickly.
With all fish, even crappie, exercise good judgement. Return what you don't keep, and keep what you don't return. Don't keep little ones.
Tight lines,
Bradley
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