If someone that seen five or six ice fishing shelters in one area came up to you and asked, how do these people know where to drill holes? Would you think that was a stupid question? If a person has never ice fished before or is new to the sport, how would they know. I believe if people show an interest in anything to do with the outdoors, other people that know that sport should give them advice on that subject.

So, knowing where to drill holes is a great question but not an easy one to answer in a few sentences, but here we go. Believe this or not, there are people that will drill holes and fish in an area where everyone else is fishing. This could be where they normally fish or they don’t know where the fish are either, so they just follow the crowd. If you think about it, under the water surface or under the ice, fishing is fishing, because fish relate to structure and cover.

Because of this winter being warmer ice maybe questionable at this writing, so know the thickness before heading out. For the first-time ice fisherman or woman, I would suggest fishing a smaller lake you are familiar with. Then, think of fishing as six seasons, spring, summer, fall, first ice, mid-winter ice and late winter ice. Remember where you caught fish in the fall? Well, (first ice) many of those fish are still there in those shallow areas eating small fish and are still relating to cover and structure. The depths can be anywhere from 5 feet to 15 feet, so remember that 40-foot tree that fell into the water years ago you fished that spot on a late fall day? Or that first drop off to deeper water?

How about those shallow weed flats? Drill two or three holes at different depths over that tree, weed flats (green vegetation) and drop offs. (Remember if you snag, do not disturb the tree. Cut the line and re-tie).  Start at the shallow holes and then work deeper. As the winter progresses, (mid-winter) fish will seek the warmest water. This could be the deepest (bottom) part of the lake, and this is why I said fish a lake you know. Find the deepest water in the lake and you’ll find fish.

Now for the late winter ice fish location. As the sun starts melting the snow off the ice and shorelines start showing open water, the water will start to warm up and once again the fish will start moving from the deep water to the shallower water seeking that warmer water and by now, that area should have better oxygen.

After ice out, the fish will be on drop offs close to shallow water, because this is their pre-spawn area and then the first part of the 6 seasons starts all over again. If this information does not help you, just look for all those ice shelters together in one area and start drilling. LOL