When the coldest period of midwinter descends on the upper Midwest, ice fishing can get tough. Popular lakes are covered with fish house villages, it can get noisy on the ice, and the cold-water temps and lower dissolved oxygen levels can make fish very finicky. When this period arrives, think about getting out onto the ice at dusk, dawn or even in the middle of the night. Traffic and noise on the ice diminish greatly during those times, and some species of fish get much more active than during the daylight hours. Crappies and walleyes are two of the species of fish that I like to target at night on midwinter ice.

Generally, there is enough ice to drive on during this time of winter on most Upper Midwest lakes—depending on weather. Always check your local ice conditions before driving out. If you can drive out, and snow conditions aren’t too bad, you can go on lakes of all sizes and access any spots you want to try. This can allow you to get away from some of the biggest crowds as well.

During this time of the year, I like to look for deep-water basin areas of a lake that bump up to a shoreline point, reef or an offshore bar or hump that have shallower water. If the shallower feature has weeds on it, even if they are in poor shape from cold water and reduced light penetration, so much the better. Fish will hang out in deeper water during this time of year for the warmer water and higher oxygen content found there, as well as for the insect/larvae activity over the soft lake basin. They will make forays to the shallower areas, especially if they have some type of weed growth, as these areas will hold baitfish for a quick meal.

Often, these shallower movements will be at dusk, dawn or during the night, and usually involve only a short time spent shallow before moving back deep. That is why I like to set up over the deep basin, close to a point or inside turn on the shallower structure that could be used as an on-and-off ramp from the deep to shallow water, catching fish as they move back and forth.

Equipment for midwinter night ice fishing is pretty simple. First, you will need a GPS and a sonar unit. I use a Humminbird Helix Ice 7 which has mapping GPS, regular sonar, and flasher sonar capabilities in one unit. The mapping GPS is important to get on the types of areas I described earlier, and the real-time flasher sonar shows fish moving through so you can adjust your bait to where the fish are before they move on. At night, crappies often swim quite high off the bottom over deep basin areas, intercepting rising insects and larvae, and then moving onto shallower weedy areas to feed on baitfish. A flasher shows you the fish immediately so you can quickly raise or lower your bait to the depth they are to intercept them. Walleyes may still hang quite tight to the bottom at night, and a good sonar will help you distinguish them from the bottom.

I like to set up a portable Clam Fish Trap or Hub shelter for night fishing, but on calm, warmer evenings, it can be pleasant to sit outside under the stars and watch your sonar unit. You can park your vehicle for a windbreak if you sit outside. Either way, some type of lighting like a lantern or shelter light is imperative, and a headlight of some type is a great idea as well.

Whether targeting crappies, walleyes or both, I like to combine jigging, a deadstick, and tip-ups at night. When jigging for crappies, I use an ultralight rod with an inline ice reel spooled with 2- to 4-pound-test fluorocarbon, tied directly to a small horizontal ice jig like a VMC Tungsten Tubby. I tip this with a couple of red Eurolarvae or spikes, or a waxworm. I like to have a crappie minnow suspended under a float up high to pull crappies in, and then reel my jig to the level of the crappies on the sonar. If the bite is good, crappies will hit the crappie minnow as well.

While targeting crappies, I will set a rod or two, depending on the number of anglers, on I-Fish Pro tip-up rigs with a larger minnow like a fathead or small sucker minnow right at the base of the drop from the shallow structure to the basin, or at the edge of any weeds, to target passing walleyes.

If I am specifically targeting walleyes, I will set up right on the base of the drop-off or at the edge of the weeds and use the same tip-up system, but jig with a heavier rod with a spinning reel spooled with 6- to 8-pound-test Berkley Fireline. I use a barrel swivel to splice a couple feet of 8-pound-test fluorocarbon to the Fireline, and tie the fluoro to a larger, walleye-sized jig tipped with a fathead or a jigging spoon with a minnow head on the hook. Whatever fish I am targeting at night, glow jjgs that can be recharged and baits with rattles are always a part of my arsenal.

Even though the ice fishing bite can slow some in the coldest, darkest part of winter in the upper Midwest, you can still get out and have some success. Try the quiet beauty of night on the ice for some decent fishing for crappies and walleyes. Dress warm, have a good lighting system, keep the tackle simple and your shelter organized, and you can have a great time and catch some fish to boot. What else are you going to do, sit home and watch TV?

You’ll find plenty of helpful winter fishing tips in the January and February issues of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.