Stay away from crowds to catch the best panfish, says Scott Petersen.

I chase bass throughout the open-water season, but when it comes to the ice season, I change my focus towards bluegills and crappies. Yes, I will take an occasional trip to target walleyes, but for the most part, I chase and target panfish during the winter months.

Most of the time, I pre-scout my early-ice destinations before the ice forms on these bodies of water. I get out in my boat with my ice electronics to get a good look at the weed conditions, and to drop a few waypoints for key area that I want to start on when it is safe to get onto the ice. Not everyone will get an opportunity to do this, so let’s start with the basics for getting you on early-ice bluegills.

To start, make sure that the ice you are venturing out on is safe. If you are not sure, take precautions your first trip on the ice. Carry a chisel and poke your way around. If you can get the chisel through the ice in a few picks, backtrack and take a different path, or come back in a few days.

Survey the area

Once you get to your destination, drill a few holes and look at the condition of the weeds in the area. At first ice, chances are good that you will find good bluegill populations holding on weed flats, occupying good green weeds somewhere within the area.

As the snow starts to pile up on the ice, cutting down sunlight penetration, the shallow weeds will start to die. This begins pushing bluegills out towards the weed flats and out to deeper weed areas nearby. If the lake that you are targeting has a lake map, take a good look at it. Once ice conditions become safe for travel, take a broader look at these lake areas.

Look for weedy flats and deeper weeds with nearby deeper-water access. Some day after fishing, drill a few holes and look at the deeper weed conditions. Are the weeds still up and green (up and alive), or are they down and brown (laying down and dying)? Good weeds will still be viable for bluegills to occupy, while weeds that are down and brown will not hold good populations of bluegills. So, keep moving, looking for weeds that are in better conditions and still populated by fish. If these weeds are close to deep water, chances are good that this area will hold fish for most of the ice season, especially on the outside weed edge and deeper.

On-ice tactics

When hitting the ice, try to pick times that will window better bite conditions. I am an early riser and will often be on the ice to see the sun come up in the morning. That way, I get to my starting spot and get all set up, light the heater, and drop down my bait to target pre-dawn active ‘gills.

Give them both

I still carry both live bait and plastics with me, as I have had days when one will outperform the other. I have experienced days when plastics will be their preferred choice, as well as days when live bait (waxies and Euros) will be their choice. I have also had days when it has been a mix between the two. Sometimes, one bait type will trigger most of the bites, but the big bull ‘gills of the day will prefer the other bait. So, cover all your bases and bring both options on the ice with you.

Glow factor

Consider using lures that glow. Some of this may be driven by water clarity, and some by curiosity from ‘gills. Whatever the reason, use this factor in your favor. Start your day without glow and see if you can generate bites. Then give them glow to see if it has any influence. I have had days when the glow factor went both ways. Make sure that you check to see if it triggers more bites when on the ice. I also feel that when fishing weeds, I can generate more bites using glow than I can if I am not. I think ‘gills can find glow baits better in the weeds, generating more bites during the day.

Stay away from crowds (if you can)

I know this is hard to accomplish some days; you get to the ice, and a few hours later you have fishermen all around you. I always will try to stay on the fringe of an area with activity if I am fishing later into the day. It has been my experience that this ice activity will push the active fish away, or just shut them off.

I have had some cases when I moved and was able to reconnect with them again, but these occasions have been few and far between. I have had better success venturing to a new area and seeing if I can get on another batch of active ‘gills.

If moving into a new area, I once again try to stay on the fringe or pick an area with no on-ice activity. I have found that if I can get away from the crowds, I catch more fish in my time on the ice.

I hope these early-season ice tactics help you catch a few more ‘gills. Stay safe and enjoy your time on the ice this season.

Find the ice fishing information you need in the winter issues of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.