Most years, I strive to be the first angler on the water targeting smallmouths at ice-out. Doing this well before everyone else is a unique fishing experience. While catching smallmouths from 39- to 42-degree water temperature is not an easy task across every Northwoods lake, you can achieve excellent results if you prioritize locational concepts and employ a slow, thorough, strategic approach. We fish really slow and disregard about 99% of our tackle.

Whenever ice-out occurs (some years early, others late) is dependent upon several weather-related factors and variables. Historically, cold winters with deep snowfall amounts and lots of ice cover lead to a slower and later ice-melt process, delaying the arrival and progress of spring. Meanwhile, mild and snowless winters like we’ve had up to this point this year have already, and rather quickly, begun the ice melt process; we are yearning for open water as soon as the turn of April!

Ice melt varies annually, depending on geographic region. On my home waters surrounding Minocqua, Wis., between the second to fourth weeks of April is the average. In the most extreme winters, ice-out doesn’t occur until the first week of May, creating a delayed spring and spawning year that might also progress rapidly once it begins. In mild winters like 2021, ice-out has taken place during the third week of March. An early ice-out like this starts the open-water season much sooner but can complicate the rest of spring.

As we hit April, ice-out status will be changing daily and varying by lake type. Many smaller to mid-size lakes will be opening. On larger lakes and flowages, the ice color will change from white to grey and black, setting up to shed ice their soon.

March and April smallmouths

Nowadays, targeting bass in March and April is legal in Wisconsin under strict catch-and-release/no possession enforcement. Imagine if we had lived and fished this way prior to 2019!

It’s no secret that ice-out fishing can be fantastic. It can also be better on certain waters—especially smaller lakes and rapidly-warming flowages—more than others.

While spawning migrations are nowhere close to occurring, dormant smallmouths awaken and begin their movements, seeking warming water and locating food sources to replenish themselves. Their initial feeding will not be aggressive or bingeworthy until water temperatures climb throughout the 50s. As we begin, you should visit and prioritize the same wintering locations where you last caught and left smallmouths in November.

Right now, the best smallmouth fishing of spring is yet to come; therefore, we could have up to two full months of pre-spawn fishing to enjoy before most of them spawn.

Having experienced this type of prolonged spring season as recently as 2021, I admit that there will be a bounty of challenges awaiting you. The biggest struggle I had that spring was the severe lack of midday and afternoon feeding windows; difficulties with locating any staging and schooling of fish; and noting the inconsistencies and differences between the three different seasonal phases of post-winter, pre-spawn, and spawn. This made finding fish daily very challenging, and likely also confused the fish, too! I did not observe a heavy spawning season because of the early spring. Therefore, I must predict this spring could end up being similar.

During warm spells, we can go from winter to spring in two weeks or less. Lakes can warm rapidly following ice-out, especially if the warm spells are sudden, prolonged, and drastic. Pray that surface temperatures don’t warm too quickly because of rapid warmth, as this can shut down fish activity. Think of it as, “The Fish Aquarium Theory.” Just like when you buy a pet tropical fish and acclimatize it from the temperature of its prior tank into your own tank, I surmise that smallmouths become inactive, lay low, and are acclimating themselves to the rapidly warming conditions.

From deep water locations

Finding smallmouths immediately at ice-out depends on your temperature gauge and intricate knowledge of the lake’s locations as they relate to seasons. Smallmouths are sensitive to water temperature changes. Any trickle of warmth is a trigger, but any cold front is a trip day killer.

Early on, lakes that are smaller than 400 acres and have plenty of northern shoreline habitat and shallow bays, and flowages, are my fisheries of choice. These lake types always tend to be a few degrees warmer compared to most larger waters in the area.

The best bites for smallmouths at ice-out tend to occur in shallow, warming bays. But most fish will be holding along deep structure and in transit between wintering areas and spring locations—all depending on the availability of deeper structure nearby and the behavior of that lake.

Early on, smallmouths will concentrate along the base of breaks in deeper water leading up to shallow flats and spawning grounds that they will visit throughout the next few weeks. When winter is unrelenting, they can remain near wintering areas until the next warmup. I remember a lot of anglers still catching wintering smallmouths throughout April of 2021. Expect the same right now. Smallmouth congregations and locations will each vary by lake.

On our northern lakes, smallmouths winter in moderately deep basins, along the bases of main-lake points, rock humps and ledges, or out in deep flats that vary between 20 to 50 feet (all depending upon the lake). Smallmouth bass are ritualistic, and often return to the same spawning sites and feeding flats year after year. Because of these characteristics, a sense of location and understanding of the lake’s topography is critical.

On main-lake basins, smallmouths typically remain in their wintering holes for a week or two following ice-outs, or until water temperatures reach the mid 40s. If you’re adept with electronics and position your boat atop of them, you can get onto large schools of fish.

Most fishing efforts will take place along the deep edges around staging sites, drop-offs, and other deeper contours.

Use electronics to find smallmouths in these offshore locations. During my first outings of the year, I begin deep, looking for fish in the 20-to-30-foot zones. By working with my Lowrance HDS-12 Live that’s equipped with C-Map, I make quick drive-bys along the deepest edges of spring feeding flats, and the sides of rock humps. In these main-lake locations, seeing the markings of schooling smallmouths will be obvious on-screen. Sonar, as well as down imaging with the fish reveal setting ON, will confirm their presence.

When smallmouths rise from their wintering holes is determined by water temperature, which is heavily influenced by sunlight and wind direction. It’s like clockwork. When the water temperature hits a certain comfort level, fish will rise from these habitats and follow a trail of underwater structure to the shallows that they will be using for feeding and spawning. Prior to reaching these ultimate destinations, they’ll settle on staging sites, homing on these locations until the spawning season officially arrives.

Up here, seasons change rapidly, and weather patterns evolve quickly. Lakes can warm rapidly following ice-out, especially if warm spells are sudden and drastic. Pray that surface temperature doesn’t warm too quickly, as this shuts down their activity while the rest of the water column remains cold. On the other hand, if cold weather persists throughout April and into May, the fishing will pose several challenges as well. Water temperatures will barely reach 50 degrees, causing much of the lake’s biomass and aquatic ecosystem to stall in stagnation and dormancy. If temperatures barely crack the upper 40s, smallmouths will be likely remain near their wintering areas.

If I’m targeting these fish, I go to the same places where I was catching them last in November.

Be sure to check out the smallmouths’ transition to shallower movements in the next MWO Insider.