In late winter, you can go from good ice to last ice, to no ice, in a matter of days. As the days grow longer, fish start moving toward where they want to be in the spring, which for most species, is in the shallows and tributaries that feed into the lake. Many people think that water temperature is what causes fish to get in the mood, but photoperiod—the amount of daylight—is just as important a trigger as water temp. Fish often gather around river mouths where they will stage before they head upstream to spawn.

Fact is, fish will move up into the lower ends of rivers, and then move back out—often several times—until they find the conditions are favorable to do their thing. We call these false spawning runs. This makes chasing them a little dangerous, as current from the river often thins the ice. So, move around cautiously when approaching river mouths.

When I begin moving toward river mouths, I like to stay in the deepest water in the vicinity, and I give potential areas a thorough mining before I move shallower. The same principles apply as when you first moved into deep water: Use a hydrographic map and follow contour lines to locate structural elements like humps and reefs—and look for the steepest adjacent drops you can find.

Use all your tools: jigging rods, dead rods and tip-ups. Give the fish as many chances to get your bait as you can. I always have three lines out to make sure I have all bases covered. But if you’re not getting any action and your sonar isn’t showing any fish, then it’s time to head shallower.

I remember a day on Saginaw Bay many years ago when we weren’t having any luck at all. After several stops, we wound up in 12 feet of water where we finally found the walleyes. We pounded out our limit in almost no time, jigging with spoons tipped with small minnows. We were all by ourselves, off to the side of the Saginaw River mouth, but we swung well wide of where we were going to get there because we were concerned about the quality of the ice as we approached the river.

One small detail that I’m sure helped us was that we hooked our minnows properly. When jigging with a spoon, always make sure your treble hook hangs with one of the hook points facing out from the concave side of the spoon. Hook your minnow on that hook point. I guarantee that it will result in more positive hookups and fewer missed bites. It doesn’t take long to make that adjustment, and is time well spent (invested).

When the ice starts getting iffy, it’s time to start fishing in shallow water again. The reason is simple: oxygen. Often, the ice starts thinning around shorelines; think about how many times you had to put planks out, from the shore to the ice, to get on the ice. Those open-water areas allow oxygen back into the water. Those are the days when you can whack the fish in shallow water, which is easier to fish (or at least faster) than it is in deep water.

Often, when thawing begins, there will be patches of open water out deep, too. You do not have to get near the open water to take advantage of the increased oxygen content in the water. The wind will keep the water circulating. Stay well back from the edge. This is where cracks cut ice floes free from the rest of the surface, and you certainly don’t want to be floating around on an ice floe, hoping the Coast Guard is on duty.

As thawing progresses, return to the habits you practiced at first ice. Carry a spud bar and punch the ice as you venture out. If the spud goes through, turn around until you are back on safe ice, and then take a different route. Last ice is often some of the best fishing of the season (like first ice), but it’s also the most dangerous. I know some guys who wear their chest waders when they go out on last ice in case they break through. It’s better than getting wet, eh? Wearing lifejackets is a good idea as well.

The long-term weather forecast this year is for a cold winter, and that means that we should have good ice this winter into March. But last winter, if you can recall, guys were out fishing open water in February and March when we should have been enjoying some of the best ice fishing of the season. So, if the temperature starts creeping up, it may be time to start getting the boat ready.

For more insight and tips for fishing throughout the year, check out the articles in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.