Dissecting A New Body of Water Through the Ice

Dissecting A New Body of Water Through the Ice

By Todd Reed

We all have those go-to lakes near our homes that “guarantee” a good days’ catch. It is very rewarding to figure out a lake and its subtleties to find the fish we seek out during the wintertime. These are the lakes we return to week after week to enjoy a cool, crisp winter day. However, what about the other 100’s of lakes the state of Iowa offers? Those endless river backwaters? There is an ice fishing destination very close to where you live, that with some hard work and background knowledge could offer you another go-to lake.

Each lake offers its own challenge, and to complete that challenge we as anglers must dive in the lake and figure out everything we can about it. The first step in looking at a new body of water once it is frozen is looking at any contour maps we can find of the area. The Iowa DNR website is a great resource which offers many contour maps of lakes all around the state. Many GPS units have mapping available that can show the contour marks as well. This can help us save our energy in drilling holes and transfer that energy into catching fish. The first thing I always look for is the deepest area of the lake. The contour map shows this very quickly and gives us an idea of how deep the fish might be hanging around. For example, if we know a lake bottoms out at 22 feet, then there won’t be too many fish living in the areas that only have five feet of water. We can quickly eliminate water that we won’t ever have to drill a hole in to see what depth our Vexilar tells us the water is. Many man-made lakes in the state have numerous coves scattered around them. Looking at maps in the comfort of our homes can eliminate many of these. If deeper water doesn’t present itself in a cove, then the likelihood of fish being there is slim. Eliminating unproductive water is as much the task as finding the productive water. Use the maps to their fullest to save time and energy and focus in on other important items fish use all year long.

Fish are a species of survival, much like human beings. Fish need food, oxygen, and a community just like humans do. When going to a new lake to find fish we must think like a fish. If we as humans are going to a new town, what do we look for first? Restaurants, hotels, recreation, and roads to move around the city. There are certain things in each and every lake that provide fish these same things. The easiest to locate, when a map is available are the roads the fish travel on. Creek channels are the highways of lakes to all species of fish. These can be seen by using the contour lines or old topographical maps of the area. Fish use these as they travel through the lake to their restaurants and living addresses. The channels also provide some of the best drop-offs in the lake as well as deep water, both vital in finding fish in the winter. The lake channels are a good place to start, and if you can combine them with brush, points, and channel turns the action should be even better.

Sometimes you have to go for the homerun, or throw the Hail Mary, no one remembers when a wide receiver doesn’t catch a Hail Mary, or when someone makes the last out of the game, you only remember the homeruns and the guys who threw and caught the Hail Mary. A hit or miss area on Iowa lakes can be the places on the maps that have nothing, yes that is right nothing but a large flat. These are easy to see on any contour map, the areas where there are no lines together. I like to look for these in the mid-level of the lake.

If a lake has a maximum depth of 30 foot of water, then flats in that 15-foot range would be worth a few dozen holes. This is when traveling with a few partners makes hard work easy. A couple augers drilling holes and one guy checking depth and fish with a Vexilar can quickly lead you to some fish. This can be that homerun or Hail Mary of ice fishing. I have seen this technique work for gills, crappies, perch and yellow bass. The idea behind flats is that they are the restaurants of the lake because of the buffet of food it provides fish. Small insects, larvae, worms and all those little organisms that keep panfish happy all winter long live here. Sooner or later fish will use flats to feed on the vast amount of prey available in this area. These flats can be large areas of the lake so fishing them quickly has always been the way to find the fish. I like to use spoons to get up and down the holes quickly or a larger than normal jig. At times the spoon will bring them close and then using the typical jigs to catch them. This is another key item when fishing with a group, have different baits on and experiment to find what is working best. When fishing flats, it is important to key in on what your Vexilar is telling you. Many times bluegills and perch will hug the bottom so tight it appears that they are the bottom. It can be necessary at times to use the zoom feature to recognize these tricky fish pasted to the lake floor. Often times these fish can be teased upward and will smack your lure, but you must use your zoom feature to even see them. Move quickly throughout the flat and drill as many holes as possible until you locate the group.

One last key area in Iowa lakes are brushpiles. When going to a new lake these are normally found accidentally, and if you do many fish are bound to make it to the top of the ice. The DNR does publish GPS coordinates to some of the brushpiles it places in lakes, and knowing these locations at your new lake is key. Fish love to live in and feed in and around brushpiles because of the abundance of food located there. When you find one, be sure to fish in it, around it, below it, and above it before giving up. Some days fish can be located to the outer parts of the brush, while other days they will be buried inside the brush. If you do your homework and find some of these brushpiles you will surely find some eager fish to bite.

I hope these key elements of finding fish in a new lake will help you finish the ice season by trying a new location. You never know, it may become your “new” favorite body of water to visit in the wintertime.