OK! This is where the Navionic's maps for your smartphone comes in handy as long as you have cell service!
While on the big lake watch out for pressure ridges, don't try to cross them, go around if you can! As always, if an area doesn't produce within 20-30 minutes of your last set going into the water, move! Work shallow ridges, humps and islands early and late in the day for walleye.
On the south side.
I use to fish Wolf Creek a bit. I've seen some monster pike come out of the spear houses there. A lot of cuts, points, a couple of submerged islands between Wolf Creek and Mallard Island and plenty of humps are great for picking up walleye on. If you zoom in on the map the amount of structure there is amazing, just chose a spot and try it. Years ago and I would guess still, this area was treated as a private reserve by the people that had cabins here, people were very closed mouth about the fishing. It has great year around fishing here and some good high water ramps. From here you can make a short run in a boat out to deep water to troll for trout and salmon.
Riverdale has a ramp but I've never used it for icefishing.
You can also get on at the State Park in Pick City, a lot of structure and very deep water there good for trout and salmon, I personally have not fished out of this ramp in 15 years or so. State park will cost you the day use fee to use. If you look close you will find some help!
I've never fished out of Hazen Bay icefishing.
On the North side.
On the way to the north side of the lake there is another place to get into the Wolk Creek/ Mallard Island area. Heading northwest from Coleharbor, just as you get to the bend in the Hwy there is a road. Turn west and take the prairie trail down to the lake. Great place for pike. And another across from the turn to the Lake Audubon Refuge headquarters. I haven't been down to either one of those places in years.
You can put in at the Wolf Creek pumping station boat ramp which gives you access to a couple of old road beds with access to deeper water and the main lake if you have a ATV or willing to drive your truck out there. OR!
Heading north past Totten Trails where road bends back north before you get to the Garrison turnoff, there is a turn off to the west onto another old road that runs down to the lake. I don't know how far you can get down it anymore but you should be able to get a ATV down it to the main part of the lake. A lot of structure out there. Old railroad bed and submerged islands everywhere. Navionics's map gives you some tips if you look close enough. I've had luck fishing here year around. My brother and friends pulled some 24-28 walleye out of this end of the lake this past year.
Sportsman Centennial Park (I think that's the name) and Steinkie Bay boat ramp gives you access to Steinke Bay which has great potential with a lot of submerged islands and points. Again if you look closely you'll get a couple of pointers. I've had luck fishing here year around with eye's in the 20 to 26 inch range here a couple winters ago.
Fort Stevenson State Park cost the day use fee, has 2 ramps to drive on from and has a lot of places to fish. More tips to look for here. I've had luck fishing here year around.
Douglas Bay is a huge bay and has a couple of different boat ramps with tons of structure, I personally have hammered walleye and pike all over this bay during early ice.
On the east side HWY 83 is Lake Audubon which has a night bite. BIG note of caution here, if you don't know Audubon drive on the shore, in fresh wheel tracks or on a ATV as there are a LOT of springs in this lake and they pull a few trucks out of the lake every year. Ice depths can go from feet to inches in as little as 20 feet of distance on this lake. Enough of scaring the crap out of you! You can fish right off Totten Trails or head north to the Garrison turnoff and head east. About 2 miles past the second big curve and before you come to the cabins on the road you will come to a cross road. It's marked 30th Ave NW on the map I'm looking at, anyway head south on it and stay left as you go through the cabins. Follow the signs for the boat ramp. There are other winter time access points on the east and south sides in the Refuge. I've caught pike, perch, walleye and smallmouth bass all over this lake. Plenty of structure with islands, submerged islands, points, humps, weed beds, flooded timber and whatever else. For years the walleye size was stuck at the 14-16 inch range but I've heard stories of bigger fish now being caught.
