Where would you start?

[Kingpin426]

I have access to a strip mine lake that I have not got any idea on depths. Just wondering where would you start when we get some ice to try and find fish? Thanks for any help

[gola yona]

If you have sonar, start at one side and drill holes all the way to the other. Sounding out the depth as you go. Like trolling but on the ice. If its new to you then you need to take probably a whole day to figure out depth and structure. It's like research ya know.

[JOBBER]

I can only offer IL strip mine fishing experience.
The ones here are almost a vertical drop.
In the warm months you need to take care you don't slide in.
There is virtually almost no "shoreline".

[zcm_82]

Retired pits are hard to read, best to have a depth map, otherwise it's a lot of legwork. The easiest way to figure them out is during open water when you can run a boat depth finder over them.

Sometimes looking at the banks can help. Generally steep banks or big waste pilings means a sharp drop off, but that's not always the case. They can also be dotted all over the place with waste mounds, which can be a really good place to start, since you can have a lot of depth variation over a very small area.

[missoulafish]

the ends where the biggest weed beds appear to be growing....

[Raquettedacker]

Start by finding out what kind of fish are in it and go from there.   Are they deep water fish or shallow?   

[FreshwaterPhil]

I've fished some old mines / quarries. The ones that were flooded by naturally and connected waterways typically contain the best fish populations. Non have boat access, so I "swiss cheesed" the ice with holes to mark depths. Usually very uniform, except for edges. If you find any fish worth keeping, you may want to check on what was being mined, just to get an idea of how safe or unsafe it may be to eat fish from there.

Here's my blog tale of one such quarry where access was shut a couple years ago. Happy reading...

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