location for fish

[twintrades]

OK ill admit it when it comes to ice fishing i know little about where to set up. I got some good replys on all of my posts so far. I hope im not anoying any of you. But i still have some questions.

1 When someone says they look for drop offs do you fish the top or bottom or in the middle ??

2 When looking for crappies are they normaly in deeper pocktes?

Thats all for now......... Im shure there will be some more. 

[Smitty71]

Twin,

I've had my best luck for crappies this year fishing the slope of drop offs during the day and then when night is approaching they seem to be right at the bottom of the drop.  We fish a lot of farm ponds and tend to chase them up and down the drop all day.  To answer your second question I'll say this...  We've caught all of our crappie this year ( at least the big boys ) out of the deepest water in the drink.  Most of the ponds we fish are 15 - 20 foot and that is where we normally start.

[Multi-Master]

You are going to want to try all depths along the break.  Some days the fish will be shallow other days they will be deep. 

For crappies they will suspend fairly high in the water column after dark.  I've caught them as little as 2 feet below the ice.  If I were you I would drill out along the break maybe in a zigzag pattern in varying depths until you find the hot depth. 

Once you get a school of crappie in after dark keep baits in the water and it will hold the school longer.

[twintrades]

Thanks for the input

[wnybassman]

Generally, fish are found near drop-offs because they can utilize both shallower and deeper waters without needing to expend much energy between the two, especially during the cold water period.  There are many exceptions to this, but a general rule of thumb anyway.  And as said, you need to check both ranges every time out because conditions vary day to day.

[winchester 88]

Because there are so many variable influences, light penetration,water temp, oxygen levels,forage etc.it is hard to say that you can pinpoint where you are going to find the fish at any particular time.

This is where the "tools of the trade" come into play.Maps, Your auger and sonar or camera if you have them.

It will be necessary to get in the general area and then start looking for them.
If you can locate an edge, a break, a weed line, a stump, rockpile or brushpile or some object that they and the forage that they feed on relate to, you will find the fish.

Now it will become a problem of  finding what mood they are in and what it will take to get them to hit.That is what fishing is about.A lot of us here have experienced being able to find fish and having become frustrated because we can't catch them.

All of this is a learning process and you don't learn everything over nite,it takes time
and patience.

This site is one of the greatest tools that there is for anyone who wants to catch fish thru the ice.Stay around here, read,listen and practice.It's fun!!!

Good fishing...
Winchester 88

[Brooks]

oh yeah and then there is my favorite.  The weed edges.

[Smitty71]

Twin,

Went out again last night with 2 other guys and caught about 50, 11 - 13 inchers on a farm pond.  Marked all of them on the bottom of the drop (which is 15 fow) at about 4:30pm.  They proceded to creep up the slop and hung around in 10 fow before moving back down the slope at about 8:00pm.  No weed line or structure holding them there.  Don't know if this will help you or not.