Early in the season I go after the big one. Huge minnows as bait. I look for water in the 20-30 feet range. However, I've been told that early ice is when the monster pike are roaming the shallows. I've also been told that this is the time of year to work a thermometer as temperature is critical.
I'd be a happy boy with about 6-10 perch and a few nice walleyes thrown in. If a catch pike, I only want the big one.
Once the ice gets uniformly thick, I'll spend more time roaming around looking for the "honey hole".
