Good morning,
Almost 50 and sun today should help melt the rest of the snow we got this past week. Next week is calling for a lot of rain, which should help knock this ice down a bit. I am still hearing around 20″ of ice on the main lakes, but the creeks and rivers are sure opening up. Getting onto the lakes can be precarious as I have heard some of the shorelines are starting to open up as well. If you are planning on heading out, make sure to be diligent in checking the ice all the way out to where you are fishing. Any moving water can cause thin ice that may not be noticeable on top so make sure anywhere near creeks/drainages/shorelines you are checking.
Crappie–Weed beds in the 4-12′ range should be holding fish as they are staying shallower now and getting ready for spawn. Using small jigs, either in tungsten or lead tipped with waxies or plastics will produce fish. Use last light to your advantage as fish will get more active then.
Bluegill–The gills will be mixing it up with the crappie in these same areas, shallow weed beds, shallow sandy shorelines/flats that are warming up during the day. Using the same tackle and tactics will catch fish. Jig colors in greens, pinks, whites can be good this time of year as there is a lot of stuff going on in the water column.
Perch–Perch can be in and around these areas as well, with a focus on the deeper edges and where the bottom transitions in the lake. Again, small jigs with waxies, plastics with appendages that undulate will attract big perch.
That’s all I got for this week,
Greg