Ice conditions are stable and even though the weather has been unseasonably warm, ice quality is holding it’s own in the Deer River region. We had an inch or two of new snow this week, but not enough to slow anyone down. In fact it’s an ideal time to hike back into some of the area’s more offbeat lakes. Folks are driving pickup trucks on several lakes and plowed roads are showing up on the bigger lakes. Thanks to the warm weather, ice ridges are minimal and so far, it’s been easy to get around.

The atmosphere has been gloomy, with barely a peek at the sun in the past ten days. The "perma-grey" seems to have affected movements of fish, especially in areas where there’s been a little pressure. Instead of the expected hot bite for an hour or so at sunset, we’ve seen more of a slow-but-steady bite that comes and goes throughout the day. Almost every time I get ready to make a big move, we’ll have small bit of action that gets us interested and sucks us back into staying in the old spot for 15 more minutes. The notable exception to this rule has been whenever someone finds a new school of fish that hasn’t been pressured. Even folks, who find these new and active schools of fish, wear out their welcome after a few sessions in the area, so the best bet is to keep actively searching while travel conditions are good.

Bluegills are cooperating during the day and also stage an early evening bite. They’ve been a bit shallower than the Crappies and ideally, you’d want to find an area that’s adjacent to some green Coontail or mixed cabbage weeds. The small size jiggle bug or what we used to call "glow Bug" with a wax worm is a good bait for Bluegills right now.

Perch action is improving as folks figure out where the better schools of fish are located. The better action is still found in shallower water of 6 to 10 feet. It forces you to keep moving because the small schools are traveling constantly while they chase large schools of baitfish. You’ll have a hot hole for a while and then notice that someone further on down the line starts catching Perch when your spot gets quiet. I think the better size fish bite almost immediately when you find a new school and staying too long will result in the average size diminishing.

Ice fishing for Walleyes in the Itasca area is best on the main lake structures right now. Deeper edges of humps or deeper points are better for daytime fishing. Moving toward shallower water on top of the humps or even in to the weed edges on shoreline drops. These areas are better bets for the evening run. My favorite for Walleyes is the jigging spoon tipped with the head of a minnow. I like spoons with some copper or dark orange on one side and glow paint on the other. In a pinch, I’ll go with a Copper plated spoon like the Swedish Pimple. Any given day, I will at least catch a couple Walleye if I use this color. One great approach is to rig a second rod that can be watched in a nearby hole while you jig. Simple rigging using a plain hook, split shot and bobber with a tail hooked minnow will trigger a few fish that come in to look at your spoon, but don’t hit. This is a great way to pick those couple of extra fish that "make the trip".