Bluegills are a favorite of many ice anglers

Many anglers believe that panfish caught through the ice are some of the best tasting fresh fish in the Midwest. There is something about bluegill fillets caught out of those cold, winter waters that make some of the best fish fries of the year.

As with all other times of the year, in the winter, there are three things that are important to bluegills: temperature, oxygen and food availability. This can make bigger lakes, as opposed to small ponds, a good place to target in winter. 

There is enough room and a variety of places where bluegills may congregate. There are also likely more prey sources in bigger bodies of water.

Where to fish

Bluegill will still relate to structure and cover, so keying in on those areas can be a good place to start. Lake maps can come in handy when looking for places bluegills might be hanging out in the winter. A good lake map, when available, will show an angler not only depth changes, but where submergent vegetation and other cover is available in the lake.

Some anglers use apps on their phone or other electronics to create waypoints during their “soft water” fishing trips to help them find those productive areas after the water is covered with ice. This allows anglers to make the best use of their time on the ice, rather than repeatedly drilling holes that do not produce.

For instance, if an angler can look at a map and see a deeper area that is adjacent to a weed flat this might prove to be a fruitful place to start. It is likely to have exactly what bluegill are looking for in both a food supply and stable temperatures. Areas that provide protection from predators are also just as important.

Bluegills will tend to be on the edges of basins, where they will hang near the bottom. This is not to say that bluegills will not be caught out in the basins of a lake, but when looking for a place to start, targeting those edges will likely produce better results. While crappies tend to suspend in deeper water in the main lake basins, bluegills will be near those drop offs adjacent to deeper water on the break. It may take drilling a few holes and adjusting depth along that break in order to find the spot on the spot, as anglers say.

If an angler is equipped with fishing electronics, such as live sonar, they can see the school of bluegills, and can then change up presentations until they find exactly what the fish are looking for.

What to fish

Micro spoons and micro jigs — less than 1 inch with a section of a night crawler or a soft plastic trailer. Both live bait and soft plastics have their strong points. Live bait does not simply imitate the forage on which fish are feeding. It often is exactly what fish are feeding on. Soft plastics, however, have the benefit of longevity. An angler does not have to worry about keeping the bait from freezing or keeping it fresh. Soft plastics come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and even scent. While some anglers shy away from artificial scents, others would not fish without what they feel is that added attractant. 

Bluegills tend to eat slow moving prey suspended in the water column. This helps them to conserve energy. They may also target prey crawling slowly along the bottom. 

For avid ice anglers, it may be worth having an underwater camera to watch the movements of the fish and to learn how they are acting under the ice. As with the pursuit of any game, understanding their behaviors, as well as on what they are feeding or how they are feeding, will go a long way toward getting more fish up onto the ice.

Safety

As always, anglers should exercise caution on the ice, as no ice is completely safe. Anglers should bring along proper safety equipment such as an ice spud and ice picks and be mindful of changing conditions while out on the ice.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].