As the winter progresses, we get some good weather at times and some bad weather. This is the time of the year that our weather seems to be on the bad side, with low temperatures and wind. Cheer up; we’ll soon be in February, with more good than bad.

At this time, most ice anglers are using shelters for protection from the wind, but trucks and cars work also. The ice is getting seriously thicker out there. With the snow lately, all the other winter sports people also are pretty happy.

All in all, it has been a good year for ice fishing, although it didn’t start out that way. Kind of a late start and real unstable weather as far as temperature drove us all a little nutty at the start. But ironically, the warm weather and rain made it all much better with the cold weather right behind.

Now, the walleye bite has been good lately on almost all lakes. The Eagle River Chain has been producing walleye and crappie action in deeper water, with a few perch and northerns mixed in. Most of the lakes are doing well around those deeper holes than most of the Chain has. You’ll also have some success on the deeper end of the weed lines in the evenings for walleye.

The larger lakes have also given us some decent action. Walleye are coming in daily in the evenings to feed in or near weeds on these lakes. There also is now some production on the deeper rock bars on these lakes.

Anglers are using shiner minnows on the stained lakes and sucker minnows on the clear lakes for best results on walleye. Large shiners appear to be working best for northern pike.

While it is not deep, we would suggest Lac Vieux Desert as one of the best for a variety of fish on a daily basis. There are huge weed beds and areas on that lake, and they produce all the panfish, and good northern and walleye action also. Perch, crappies and large bluegills are all available on this popular waterbody, which is a boundary water lake. The beauty of that lake is that it is a consistent daytime action lake. It can take a lot of people on any given day.

The winter is going fast, but we’ve got a lot of fishing before spring. Don’t forget that great late-winter crappie action at the end of the ice-fishing season, and the pleasant-weather perch fishing immediately after the ice goes out. It’s not that far away.

Good luck and good fishin’.