Tip-Ups

 The secret of fishing a river or stream is to find a bay, inlet or other deep cut in the bank with little current or fish a large, slow eddy. The weaker the current, the better the chances of success since fish metabolisms slow way down in the icy waters and fish seek out the quietest spots to lie.    
Where to fish is very similar to summer fishing: find structure. Points, drop offs, rocky humps, deeper bowls, river edges, old roads, weed edges and other fish habitat hold fish in the winter just as they did in the summer. Many fish will be deep, but immediately after ice over there will be numbers of fish in shallow waters, mainly in areas with rock, wood and green weeds. However, once the weeds are dead they begin to decay absorbing oxygen from the surrounding water. Areas outside stream mouths are also affected as leaves and other organic material washed into the lake breaks down robbing oxygen from the waters and driving the fish away.
Tip-Ups are the most widely used method of ice fishing. Tip-Ups consist of a base, strike indicator flag and line spool held underwater preventing it freezing. The base is set on the ice, the hook baited and lowered to a foot or 2 of the bottom and the flag bent over and lightly placed in a notch. When a fish takes and pulls out line the spools rotates and releases the wire flag which springs upright; pretty exciting when it happens.

Live shiners, grubs, and jigging lures

Prior to Grayson, several lakes and ponds did see some action. Ice continued building to where auger blades were put to the test. Walleye, perch, and largemouth bass were caught through the ice, both with tip-ups and jigging sticks. Depth and structure were the keys in locating fish. Time of day, as in the case of walleye, was a determining factor. With opal eyes, the bite generally is better at day’s end when light diminishes.

Live shiners, grubs, and jigging lures by themselves or tipped with bait is as simple as it gets. Bring along a skimmer to keep your hole clear of ice and a manual sounder to check depth. A spud will assist in testing the ice and wind-resistant clothing can prevent you from testing the weather.

It might take a few more days for the trout streams to recoup from those frigid temps now that the air is warming up. Certainly, the salmon waters, as well as the sea run trout rivers, are in play. A January thaw is in the making and should jump-start the rivers. However, conditions on the lakes may get a bit slushy and caution should be taken.

Ohio ice walkers

Walleye are a favorite fish among Ohio ice walkers, and they're easy to find in winter. Come the early ice they'll likely still be fairly shallow around points and near shore bars, rock piles, sunken roads, sudden dropoffs and other good ambush cover. Then as the season progresses most will move to deeper water, mid-lake humps and reefs, and as spawning time nears they'll turn shallow again. The best time to catch walleye is an hour or so before dawn and an hour after, then an hour or so before dark and an hour after, though they'll bite sporadically all day and night.

GLEN ELDER (WACONDA LAKE):

 low to mid 30s, clear, about ½ foot low. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: 100% ice covered. Ice is 8 inches thick west of the causeway. There is also safe ice in the state park coves. Anglers have been catching some white bass, wipers, and striped bass along the river channel, but fishing has generally been slow. Crappie have been slow, but some caught on the brush piles. The park pond is 7-8 inches thick except around the tube and anglers are cautioned to stay away from the tube if ice fishing on the pond. Use extreme caution when ice fishing and always fish with a partner!

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/outdoors/article192712099.html#storylink=cpy

Wallace Lake

The best ice fishing in the area this weekend and next week will be found around the Cleveland Metroparks, with a focus on Wallace Lake on Valley Parkway in the Mill Stream Run Reservation in Berea. More than 3,000 rainbow trout in the 1- to 2-pound class have been released in the Cleveland Metroparks lakes, and Wallace Lake received the lion's share of the annual winter stockings.
Wallace Lake also has received a big slug of coho salmon, and a stocking program this year at Wallace featured big bluegill and largemouth bass. The ice cover is slowly becoming thick enough to support ice fishermen, but check before walking out on the ice.

Cleveland Metroparks

Lake Erie is luring walleye anglers from all over the state and around the country with friendly fishing weather this week. It has given boaters and shore fishermen the opportunity for some outstanding late-season catches.
The Northeast Ohio rivers are low and the current is slow, but some steelhead trout are being caught from the rivers and around the mouths of the tributaries. The Cleveland Metroparks has begun its winter stockings of rainbow trout.

Portage Lake in Cass County

Balm, Big Bass, South Twin and Deer lakes in Beltrami County; Portage Lake in Cass County; and Flour, Hungry Jack and Two Island lakes in Cook County: These eight lakes with restrictive size regulations (either a 12-20 inch protected slot or catch-and-release only regulation) on bass will be modified to a less restrictive, 14-20 inch protected slot with one over 20 inches to allow additional harvest of small bass while still protecting quality sized fish. Although the existing regulations were shown to be effective, the new protected slot is expected to provide a similar protection to quality fish and with the added benefit of allowing additional harvest of abundant smaller bass.

NW Angle is frozen

NW Angle is frozen over with good ice in most spots but some weak areas in some known locations. ATV and snowmobile travel on designated marked trails. Resorts are checking ice conditions, marking trails, and placing houses. 10-15" of ice where resorts fish and fishing is electric.