Ice fishing guide — where fish hold under the ice and what they bite
Not every species feeds through the ice, and the ones that do want different tackle. Below: when the ice sets across the northern US, Canada and the UK, how fish move from first ice to last ice, which tackle and bait work, and how thick ice has to be to walk on. And lure computes the bite for your own lake from season, pressure and moon phase — on frozen water it names ice tackle instead of a spinning rod. Free, no app.
See the bite forecast →What feeds through the ice
Walleye
The classic hardwater target. Feeds actively through the ice, hitting jigging raps and tip-ups with live minnows, best at dawn and dusk.
Yellow perch
The most reliable ice species there is — schools stay active all winter and take small ice jigs and minnow baits.
Northern pike and lake trout
Pike come to tip-ups set over weed edges; lake trout are jigged deep with spoons and raps.
Bass and catfish do not
Largemouth bass, catfish and carp go dormant in the cold and barely feed. The forecast says so plainly instead of suggesting tackle for a trip that will not produce.
When the ice sets
Ice season starts with safe, solid ice, not with a date on the calendar. Shallow ponds, bays and backwaters lock up first; big lakes, reservoirs and anything with current follow one to three weeks later. Rough timing by region:
Upper Midwest
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and the Dakotas usually get walkable ice from early to mid December, earlier up north. The season runs into March, and on the northern lakes ice often tops two feet by midwinter.
Canada
Across Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec lakes freeze from late November, and the far north earlier still. Hardwater season is long there — well into April on northern waters.
Northeast US
Northern New England and upstate New York see safe ice from late December into March. Further south the ice comes and goes with thaws, and many winters never give a reliable season at all.
UK and Ireland
Winters are too mild for safe ice on almost any water, and ice fishing is essentially not practised. Winter there is the season for pike, grayling and roach on open water instead.
First ice, midwinter and late ice
Fish move a lot over one winter, so the hole that produced in December can go quiet by February.
First ice
The first two or three weeks after freeze-up give the best bite of the winter. Oxygen is still plentiful, fish feed hard and hold shallow — on weed edges, drop-offs and near cover in 3 to 10 feet of water. Pike and perch hit aggressively. It is also the most dangerous time: new ice is thin and uneven, especially over current and near reeds.
Midwinter
January and February. Thick ice and snow cut the light, oxygen slowly runs down, and fish slide deeper — to basins, channels and anywhere with current or springs. They feed in short windows. Light line, small jigs and constant searching pay off: twenty holes along a break beat a whole day over one. Burbot are the exception — midwinter is their spawn and their best bite.
Late ice
March, and April up north. Meltwater brings oxygen back under the ice, fish wake up and push shallow again, toward inlets and the shoreline. Perch and panfish bite well and pike turn on. The ice itself darkens, turns honeycombed and pulls away from shore, so fish it early in the day while the overnight frost still holds it.
Where each species holds and what it takes
Under the ice fish gather in tight schools with empty water in between, so finding the spot matters more than the lure.
Walleye
Holds on structure — points, humps and breaklines in 15 to 30 feet — and feeds hardest at dawn and dusk. Jig a spoon or balance jig tipped with a minnow head, or set tip-ups with live shiners on the edges.
Yellow perch
Roams in schools over soft bottom and weed edges. Small jigs tipped with spikes or waxworms, fished just off bottom, are the standard. No bites in five to ten minutes? Drill and move.
Northern pike
Ambushes along weed edges and drop-offs in shallow to mid depths. Tip-ups with large live or dead bait are the classic approach; best at first ice, sluggish in deep midwinter.
Lake trout
Cold-water fish of deep, clear lakes. Jig tubes and spoons high in the water column over 40 to 100 feet — lakers often rise a long way to chase.
Crappie and bluegill
Suspend over basins and near weed edges. Tiny jigs with plastics or waxworms on light line; crappie are most active at dusk and after dark.
Burbot
Rivers and cold lakes with hard, clean bottom. Spawns in midwinter and feeds at night on the bottom — glow jigs or set lines with cut bait or minnows.
Under ice the tackle changes, not the retrieve
Open-water advice fails literally through a hole: there is no cast and no retrieve. So on frozen water the forecast names different tackle rather than the same lure worked “slower than usual”.
Ice jig
The workhorse for panfish and perch — tipped with bait, fished just off bottom all winter.
Balance jig and jigging spoon
Vertical presentation for predators: walleye, perch, pike, lake trout. Works on active fish.
Tip-up
A live-bait rig set over a hole for pike and walleye — it fishes for you while you jig nearby.
Burbot rig
A knocker jig or cut-bait bottom rig, fished after dark for the one species whose main season is winter.
Auger, ice picks and everything else for a day on the ice are listed in the ice fishing checklist.
Bait and attractors
Cold fish eat little and pick carefully, so bait matters more than tackle, and far less chum is needed than in summer.
Waxworms and spikes
The staple panfish and perch baits. Hook one to three on a small jig so they still move, and keep them in an inside pocket — frozen bait is dead bait.
Minnows
Live fatheads and shiners for walleye, perch and crappie; larger suckers and shiners on tip-ups for pike. A minnow head on a spoon adds scent without slowing the jig.
Plastics
Small soft plastics on ice jigs out-fish live bait on active schools and never freeze. Switch back to live bait when fish get finicky.
Chumming
Rules on chumming vary by state and province and some forbid it outright — check before you drop anything down the hole. Where it is allowed, a little goes a long way in cold water.
Weather and pressure through the ice
Fish under ice react to weather more than in summer. The best bite comes in settled conditions: several days of steady pressure, light cold and little wind. A sudden thaw, a pressure swing or a wind change usually slows things down, and the bite often recovers toward the end of a long thaw — especially on late ice.
Why the change in pressure matters more than the number itself is explained in barometric pressure and fishing. The lure forecast weighs pressure, wind and temperature for you, hour by hour.
We already worked it out for you
No need to recall which species feed in the cold and which are dormant. Every species' seasonal curve in the model is checked against 25,554 logged catches, so the winter forecast shows the fish that are actually catchable on your water right now — hour by hour, today and for the days ahead.
How season combines with pressure, moon and water temperature is charted in how the forecast is calculated.
About ice safety
This service does not measure ice thickness or condition, and cannot: no open data covers it per water body. The forecast speaks about the bite, not about whether it is safe to walk out. The guidelines below follow the Minnesota DNR, but strength depends on more than thickness: check the ice with a spud bar as you go, and never go out alone, especially on first and last ice.
- At least 4 inches (10 cm) of clear new ice to walk out on foot.
- 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) for a snowmobile or ATV.
- 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) for a car or small pickup, 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 cm) for a medium truck.
- White, cloudy or snow ice is roughly half as strong as clear ice, and rotten late ice can fail at any thickness.
- Ice is thinnest over current, at inlets and outlets, near reeds and structure, over springs and around open holes.
- Wear ice picks around your neck, carry a throw rope and a spud bar, and do not crowd around one hole.
Frequently asked questions
What fish can you catch ice fishing?
Walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, lake trout, crappie and bluegill feed through the ice and make up most hardwater catches. Burbot feed hardest of all in winter — it is their spawning season. Largemouth bass, catfish and carp go dormant and are rarely caught.
What tackle do you use for ice fishing?
Small ice jigs tipped with bait for panfish, balance jigs and jigging spoons for predators, and tip-ups with live minnows for pike and walleye. Open-water lures do not work through a hole — there is no cast and no retrieve.
When does ice fishing season start?
Once the ice sets hard, after water cools to near freezing. The date depends on the region: northern lakes lock up in November, mid-latitude waters in December, and southern waters may never hold safe ice at all.
How thick does ice need to be for ice fishing?
The Minnesota DNR guideline is at least 4 inches (10 cm) of clear new ice for walking and 5 to 7 inches for a snowmobile or ATV. White or snow ice is roughly half as strong, and ice is thinner over current, at inlets and near reeds. Check it with a spud bar and never go out alone.
Where do fish hold under the ice?
At first ice, shallow on weed edges and breaks; in midwinter, deeper in basins, channels and on structure; at late ice, shallow again near inlets and the shoreline. Drill a line of holes along a break and move if nothing bites in five to ten minutes.
What time of day is best for ice fishing?
Walleye and pike are most active at dawn and dusk, perch and bluegill often bite through the day, crappie turn on at dusk and after dark, and burbot feed at night. Calm, overcast days tend to give the steadiest bite.
Does barometric pressure matter in winter?
Yes, more than in summer. Fish under ice are especially sensitive to swings: a settled cold spell fishes better than a thaw or a sharp pressure change.
How do I check the winter bite on my lake?
Pick your water in the forecast — it shows each species' activity by the hour from season, weather and moon phase, and names ice tackle once the water is frozen. Free, no app to install.