Most anglers concentrate on walleyes, but there's a healthy perch population not to mention some decent crappie fishing. Walleye anglers can expect any of the above to bite on their line throughout the winter. As the winter moves on, the best walleye locations move from bays and shoreline structure out to the main-lake structures.

A few ice-fishing experts even cruise around the lake basin searching for roaming walleyes, but this is a pursuit few have any luck at. Those who do, however, are typically rewarded with large catches and large fish.

For more information, contact Sportland Bait and Tackle at (218) 963-2401 or www.sportlandbait.com.

UPPER RED LAKE
It has become the hottest walleye lake in recent memory, thanks to the revitalization of the walleye population. Anglers are reporting tons of walleyes being caught, and as the population ages, the trophy potential grows with each passing year.

"It's an awesome lake to walleye fish even though you have to do a lot of searching to find them," said John House, a promotional angler.

House said find the GPS coordinates for the cribs that have been placed in the lake and plan on heading out a few miles from the main landing.

"You can search out the crowds and fish along the edges of them, but it pays to have some of your own spots plugged into the GPS so if the fish aren't biting you can go searching," he said.

Anglers who flock to the crowds can have some phenomenal fishing, but the angler migration is always a few days behind the walleye migration. The ice-angler with a sense of adventure can go searching for walleyes and get on a hotspot before it becomes a well-known location.

There are still plenty of big crappies in the lake, so don't be surprised if that tough battle you think is a walleye turns out to be a 2-pound or larger crappie. There are also plenty of massive pike swimming the lake, so don't dip your fingers too far down the hole to rescue that dropped piece of jerky.

Because the walleye bite can be so consistent throughout the season, House said he likes to use artificial baits more than live baits. "Because I don't have to change my bait when I catch a fish, I can get my lure back in the water faster than my buddies who have to put a new minnow or waxie on -- it's fun to outfish them with artificial baits through the ice," he said.

For more information, contact Duffy's Fish House Rentals at (218) 355-0277, or go online to www.urlfishhouserentals.com.

MILLE LACS LAKE
So much has been written about the walleye fishing on Mille Lacs it hardly seems worth mentioning, but there are still anglers who don't believe the hype or don't think the walleye bite is as good as it used to be.

"The fishing up here is great and the action is consistent for those anglers willing to drill a lot of holes and move around," walleye expert and guide Tony Roach said.

One of the biggest mistakes anglers make is they think about the lake in a different way in the wintertime than they do in the summertime "The concepts are the same and the locations are pretty much the same as well -- don't just plop on a point and sit all day. There are so many inside turns, mid-structure breaks, flat spots adjacent to sharp breaks and transition areas that you can fill the day with walleyes if you move around," he said.