Early and late ice-fishing can be great around the rockpiles, but most anglers fish the edges rather than getting right on top of them in 9 to 10 feet of water.

"Walleyes cruise those locations in early and late ice, especially at night," Roach said. "A few wise anglers even leave their fish houses on top of those rockpiles and catch walleyes all winter long."

The weedlines are another great winter location most anglers overlook.

"In those years without much snow, like we've had recently, those weedlines stay good almost until ice-out -- the deep weed edge is a great place to put the Aqua-Vu down and take a look at what's going on because you can get weird readings with your liquid crystal graph in these spots," he said.

For more information, contact Roach's Guide Service at (763) 226-6656, or go online to www.roachsguideservice.com.

LAKE WINNIBIGOSHISH
Roach said you could take the same principals he outlined on Mille Lacs and apply them to Winnibigoshish and have the same tremendous luck.

"You can fish the edges of those points and humps, but don't be afraid to get on top of them as well --especially on Winnie with all those shallow rock and sand piles that top off in 10 to 14 feet of water," he said.

There are tons of small perch in Winnie, and the walleyes are cruising around those locations picking off the perch.

"Those perch don't just sit on top of the rocks getting eaten, so don't overlook the nearby deep locations where those perch will sometimes suspend," he added.

Areas immediately over and adjacent to current are places to exercise caution, but where the ice is thick enough, the shallow points nearby hold fish, especially during early ice.

Roach said no matter where he is ice-fishing, he always stays away from the crowds and gets to where he can move around and drill plenty of holes to target active fish.

"There are so many variations with mobility that people overlook -- to be absolutely mobile, you have to pack light, find your own fish and drill more than just four or five holes at each location," he said.

For more information, contact Roach's Guide Service at (763) 226-6656, or go online to www.roachsguideservice.com.