Johnson dug out his contour maps and found some midlake structure that combined rocks, gravel, sand and some sharp dropoffs.

"It's right in the middle of the main basin," he pointed out. "I consider it a community spot, but when I saw that fishing pressure didn't hinder the bite at the Extravaganza, I figured I'd try it out."

Johnson said he found he had much of the structure to himself, and the walleyes were there. He used a fathead minnow on a plain hook with a small split shot to get the bait into 22 feet of water.

"The first couple of hours I didn't get a bite, but when the sun started disappearing over the horizon it was like someone flipped the switch. I caught walleyes nonstop for the next hour and a half, and it was over. I've fished Gull numerous times since, and it is one productive lake."

Check out Johnson's Web site at www.adamjohnsonoutdoors.com. To get information on the Jaycees event this season, visit www.icefishing.org.

Greer Lake, Crow Wing County
While the majority of ice-anglers prefer walleyes and panfish tugging on their line, some appreciate it when a tip-up flag flips up and the spool full of line starts to spin because a northern pike has taken off with the sucker. Anglers who want this experience search out lakes like Greer, a 350-acre body of water just south of Crosslake.

"It's two basins, and the bigger of the two has the access, so most anglers fish where the deep water is right out from the access," Johnson said. "But then, most anglers on this lake are fishing for panfish."

What Johnson said he does is move deep into the main basin toward the narrows, where he drills a load of holes in 10 to 15 feet of water.

"There is some current in this lake, not much, but it does draw in some forage, which pulls in some pike right there where the lake necks down before it enters the smaller basin," he said. "It's a good place to put some tip-ups if that's how you like to fish them."

On the other hand, Johnson also likes to drill plenty of holes and move around with a heavy jigging rod armed with a sucker minnow impaled on a size 1/0 hook.

"Sometimes you can look down the hole and watch the fish swim up to the bait and look it over before it takes it," he said. "There are a lot of pike in Greer, and some nice-sized fish as well."

Use Johnson's Web site -- www.adamjohnsonoutdoors.com -- for gathering more information about ice-fishing at Greer Lake.

Pine Mountain Lake, Cass County Four of us pulled out onto the ice -- Genz, Johnson, Ted Takasaki of Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle, and myself. The rumor was some big perch were being caught on Pine Mountain Lake. But as we headed to the far north shore, I was puzzled because there were no other anglers. When the word is out on a good bite, it usually draws plenty of others to the spot.

"It's still a well-kept secret," Genz said. "Just a few of us know this exists."

Holes were drilled in just a few feet of water only 50 yards out from the bulrush beds. The day was cold and windy, but none of the anglers -- except me -- used a shelter. Johnson was lying right on the ice, sight-fishing through his hole in about 3 feet of water. Takasaki and Genz were moving from hole to hole looking for the 12-inchers. They all found big perch. Me? I found a 4-pound pike.