"There are lots of these lakes in Minnesota," Genz said. "The perch have a decent food source and they get into that jumbo range. Someone catches a few, the word gets out, and, soon, everyone is fishing for them."

The "boys" caught a big bucket full of large perch in just a few hours on a lure called the Rattl'n Flyer Spoon, which they were testing. The hot color was gold. There were only two that color, so one of the anglers had to work a little harder for his fish. When they had enough for their fish fry, they didn't quit. They just threw the rest back.

Again, use Johnson's Web site -- www.adamjohnsonoutdoors.com -- for gathering more information about ice-fishing at Pine Mountain Lake. And you can check out the lure these guys were using by visiting this Web site, www.lindylittlejoe.com.

Swan Lake, Otter Tail County
Some of us are most happy fishing on the smaller lakes when it's early in the ice-fishing season. I figure those 500- to 600-acre lakes are going to freeze faster and get thick much quicker than the big 1,000-plus-acre lakes will. That's why I appreciate 700-acre Swan Lake near Fergus Falls. And it's full of 10-inch crappies that love to bite!

The middle of Swan Lake is a great place to start. I use the Genz approach for crappies on this lake. Find a spot between all the deep holes, drill until you're tired -- which for me is about 20 holes -- and start searching with the sonar. Crappies will suspend and they show up well on that fish finder. When you spot a school, it's just a matter of dropping down a tiny jig and minnow and watching it on the sonar screen until it's resting right above the fish.

I had to call Genz from Swan Lake one time because I thought my sonar was broken. I said I knew the bottom was about 35 feet, but there was all this clutter between 15 feet and the bottom, and I couldn't adjust it out. "Those are fish, ya' big dummy," Genz replied, and he was right! I caught plenty of crappies that day.

Genz has a great Web site for fishing tips for Swan Lake and other waters. Check it out at www.davegenz.com.

Toad Lake, Becker County
I call them sonar jockeys. Adam Johnson is one. He'll go out on a lake, drill a bunch of holes and work the holes with his sonar until he spots a fish, then he targets that one fish. In this situation, he doesn't want much structure -- just a lake about 30 feet deep with a decent population of walleyes or crappies. Toad Lake is one that fits this bill.

"You work between the little structural elements that are on the lake," Johnson explained. "Find one of the small humps and drill in a zigzag pattern north to the next one. Then, you just hole hop until you see a walleye a foot or 18 inches off the bottom, and you catch him."

It sounds easy.
"It is," Johnson said, matter of factly. "Most guys like to fish. Me, I like to fish for fish, so I spend a lot of time looking, and when I send down the bait, I know I'm targeting a fish that's down there. If I can't get it to bite, then it's probably not a walleye. I only spend about five, no more than 10, minutes on a fish before I move to another hole."

Once again, use Johnson's Web site for gathering more information about ice-fishing at Toad Lake.

Lake Winnibigoshish, Cass/Itasca County When it comes to perch, "Winni" is still the king. There are loads of resorts on the lake that rent stationary ice houses, so rent one and use it for a base of operations.

Take along your Fish Trap or Clam portable shelter, and when the perch start moving, follow them. The perch -- plenty of big perch -- move to the tops of the reefs in the morning and evening, and they slide off to the sides in the middle of the day.

That's Lake Winnibigoshish. Get more information about the lake and area resorts on the Web at www.fishand game.com/winnlk.htm.

Good fishing!

Find more about Minnesota fishing and hunting at: MinnesotaSportsmanMag.com