Steve Ladanpike caught a big pike while fishing for perch and walleyes on Mille Lacs. Photo by Ron Hustvedt Jr.

The Ice Belt of America stretches from the Rocky Mountains to the east coast and at the heart of this region is Minnesota, home to more ice-fishing innovations than any other state by most accounts.

Sure, there are plenty of other states that form enough ice on their lakes for anglers to walk, snowmobile and drive on. No other state celebrates ice quite the way we do with multiple major ice-fishing contests, ice drag racing, winter carnivals and a wide variety of events. It speaks to the numerous interests Minnesotans have and the extensive assortment of things to do in order to survive the harsh winter.

Multiple interests is what most ice-anglers have as well and often the major decision is to go ice-fishing or not (no matter the weather), but it's more a question of, "What should we fish for today?"

Walleyes, pike, crappies, perch, panfish and even lake trout tend to top the lists of most ice-anglers. Which one is the best to fish for at any given time? Why be forced to choose one species when you can pursue a variety of species on some of the top multispecies lakes around the state?

It is possible to go to a lake chock-full of several different species and walk away skunked. It is also possible to go to a lake and catch a "grand slam" of different species.

Personally, I like to hit the ice of my favorite lake to do a little walleye fishing and then change it up and chase crappies or bluegills. Big pike and lake trout are known for hanging out together and so are big crappies and walleyes. These fish aren't always in the same spot at the same time, but it takes very little work to totally change your game plan for the day.

Instead of packing up and moving from lakes, you just move to a different part of the lake saving hours of time better spent on fishing. Depending on the lake, you could just stay put and let the changing patterns of the fish bring them your way. In either case, it takes a specific approach to do this successfully and not just by happenstance.

Bluegills and pike also tend to hang out in similar locations and while the strategies for both are drastically different, you can fish two lines, and you can jig small lures for bluegills while a big minnow does its job on a tip-up nearby. Imagine battling a 10-inch bluegill, then running to pull in that 40-inch pike peeling line off your tip-up!

Just remember, some of the top lakes around will remain nameless because even the most generous angler isn't willing to share such valuable information. In these modern times of catch-and-release, it's less likely today that a group of anglers could practically clean out a lake. That said, if word gets out that Lake X has an abundant supply of 14-inch-plus crappies, you can bet that Lake X is about to get really crowded.

If you know of your own Lake X, rather than keep it to yourself, share that lake with somebody who has never gone ice-fishing before. Kids are the no-brainer and the easy choice, but there are plenty of adults who might be interested in the sport.