Photo by Michael Skinner

There's plenty of good ice-fishing action around the state this month as anglers prepare to take buckets of bluegills, crappies, perch, walleyes and saugeyes through the ice. Waters in the northern half of the state usually ice up quicker than in the southern half, but the fishing south of Columbus can be just as good.

As important as good tactics and fresh bait are, knowing where to set up is the key to success.

"Fish will be pretty much scattered throughout the winter if there is no cover," said Matt Wolfe, a District Three fisheries biologist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife

"All of our fish management activities have an all-season focus. The Ohio Division of Wildlife does some work to enhance ice-fishing opportunities, such as placing fish concentration devices including pallets, rock reefs, Christmas trees and fiberglass crappie tubes. We try to place these structures near the shoreline, especially on larger reservoirs, where anglers can walk out on the ice, stay in sight of their cars and catch fish."

Here's a look at some of our best bets for when the winter winds are blowing and the mercury has bottomed out:

DISTRICT ONE
Alum Creek Reservoir
Alum Creek is north of Columbus in Delaware County off Interstate 71. The lake is loaded with big saugeyes, according to Elmer Heyob Jr., a fisheries biologist with the ODOW's District One office in Columbus.

In January 2002, a new state-record saugeye was taken that weighed over 12.5 pounds.

According to Heyob, there's plenty more big saugeyes where that one came from.

Heyob recommends fishing near the lake bottom over deep water with rattle-type lures, minnows, jigs and larval baits. He suggests a slow, lift-and-drop presentation near points and shallow reefs.

The crappie angling is also excellent at Alum Creek. Anglers can expect to pull up crappies in the 12-inch range this year, and lots of them. A minimum length limit of 9 inches for papermouths is in effect at the reservoir, which covers 3,192 acres and has plenty of marinas and parking areas.

Access is from state routes 36/37, which intersect the northern section of the lake. State Route 521 and Cheshire, Hollenback and Lewis Center roads provide access from state Route 23 on the west side of the lake.

For more information, contact the Alum Creek State Park office at (740) 548-4631 or the Ohio Division of Wildlife at (614) 644-3925.

Indian Lake
Logan County's Indian Lake covers 5,800 acres of water, the lake yields plenty of big bluegills, slab crappies and hungry saugeyes throughout the hardwater season.

Elmer Heyob also recommends Indian Lake for winter largemouth bass. Though far and few between in January, big bass may be taken on jigging spoons in the deeper areas that have been recently dredged.

In addition, the success of the saugeye in Indian Lake is almost unparalleled, according to Heyob. Every year the ODOW stocks nearly 500,000 saugeyes into Indian Lake, and fish up to 7 and 8 pounds are occasionally taken.

The deeper water east of Dream Bridge off state Route 368 is one of the best spots on the lake to target for saugeyes.

Public access is available along the West and South banks where parking lots are provided. Additional parking lots and access are available at the Chippewa, Blackhawk and Moundwood marinas.

Indian Lake may be reached off state routes 235 and 366 or from side roads off state Route 117 on the east.

Call Indian Lake State Park at (937) 843-2717 for current ice conditions, which can vary widely across the lake. Even the head of the local Coast Guard auxiliary has gone through the ice on a snowmobile, so caution is always advised.