What depth?

I’m humbly seeking advice on where to start searching for some fish. My wife, kids and i are staying at a cabin the next 5 days north of Grand Rapids. The lake is quite deep, with much of it being 50+ feet. However, there is plenty of structure, humps, flats etc.

On a personal level, id like to catch walleye, however I think if i could get the kids into some perch or panfish, or just set tip ups and hope for big pike and musky, itll make for a good trip.

So, the big question is what depth should a guy start at? I was thinking around 15-20ft, then setting tip ups shallower. Any advice is appreciated. I dont have a lot of experience scouting out new lakes.

On a side note, theres 8-10 inches of ice here in the 6 holes ive drilled. I ventured out today in the blizzard just to drill some holes to test ice thickness so I’d know if i could run the snowmobile. This is only my 2nd season owning a machine, ive always walked out before. So my question is, do you usually run the sled a little ways, then stop and drill a hole to continue testing ice thickness along the way? Ive only been about 150 yards out from shore so far, so i dont want to just assume the rest of the lake has equal thickness….

Sorry for the dumb questions, but I’m new to anything other than walking or driving out on lakes like LOW or Red with plowed roads. I’m just trying to be safe.

matthewkolden wrote:

and musky

Be careful Matt, musky season closed on Dec 1. So targeting one is illegal. You may run into one by accident targeting a big pike, but to actually target one and openly admit to it out of season is definitely not permitted at this time.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>matthewkolden wrote:</div>
and musky

Be careful Matt, musky season closed on Dec 1. So targeting one is illegal. You may run into one by accident targeting a big pike, but to actually target one and openly admit to it out of season is definitely not permitted at this time.

Good golly you’re right and i didn’t even consider that. I’m embarrassed about my ignorance, but I’ll own it. Thank you so much for the heads up. Pike it is.

Never assume the ice is the same thickness. There could be springs or current running thru the lake that will make the ice thinner. Try reaching out to a local bait shop and ask what they have heard.

You have a map you can give us a screenshot? I’d look for shallow water next to deep in the morning and evening. Run tip ups at any transit point. Any flat with consistent depth with weeds would be a good multi species spot.

Can’t control whether a Pike or Musky eat your sucker minnow on a tip up!

No bucktails allowed!

This sounds like moose and it should have good consistent ice , but it also sounds like deer across the road and the ice there is not consistent. The ice out to fifty or to one hundred yards froze but the rest stayed open for quite some time, and some of the bays stayed open for a long time also. Definitely would be checking as I go on deer but I don’t know what lake your on anyway so when in doubt check it out!

Ice conditions have been good and consistent. 8-10 inches every single spot ive drilled, which has been many.

I wish I coukd say rhe sane for the fishing. Weve caught nothing but small perch, and weve tried many many depths and spots. Havent even had a single tip up trigger. Nit sure if its just slow fishing ir if its just the learning curve of having never been here.

Think tonight ill set up in 18-20 ft for prime time and see what happens. Last night we never marked a single fish in 13ft on the edge of the weeds.