After several years of "beating the banks" I've decided that in order to
progress as a bass angler I'm gonna have to learn to fish structure.  I read the
excellent series "So you want to learn to fish Toledo Bend, picked up some
excellent tips from Catt and the guys posting on that thread.

I went out
with a guide on lake Fork summer before last - when it still had water in it. 
He explained about using crankbaits, C-rigs, and Texas rigs to fish submerged
bridges.  I learned a lot; mainly that my retrieve was way too fast.  Next step
was learning to find structure.

Last year I bought a Humminbird side view
sonar unit.  I also upgraded to the latest Navionics PC mapping software; I have
the 2008 Navionics chip in the 'bird.  I've been using the combination of
detailed lake maps and side view sonar to locate some of the underwater
structure on Fork.

What I do is, mark the various bridges on the
Navionics PC software, upload to a MMC chip, then put this in the Humminbird. 
The points I mark transfer to the GPS map.  Then I go out on the lake and use
the side view to find the precise location of the bridges and culverts.  The
Humminbird has a function that allows you to capture the screen and download to
the MMC card as images.

Here are some side view pics I took in October on
Fork.  Maybe this will help anyone who's thinking of buying a side view unit. 
In my opinion this thing is light years beyond traditional sonar.  I'm still
learning how to use the side view but so far results are good.

(Jan. 03, 2012)... Late winter brings about
  opportunities. Certain species begin lining up like 2-for1 day at "Old Country
  Buffet." Yellow perch, in particular, become extremely active during the final
  weeks of the ice season.
Some real monster perch get stuck this time of the year, and I’m not talking
  the thumbs down size, but the 10, 12, and 14-inchers we crave to catch. These
  egg-laden chubos cruise mud flats and weedbeds devouring about anything that
  crosses their paths. For the angler, mobility is the key to finding schools of
  these marauding perch, most encounters happening in anywhere from 10 to 30-feet
  of water. Consequently, you need to be flexible and diligent in your searching
  scheme. But once located, more often than not, the feed is on.
Contrary to public opinion that contends the little tigers are munching
  baitfish, perch are feeding on larvae of several types, as they do most of the
  winter. In Iate February, March, and April, caddis, mayfly, and other waterlife
  that inhabits the bottom come to life. Experts claim that the angle of the sun
  and lengthened light of day create the phenomenon that wakes these sleeping
  midgets.
With this in mind, I like to target areas of the lake with clear-cut bottom
  content transmissions - spaces where mud, marl, sand and or rock make
  acquaintance. These are prime rearing grounds where millions of larvae develop
  and rise from the bottom under the ice and again in late June and July when
they  emerge on wing and lay eggs on the open surface to renew the process. It’s
the  perfect circle of life in the death stare of a perch.
Locating these prime areas has been made simpler by applying technology.
  Humminbird’s 385ci, for example, equipped with a LakeMaster chip, makes short
  work of finding and defining perch hangouts. When arriving on the scene, I rely
  on my electronics to spell doom to a school of hungry perch.
Two other sneaky spots that are often overlooked by perch pirates are
  scattered rock piles and shallow weed flats in depths of 6 to 12-feet of water.
  Wait a minute you say, "What about the larvae theory?" Hey, you don’t eat the
  same food all the time do you? Perch are very adaptable foragers. Baby crayfish
  from last year’s hatch begin to move slowly over rocks and in and around
shallow  sand grass flats. I’m talking about dark brown, one to two-inch craws
that have  been hiding all winter in the rocks like fraidy cats. Perch sense the
movement a  single antenna or pincer and the bibs go on. This, my friends, can
make for some  of the fastest fishing of the season.
"Soft and light, makes everything right". This statement sticks in my brain
  when it comes to applying the choke-hold on sometimes finicky perch that may
  thumb their nose at certain offerings. Herculean ice angler, Brian "Bro"
  Brosdahl has devoted a lifetime to understanding perch and their wintertime
  ways. He was integral in the design of the Bro Series combos for Frabill, some
  of which were engineered specifically for perching. With advice from a stable
of  ice fishing thoroughbreds, such as Marty and Scott Glorvigen and myself,
Frabill  makes more species-specific combos than any other ice fishing rod
builder. New  to the scene, Frabill’s Straight Line Combo combines sensitivity
with a light  aluminum alloy fly reel that feels like a custom golf club in your
hands. With  great shallow water applications, the Straightlining method gives
you the power  to present small baits in a natural state. "No spin to win," I
say. With rod  lengths of 24 to 32-inches and a soft tip that divulges the
slightest bite, the  Straight Line Combos should move straight to the top of
your must-have list.
Spool-up your ice combos with Suffix Ghost braid in 2-lb test, and look out
  perch. Lures of choice are always an opinion at best, but I have proven
  favorites. When fishing depths of 15 to 25-feet, a #3 Rapala Jiggin Rap lends
  the ideal size and movement when I am searching for hungry, aggressive perch.
  Consider it a search tool as well, grabbing the attention of fish that you
might  have to ultimately downsize to catch.
When I get shallow, mowing the sand grass and pounding small rocks, I jig
  small Luhr-Jensen Crippled Minnow Spoons, cannibalistically colored in Metallic
  Perch or Fire Tiger. Most often, during late winter, I attach 4 to 6 maggots or
  2 waxies to the single, free-flowing and ultra-sharp hook. Next I pinch the
  grubs a smidgen to create an aroma trail to capture their sensory organs.
In the greater wild kingdom, these are little tigers indeed. But scaled down
  to what lurks beneath the ice, the tigers I tame would impress even Barnum
&  Bailey. I have a hunch they’d welcome a plate of perch between
performances,  too.


 

In the old days, ice fishing would often mean sitting in a tent for hours on end with nary a nibble. But today, modern technology has made it possible to quickly catch several fish. All you need is a fishfinder, which is a piece of equipment that uses sonar to scan for the presence of fish.

Today, there are many models made specifically for ice fishing, and I would rate these as the five best:

MarCum® LX-5 Flasher 3-Color Ice Fishing Sonar ($499.99)

Both durable and powerful at 2,500 watts, this is an awesome fishfinder. It has all sorts of nice features, starting with MarCum's TrueColor technology, which improves color separation and provides an easy-to-read display. Next, this fishfinder uses MarCum's Super Fine Line Technology, and that gives great definition with target separation to 3/4 of an inch. It also has movable zoom and is lightweight for easy transport.



MarCum® ShowDown Ice-Troller Hand Held Digital FishFinder ($199.99)

This is another good MarCum fishfinder, and it's a great value for its modest price. It's good to use if you're going to be moving around on the lake since it's extra portable, and will fit in the palm of your hand. While it lacks some of the features found in deluxe fishfinders, like a zoom lens, it still is solid with a 120-foot range and 2-inch target separation.

Vexilar FL-22 HD Ultra Pack Fishfinder ($619.95)

I really love this model. With 525 segments of resolution, a depth range down to 60 feet, and a target separation of under 1/4 of an inch, you'll be catching more fish than ever before. In addition, this one has lots of cool extras like two auto zoom zones, a night fishing mode, and three-color LED display. However, at its high price, I would only suggest this fishfinder to those who want to do some serious ice fishing.

Humminbird ICE 345c Fishfinder ($329.99)

Anyone looking for a solid fishfinder at a modest price should consider getting this Humminbird one. It's plenty good at finding fish with its dual beam sonar and 2,400 watts. Additionally, this model is easy to read with a 3.5-inch color display. It uses a gel cell battery that is included.



MarCum® ShowDown 5.6 Dual Beam FishFinder ($399.99)

If you are looking for a versatile model, then I think you should take a look at this fishfinder. One advantage is that you can adjust the scan depending on what type of ice fishing you are doing. A wide scan will find shallow water pan fish, and a focus scan can find deep swimming lunkers. Other pluses are its patented Interference Rejection Software and an 8-inch vertical LCD display.



Floyd Saunders is a native of snowy Minnesota. He has been a downhill and cross-country skier since childhood, and he has dabbled in snowboarding, snowshoeing, hockey, and ice fishing.