There are times when favorite spots go through lags, or breaks between producing fish. And often these so-called pauses are a signal to move, but sometimes it’s just a matter of "waiting it out".

Fishermen the likes of Dave Genz, who many consider to be the Godfather of Ice Fishing, will literally flip over in their portable fish houses when they hear what I am about to proclaim. "Sometimes it pays to just stay put". The premise behind Genz’s successful ice fishing philosophy is mobility. Believe me, Dave Genz, and countless others, myself included, frequently catch fish solely because of a willingness to move. But there are a few times and places when patience prevails.

On a recent trip to Zippel Bay on Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods our group was confronted with a typical "big water" walleye bite. Zippel Bay’s mouth opens into the main lake basin, commonly known as Traverse Bay. Traverse Bay is a massive bowl offering gradually tapering bottoms that eventually descend into 30 to 40 feet. Structure, such as underwater bars and reefs are few and far between, therefore most fish relate to subtle breaks and preferred depths. The key to locating wintertime walleyes and sauger on Lake of the Woods, and many other large waters, is depth and forage.

The first thing we did upon arriving was to establish the depth that anglers were catching fish over the past couple of days. Area resorts, bait shops, and evening watering holes are wonderful resources. In this case, 22-feet was rumored to be the hot zone, and what made this range enticing to walleyes was the fact that emerald shiners were there first. So our goal quickly became to locate the 22-foot range. By range we mean 20 to 24-feet or so.

A jug of water coupled with a well-charged flasher is required to quickly detect depth, as well as specific structure. Once 20-feet was located the next step was to determine how much farther we needed to venture in order to find 21, 22, 23 and so on. With myself on auger, and partners following close behind, we proceeded blasting well over a dozen holes in a 100-yard sequence. Slowly tapering bottoms often meander over 100 yards without changing 5-feet in depth.

The shallowest holes, those lying in 19 and 20 feet were quickly ruled out. Our three- member party continued leap-frogging over one another until someone nailed a fish. The first strike came in 21 feet, somewhat supporting the 22-foot recommendation. It was a nice sauger. The second and third fish were hooked in a hole drilled slightly deeper in 22 feet of water. But it wasn’t until one of us explored the most distant holes in 23 and 24-feet that things really heated-up. Sauger, after walleye, after tulibee, after perch, and even an eelpout or two kept the water in one hole in constant flux. My partners immediately joined in the fray by setting-up over nearby holes towering above the same depth. The next fifteen minutes were filled with exclamations of, "I got one". But suddenly, as if someone had failed to pay the electric bill, everything shut down.

The commandments of ice fishing mobility should instantaneously trigger a response that sends one packing and exploring. But instead, this situation warranted the exact opposite. It was time to sit tight, crack open an ice-cold beverage, rig a second line, and tease your partners about their lack of productivity.

Think about it, we established that the best action was in 23 to 24 feet of water. We also knew that the area was relatively void of structure, and when fish were present, they were aggressive. Knowing this, it’s safe to assume that fish were schooled tightly, roaming, yet feeding with a vengeance. We could have drilled an additional batch of holes along the same depth, but I doubt if we’d have caught up to them. Because by the time you cut new holes, clear ice fragments, and start jigging, your buddies across the way would once again be hooking fish in the old holes.

Patience can be a virtue. More than likely, the fish will return. Use the time between runs for maintenance, instead of erroneously chasing packs of marauding sauger and walleye. Now is a great time to pop a second hole nearby and drop a plain hook and minnow or even a tip-up. So when the time arrives for a second volley you are prepared to catch more fish. In Minnesota, three anglers can quickly, and legally, expand to six lines. The extra ammunition not only allows you to land more fish during a run, it also act as attractants to hold nomadic fish within your strike zone. I usually rig the second line with the largest minnow on hand. The bigger minnow will seduce fish, yet only a real whopper has the fortitude to take it. Dividends are also paid for continuously jigging during slow periods. Often, the darting colors and flashing emitted by jigging spoons draws nearby schools off course and into your lair.

Fortunately for us the active period for sauger, and even some walleyes on Lake of the Woods is from midmorning to late afternoon, so we were able to experience numerous runs. On many other open basin lakes perch behave similarly. A choice location can yield run after run of the tasty striped critters. And once again, an angler could grow weary running after schools all afternoon. On the other hand, species such as crappies, sunfish, northerns, and walleyes on smaller water require greater mobility from the angler, because once they move, they aren’t coming back for awhile.