To locate productive depths, drill three to four holes in a straight line toward deep water, approximately ten feet apart. Then fish each hole briefly, sampling for a successful area. One hole will usually produce more fish than the others. Once found, drill holes to the immediate right and left of this area and concentrate your efforts there. Again repeat the sampling and proceed until successful.
Fish living in cold water have slower metabolic rates.
Without exception, ice fishing means using smaller lures with a deliberately slow presentation. Short, slow, jigging strokes with long pauses is the accepted basic method of working a lure when ice fishing. Winter fish usually strike the lure when it is stopped or at rest and the bite is often extremely subtle. The weight of the spoon speeds the fall and will assist in keeping the slack out of the line so you can detect strikes from wary game fish. Letting the spoon hit bottom is a good idea and will draw attention to the lure.