Photo by Ron Sinfelt

We've only been on the ice for a couple of weeks so far, and the bucketeers are already mulling the chances that the months ahead will be like the winter of 1988-89 -- a lot of snow and not much ice.

Of course, we won't know until mid-March whether winter's brutality will match that of the summer of 2005. But consistently successful anglers know that figuring out nature's patterns are the biggest keys to finding fishing success.

It's been a few years since folks have ventured out on an ice-covered Crab Orchard Lake in southern Illinois. Hardwater action last winter was a pleasant surprise for those who walked on Evergreen Lake just north of Bloomington. Then you get south of Interstate 80 and just about every consideration regarding ice-fishing is viewed within parameters of the five-day weather forecast.

Walking on water is assured only in the Prairie State's northern two tiers of counties. And then the relative safety of venturing forth is ensured until only maybe March 1. We could see another couple weeks of ice after that. If we do, it will surely be the hottest action of the ice-fishing season.

Spring comes a lot easier to northern Illinois than winter does. In a matter of days, weather tends to rocket from "Guess we ought to put up the storm windows," to "That looks like a polar bear chasing a seal in our backyard." The period between first-ice action and the midwinter blues often blurs. No ice to safe ice capable of supporting an ATV can occur over the course of just a few days, often going right into a lowlight bite.

But there is good news. Panfish and predators often seem just as surprised as the folks who chase them, staying relatively shallow for a good couple of weeks into January -- at least on northern Illinois waters with public access. Smaller, sheltered waters freeze first. Farm ponds, strip pits and quarries typically offer safe ice and good fishing by Christmas. Most of these waters are on private lands.

Getting out on backwaters of the Mississippi River's Pool 13 north of Savanna on Christmas Day has been a personal family tradition for a dozen years. Sometimes I fall through. But this is usually a better alternative to contending with in-laws. Hopefully this year I won't have to test the new Stearns SOSuspenders. A PFD is always part of my ice-fishing gear. The new automatic inflatables are the smartest piece of equipment any ice-angler can own.

The pits and ponds at the Mazonia Fish & Wildlife Area, about 100 miles southeast, are even iffier before New Year's Day. But once there is ice, this may be the biggest "sleeper" in Illinois for fish that seldom see a hook.

Le-Aqua-Na in Stephenson County and Pierce Lake, an hour east at the edge of Rockford, will be relatively safe and offer good fishing any day now. Likewise, Petite and other sheltered waters on the Fox Chain-O-Lakes will be ready for ice-fishing action soon.

Ice-fishing isn't like fishing during the open-water period for most people who enjoy sitting on a bucket. The opportunity occurs only in northern Illinois, where every hardwater fishery is less than two hours' drive for virtually any Illinois resident who has invested in the trappings this sport requires.

With persistence, you can hit almost every public site with safe ice this winter, re-visiting favorites when the opportunity presents in a day-trip mode. That said, here's a look at the best places to get your string stretched close to home over the next couple of months.

MAZONIA FWA
There are over 20 lakes in this two-tiered complex straddling the Grundy-Kankakee County line near the Braidwood power plant. Most of them are reclaimed strip pits, with lakes in the southern part of this FWA formerly managed as private sportsman's clubs.