Note for both Ice and Year-Round Fishermen – Natural Fact: Underwater Springs and Edges of Moving Water are warmer and/or less viscous (less sticky) than surrounding water. This is so, among other things, because that spring water comes from below the permafrost. That being the case, Ice forms and or thickens at these spots later than their surrounding water. Depending on your lake’s Longitude, Latitude, and Altitude, Underwater Spring Water Temperature can very.
But no matter where you find them, the water from those springs stays constant temperature year-round unless interrupted (bumped into) by the force of much faster moving water or other forces of nature.
It’s simply a case for being observant to watch where the lake water freezes less thick or solid last. The deeper in the water column the Underwater Springs forms the smaller the area the surrounding frozen water will be at the surface. The side of the lake that receives the most Sunlight will form these quasi-circles or longer egg-shaped open water areas later than these same kinds of areas that don’t receive as much Sun. Always be careful on ice – depending on the location, some spots are thicker than others.
For those lakes that don’t freeze over look for faster moving water edges at the surface. “Water keeps running – rivers will turn”. Projections of land at the surface or underwater outcrops of bottoms will cause these natural phenomena. That, or review your lake bottom contour maps to see bottom structure that can interfere with the straight flow of water to find those edges. Fish will hang out in the slacker water in order to capture prey floating by or swimming against the faster moving water. . . this can apply to Underwater Weed Thickness as well.
There’s more to this explanation that you need to find out from your personal observation and time on the water. Hopefully what is here will point you in the right direction of even newer discoveries.
By Richard Ziert