Winter ice spots.

[bobkatfly]

I'm primarily a stream/river/remote pond fly guy and for some time I've been wondering what causes ice guys to congregate in certain areas of many bays. For instance, in the Northern part of Winter Harbor, most of the crowd is in the area across from the Libby Museum towards the eastern shore, not the western shore or further North in the bay (see graphic). Is this primarily gained experience where fish have been known to congregate in the winter? Is it the same in summer?
Or is it some other reason like ice thickness, currents, depth, etc?
Also noticed this in other bays near me like 19 mile.

[Lakeboater]

Wonder if it has to do with being close to the launch ramp for access?

[Striper295]

Wonder if it has to do with being close to the launch ramp for access?Roger that.. wouldn't fish there for any other reason.

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[tis]

In Winter Harbor they aren't close to the ramp. BTW, Bob, that is an excellent question. I have wondered the same thing. Do you think one person starts in a certain place and the next person goes close and he next and the next and so it grows??

[bobkatfly]

I guess there would be some crowd effect going on but year after year it's pretty much the same. Assuming there are a lot of regulars out there I would think they have some experience on what works best and where. The ramp access is a good point. The small parking area at the Libby is packed but there seems to be a lot more people out there than full cars would handle and a lot of them are more than a quarter mile away. Only one or two holes near the ramp even considering the depths and drop offs are similar. There's a large condo complex in that area so maybe resident access is a factor.
Nineteenmile bay also seems more concentrated towards its South shore.
Are other bays around the West and North shores similar or are they more random and spread out?
Dam cabin fever. I need to think about something else.