Just when it seemed that this year's ice fishing period would be about as long as a strike-canceled NHL season, winter weather arrived.

With the subfreezing temperatures experienced last week, and more of the same predicted for the week to come, it's possible safe ice will soon become a reality.

A common target of hardwater anglers, panfish populations vary from lake to lake. Size structure depends on the strength of recent year classes, as well as the presence of prey species that keep panfish numbers in check.

Waters that boast better proportioned yellow perch, crappies and bluegills tend to be ones that also contain enough predators like bass and walleyes to keep the panfish numbers thinned out, allowing for fewer, but larger, individuals.

While even small to medium-sized panfish can be cause for excitement on a cold winter day, the prospect of catching bigger individuals can have an even greater warming effect.

The first step in targeting larger panfish, according to retired school teacher and ice fishing enthusiast Lou Idzojtic of Indiana, Pa., is the same as that of open water.

"You first have to find the key locations where the fish will be holding," he said. "Ice anglers that have the greatest success, and this includes catching larger-sized panfish, are the ones willing to work. You have to stay mobile and vary where you present your offerings."

Idzojtic relies on a portable electronic graph to see if fish are present. It's an important component of determining the presence of fish.

"The electronics don't lie," he noted. "If the locator says there are fish there, they are there. Likewise, if the display doesn't indicate the presence of baitfish or gamefish, I don't spend much time in the area. It's always possible there are fish outside the view of the transducer cone, but if nothing is showing up, I have little faith in an area."

Idzojtic has found that mid- to late winter locations tend to differ from the ones that were productive earlier in the season.

"Ice anglers are always anxious to get out on the frozen water," he said. "The first areas to freeze are the smaller bays and coves — shallow, protected water. And you will catch fish there early.

"But later on in the season, when safe ice is available on a much larger scale, when you go back to those early areas things tend to be slow.

"There is a decided movement in the lakes that I fish at least, from shallow to deep water during the course of the winter season," Idzojtic added.

Within the water column itself, Idzojtic has found that, for larger fish, it pays to try going a bit deeper.

"What often happens is you, or someone around you, will begin catching average-sized crappies at, say, 15 feet over 30 feet of water," he said. "Everyone in the area begins targeting that depth, and usually they catch fish," he said.

"That only reinforces the notion that 15 feet is the 'magic' depth. If you move a bit away from the little ones, you will often locate a school of larger fish," Idzojtic added

Idzojtic has often found this to be the case with panfish, crappies in particular. If he's catching small fish at a certain depth, he will often fish a few feet deeper to check out the possibilities for larger fish. He also opens a few holes to the sides of the productive one.

"At times, larger fish may be located at the same depth as smaller ones, but, for whatever reason, they like to segregate themselves off to the side," he said. "It's very important to move and experiment, to try different areas and depths within a somewhat confined spot that has been productive."

When you do cash in on large panfish, for future enjoyment it's wise to limit your harvest. The biggest panfish are the breeders that the waterway depends on to produce more fish. It's better to creel smaller panfish than the larger ones.