Finding “Community Holes”

Do you know what community holes are and how to find them? 

To find good ice fishing on the Mississippi River Backwaters, one must decide what they want from the experience.  Do you want easy access, a short walk, and to quickly start catching fish?   Do you want to hike through the river bottoms, cross backwater sloughs, and find a hole loaded with fish?  The Mississippi River offers it all. 

The best place to start is one of the many “community holes.” These are spots that typically hold fish every winter and provide consistent action throughout. Once you know what you are looking for, you will easily identify community holes from the road or a boat launch. A line of cars will fill the parking lot. Shanties, bucket seats, and hole hunchers will cover the ice.  There will be an established path through the snow. 

Encountering other Anglers…

When encountering other anglers, you may find yourself saying things like, “Did you leave any out there for me?” or “How’s the bite?”. You may get an honest answer, but let’s be real: they’re fishermen.  If you’re fortunate, the angler may say, “They’re biting great!  Just drill 30 yards out from that downed tree right over there.  Fish right near the bottom, and you’ll get fish.” If someone says that, and they were telling the truth, grab a lottery ticket on your way home. 

If you’re talking to the typical fishermen, they’ll say “pretty slow”. You’ll likely notice the distinct sound of fish flopping in a Kwik Trip bag at the bottom of their sled. They’ll continue on their way making no eye contact.  Either way, the best option is to go find out for yourself.  

How does one find these community holes?  

There is a typical pattern along the Upper Mississippi River regarding community holes.  Generally speaking, the Mississippi River backwaters are shallow unless mankind has dredged or modified the river to create deeper holes.  Start by opening a map on your computer like Google Maps. Zoom into a Mississippi River city or town, and start looking for boat harbors, boat landings, and backwater bays adjacent to the city.  

Many boat harbors and landings have been dredged to provide water depths sufficient for boat travel or to provide fill for development.  Many of these hold fish and are considered community holes.  Ensure there is a manageable flow through the bay or harbor.  If there are no runs or channels flowing in from the north, it’s safe to say there is little or no flow in that area. (Which is what you are looking for.) Panfish avoid areas with heavy flow through the winter season. Generally speaking, there is usually public access to these areas.  

Spend a day driving and scouting if you are new to ice fishing. 

You don’t need to get out of the vehicle.  Driving up and down the river from Wabasha, MN, all the way south to Prairie Du Chien, WI, can reveal dozens of community holes.  During your drive, take roads as close to the water edge as possible and hit all the boat launches and harbors. 

It is helpful to have a mapping app on your phone. This will allows you to drop pins where you see people fishing.  After completing your drive, go home and study each location in more detail on Google Maps.  Note any apparent features like points, downed trees, docks, or other man-made structures.  When you’re ready to venture out, pick one community hole to spend half a day exploring. 

Finding the fish can be as easy as drilling a hole and fishing. However, there are sweet spots within the community hole that will consistently produce fish.  In next month’s blog, we’ll discuss breaking down a community hole.  We’ll talk about finding those sweet spots and when to fish them.

Talk soon, Angler X

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