Kickapoo Lake features the deepest water in the park (40 feet), and the old creek channel meanders somewhat through the center of the lake until it meets the dam. There are plenty of small coves and creek arms to fish, but there is also a lot of underwater structure out on the main lake.

"There is an old raised roadbed that crosses the lake straight out from the boat ramp to the opposite shore. Try your luck about 15 to 20 feet deep," recommends King. "Also, try near the boat rental dock area."

Shakamak Lake covers a mere 56 acres, but it can produce some nice crappie and bluegill catches. Past DNR lake surveys have found bluegills up to 9 inches long here, along with black crappies that were nearly 13 inches. The shallower water of this lake attracts most fishermen, but there are still 15- to 20-foot depths just off the points that are worth checking out.

The smallest of the lakes, Lenape, is the favorite of many local panfish anglers. One good spot to try is straight out from the boat dock area. "There is an old creek bed that runs through there," said biologist King. To tempt the resident panfish, King advises the use of live bait. "For icefishing, anglers report that grubs like mousies and spikes work really well," she said. "You also can't go wrong with bee moths on an ice jig."

Shakamak SP maintains several cabins that are available to rent throughout the year, and they are ideal for people interested in setting up an extended ice-fishing trip. For more information, call the Shakamak SP office at (812) 665-2158.

CROOKED LAKE
Crooked Lake near Columbia City is well known among the area's residents as an excellent place for a day of fishing. Straddling the line between Noble and Whitley counties, this 206-acre body of water is also the second deepest natural lake in the state, with a maximum depth of 108 feet. The extremely clear, deep water is home to a variety of game fish, including bluegills, sunfish, yellow perch, largemouth bass and ciscoes, just to name a few.

District 3 fisheries biologist Jed Pearson points to Crooked Lake as a productive ice-fishing spot this year.

"Top species include bluegills up to 8.5 inches and yellow perch up to 12 inches," he said. "Over the past few years," continued Pearson, "Crooked Lake has been a consistent producer of bluegills."

Most of the lake's bluegills have been in the 7- to 8-inch size range recently, but there are some dandies present, too. Previous lake surveys have documented bluegills nearly 10 inches in length here.

There is an abundance of dropoffs and breaklines for anglers to fish here in the wintertime, including several deep holes and submerged humps. Shallow-water spots are limited to the shoreline areas and the small islands on the west side of the lake. According to Pearson, one of the most popular spots is close to the public access site near state Route 109. "Most anglers target bluegills there in 8 to 15 feet of water, over patches of remnant vegetation," he said.

Perch can be a bit tougher to find than the bluegills, and they tend to move around a lot. Just because you find them in a certain area one day does not mean that they will be back anytime soon! Use ice jigs or live minnows and concentrate your efforts near the bottom. DNR data shows that most yellow perch are in the 9-inch size range right now, but they normally run about 10 inches.