The drawbacks of wintering in Iowa -- wind-chill indexes, blizzards, frostbit fingers -- are virtually beyond debate. Be that as it may, there's an upside to winter's arrival in Iowa that few Southerners -- and a substantial complement of Northerners who refuse to leave the heated comfort of their homes -- ever experience.

Want high-end ice-fishing for crappies and bluegills? You needn't focus on Iowa's heavyweight waters. Obscure but worthy lakes exist statewide. Photo by Billy Linder/Windigo Images.

How about the glories of a dead-calm winter morning, of walking across a frozen lake through silence so thick that you can hear the hiss of snowflakes falling? How about sitting expectantly over a hole drilled in the ice, black water stark against the white ice? How about reeling wriggling panfish after panfish from that hole, until you call it a day and trudge back across the ice toward a meal of fresh, flaky fillets?

"It's tough to beat ice-fishing," says George Caggiano, a retired school administrator from Webster City. "I keep a log, and I actually ice-fish more than I fish during open-water season. Last year, we had safe ice for 110 days, and I went fishing 54 times.

Caggiano has a long list of reasons for his enjoyment of ice-fishing. "It's so peaceful out there," he says. "A lot of times when I go out on Briggs Woods (Lake, southeast of Webster City), I'm the only person around. If you're dressed appropriately, the cold isn't a problem, and it's really a pretty time of year to be out of doors.

"On top of that, ice-fishing is so much easier than summer fishing," says Caggiano. "In the summer you've got to mess with a boat, worry about whether you're anchored or tied in the right spot, worry about the fish moving in or out of spots because they're so mobile and scattered in warm water. In the winter, you just walk out, drill a hole and start fishing. Once you find fish, the work is finished and you just sit and catch fish. Fish are more concentrated under the ice, and stay in the same spot for days, maybe weeks. There are times at Briggs Woods (when) I'll fish the same couple of holes for three weeks at a time and still be on top of fish every time I go out."

But the aesthetics of winter and the logistical advantages provided by reduced fish mobility are secondary to Caggiano's primary reason for his enthusiasm towards ice-angling: "I catch more fish during the winter!" he says. "Between catching more fish, and how much I enjoy the opportunity to get outside during the winter, ice-fishing is addictive. If somebody has any interest at all in fishing, if they'd take time to go ice-fishing with someone who can show them the basics, there's a good chance the beginner will get hooked. It's just a great way to be out of doors, fish and have a good time in the winter."