It looked like ice fishing weather. A thin blanket of crunchy snow carpeted the ground, and a sheet of clear ice stretched out into the river for well over a hundred yards.

At the launch ramp the weight of my boat sliding off the trailer shattered the surrounding ice. Then it was just a matter of rocking the boat side-to-side, and pushing with a paddle, until the boat was pointing toward open water in the distant main body of the river.

Going forward slightly faster than idle speed, the weight of the front of my boat crushed the half inch thick ice and allowed us to plow our way towards open water. I could see a look that said "Why did I let this nut talk me into this?" on my partner's face, but I knew we were going to catch fish--conditions were perfect!

During the next day and a half we caught and released at least 300 pounds of fish out of this Mississippi River hotspot. White bass, channel catfish, walleyes, and smallmouth bass all crossed the gunnel of my boat with regularity. During a short but heavy snowstorm, visibility reached only 10 feet. We could hear the hooked smallmouth jumping but couldn't see them. When the snow became crusted on our reels and hands, we just dipped them into the warm water to thaw out. And to think, most anglers give up on open-water fishing during winter.

I've been a fan of fishing warm-water discharges for many years, and have had numerous memorable outings on days when the "smart" thing to do was to stay home. Actually, I would bet that my per-day pounds of catch "ratio" on any given day would be higher when fishing these outflows than during any other type of fishing.

Warm-water discharges come in many forms. They can be a small drainage pipe or culvert that has an intermittent flow. Or they may be coming from a giant cooling plant capable of spewing out hundreds, or even thousands ,of gallons of warm water each minute. The more flow, and the warmer the water is compared to the surrounding waters, the bigger the concentration of fish.

Concentration is a key word. At times, fish are so packed in by the discharges that you tire of catching them after a few hours of fishing.

The Great Lakes has numerous hot-water discharges. While salmon and trout are the most sought after residents of the warm water, some areas offer great walleye and white bass action, plus the occasional pike, catfish, or other species. In my last four cold-weather trips to a particular Lake Michigan outflow, I landed 78 salmon and trout.

The presence of active minnow-eating birds such as gulls or terns, and/or baitfish, visible on sonar unit or seen with the naked eye, is a real plus. Baitfish gather by the thousands around the discharges, and often sharp changes in water temperature "knocks them for a loop" making them easy pickin's for hungry game fish.

Various species prefer different positions around a discharge. Some species are more tolerant of warmer water and really get into it. White bass, catfish, and carp may like it warmer, while walleyes, pike, striped bass, or trout often prefer the fringe areas of warmth.

Different species often favor various degrees of warmth or current. For example, on a discharge that draws salmon and trout, brown trout may be found tight to the discharge pipe while Chinook salmon may be holding along the current edge where warmer flows mix with cooler.

Saltwater species are much the same. Turbulent water is often a haven for ladyfish, with highly prized species such as sea trout or redfish lying further down current.

Even small flows can draw fish. They may not hold massive schools of fish for long periods of time, but their warming influence on surrounding waters can push spring action up a week or two earlier and give you some extra time to reap the fall peak.

Warm-water discharges are fish gathering havens. Don't you think it's about time you cashed in on this bonanza?