What lakes do you fish?
What type and color lures?
What kind of meat?
Mostly catch the poutskis on the bottom or higher?
Jigging or just holding it still?
Anything else about your fishing expertise you would like to share?
On Mille Lacs if we ever started running into too many pout we would raise our baits on our set lines to avoid them and it usually worked.
I can’t say I ever intentionally target pout, but there are some patterns I’ve put together while walleye fishing. The best lake I’ve ever fished for numbers and size is Lake of the Woods. We primarily fish the West side of the lake out from Rocky Point. Over the years, we’ve taken way more pout while fishing the soft muddy bottoms just off of the reefs. Almost 99% of the time I’m jigging some type of rattle bait. I seem to catch more pout after I do a sequence of hitting the bottom with the jig a dozen times or so. I think they are laying on the bottom and it wakes them up. Once they show up it doesn’t take more than a twitch or two and its game on! 
Glow white seems to be a good color.
Last time up I caught 3 over 9 hours of fishing. The biggest was about 10 lbs and the others were around 5 lbs. I took a picture of the beast but I guess it didn’t save on my phone. 
All were released until next time when I feel like eating some poor man’s lobster.
Jig aggressively I think.
I forgot which show it was last year, but they had great under water video. I don’t want to state anything as fact, because I don’t remember much from the show. But I think that they did say jig aggressively because the males are aggressive since it is spawning time for them.
Anyone have a reason why people leave them on the ice? Doesn’t make sense to me, I don’t like touching them but love the fight and can’t find any harm they could cause?
Brian,
Check the In-Fisherman archives. They did an article several years ago. I don’t remember much other than they are almost dormant in warm water. 
Hohn
When I fished for them in the western states , we would fish from shore below the Littlehorn dam MT.
We used regular 12 pound line and since you were allowed two hooks per line we would use two #4 hooks with a 4 to 5 inch sucker on each thru the back of the sucker. The first line would be 12 inches above a bell sinker that was just heavy enough to hold bottom in the current. The next 16 inches above the first hook. Both hooks were on pre-leadered setups and tied directly to the main line.
You would cast out into back pools and fish at night with Coleman lanterns next to the pole tip to see in the dark. When they hit the line it would be a slight movement for about 5 minutes while the worked on eating the sucker, then you would reel in just to feel it tight and set the hook. Same time of the year also, January was the prime spawn moving time for them out there….
What a great way to spend a cold night in Montana with a beer in one hand and a pole in the other with a campfire and lantern showing the way. I miss that alot.
FISHINFOOL
Quote:
Anyone have a reason why people leave them on the ice? Doesn’t make sense to me, I don’t like touching them but love the fight and can’t find any harm they could cause?
I believe this is illegal now days. 
people dont realize that they are benificial to the eco system…
FF
Thanks guys. I thought I was going to the Pout Fest in Feb…but the K-bosh was put on it today. 
Maybe I’ll get Chris G. to take me night pout fishing on Rainy later in March.
BK use a jigging spoon & jig it aggressively. THat has caught many pout on LOW. 
on mille acs if we werent catchin any white tips i would just drop my lively minnow down in the mud and the pouts shimmy around down there , i have only fished mud spots on lacs in the winter and they were always there not so sure about sandy,weedy and rocky bottoms though
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