Whitefish

Hey there folks.
I am just curious to know how many of you target Whitefish through the ice?
If so, what works best for you and what kind of structures and depths do you fish?

I myself do not target them specifically but i do catch them from time to time fishing mud flats on chequamegon bay. Ive had good luck using hali jigs tipped with a minnow head or tail also swedish pimples tipped with a whole crappie minnow. And every one i,ve caught has been within 4 feet of bottom usually within 6 inches. But i know they are caught at nearly any level in the water colum. Experimentation is key.

Ajs

Great topic…..I usually catch these by accident…However after finding out that Lake Nipigon has Whitefish up to 8-10 lbs, I was curious about targeting them…never found them on Nipigon. I have stumbled on lakes here, mainly fishing for panfish. Seeing a few targets crusing higher in the water column, usually really quick returns…If I can reel up fast enough and get my jig infront of them they will usually bite….I am typically using a Diamond jig tipped with some sort of larve or waxworm. Its a great battle on panfish gear.

What do you do with them….smoke them? Or how do you prepare them?

They are good smoked and a lot of people i know go nuts for them deep fried but i still prefer perch crappie or walleye over the whitey,s

I have tried them smoked….not too bad….Deep fried..interesting..I would try it.

In WI we fish them quit a bit, just get out where deeper water and drop and underwater light that lights up about a 10 yard area and watch them flock to it. Legal in WI. Usually get them a few feet below the ice.

It is a nice white meat but its a little soft for my taste. Put it like this i have orders from my mother that if i catch one it,s hers which is fine by me.

Ranger i,ve never heard of doing that for whitey,s but i might have to give it a try.

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Hey there folks.

I am just curious to know how many of you target Whitefish through the ice?

If so, what works best for you and what kind of structures and depths do you fish?

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The majority of whitefish I’ve caught have come on walleye sizes spoons tipped with minnow heads. I don’t know that I’ve ever caught on on a minnow under a bobber, etc. I usually run into them when fishing off the edges of deep structure. They seem to be more common around soft bottom areas. More often than not I’ll be working near the bottom for walleye and see a mark on my flasher well above bottom. By quickly reeling up the to the fish I can get the bait in front of it before it moves on. And the bigger ones fight like heck, even on walleye gear.

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The majority of whitefish I’ve caught have come on walleye sizes spoons tipped with minnow heads. I don’t know that I’ve ever caught on on a minnow under a bobber, etc. I usually run into them when fishing off the edges of deep structure. They seem to be more common around soft bottom areas. More often than not I’ll be working near the bottom for walleye and see a mark on my flasher well above bottom. By quickly reeling up the to the fish I can get the bait in front of it before it moves on. And the bigger ones fight like heck, even on walleye gear.

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Wow, fishing for these in your locations seem to be much differant than here in Alberta Canada…
Alot of people here say to use a wire worm, a single hook and a maggot about 10ft from surface level…
I myself have never pulled one through the ice. I wil try tomorrow though. Even thought i am unsure how i will fish for them
Thanks James and the rest of you for your replies!

The larger ones I’ve caught have been VERY aggressive and more than willing to hit the larger baits. For reference, when I’m fishing walleyes I’m fishing 1/8 oz. spoons 99% of the time.

I also tend to fish for eyes the same way.
Although i have been successful using tear drop sized hooks with maggots the last 2 weeks. i got my biggest walleye through the ice this way… It was on a self tied Red wireworm to mimic a blood worm…

James, meet Tyler, Tyler meet James. I feel like a match maker

Nice to see ya on here Ty. And yes…. the Whitefish here are… well to say the least harder to catch than walleye in any of our reservoirs and that can be tough most days! I have seen ALOT come through the hole, or mark them higher up in the water column but have never been fortunate enough to hook into one… I cant see them smashing a a jigging spoon but then again, when we lived in Yellowknife, NWT wed catch countless amounts of whites on #2 and #4 Mepps Spinners… so… a could theory and lead to try out this way.

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It was on a self tied Red wireworm to mimic a blood worm…

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Do you have a pic of what a “wireworm” looks like?

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James, meet Tyler, Tyler meet James. I feel like a match maker

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Thanks for the intro. I’m thinking us southern boys can learn a lot from the way you do things up in Canada and vice versa.

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It was on a self tied Red wireworm to mimic a blood worm…

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Do you have a pic of what a “wireworm” looks like?

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I could take a picture and try to upload it.. i will post it on here when i have gotten this done!

Call me interested. This is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing used by the ice angler.

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Call me interested. This is the first time I’ve heard of such a thing used by the ice angler.

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James. This is my version on a wire worm…
it is just a small 1/16oz jig head with red and black wire wrapped as a body with red crystal flash out the back.
I usually put a maggot on it…
the walleye pic is the one i caught on this exact wireworm… it is my way of “finesse” fishing haha

there are a few tricks we have up our sleeves, like hand tied jigs bucktail, marabou, chenelle body and can even add in rubber legs out the back for a “teasing” nature… maybe ill send a few your way James, try them out for an hour when the walleye swoop in.

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James. This is my version on a wire worm…
it is just a small 1/16oz jig head with red and black wire wrapped as a body with red crystal flash out the back.
I usually put a maggot on it…
the walleye pic is the one i caught on this exact wireworm… it is my way of “finesse” fishing haha

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That’s looks awful similar to a “tinsel tail” which is a small jig I grew up fishing for stream trout except you’re using wire to keep the body very “thin” from the back of the head to the bend in the hook.

They are pretty simular.
It would most likely do the same thing.
Here in AB we use alot of those tinsle tales for perch, and trout through the ice.

Another lure I’ve caught a lot of whitefish on is the Ratso from Custom Jigs and Spins. Usually I’m not tipping with any bait but I’ve caught some when tipping with waxies or maggots. My top colors have been Glow Brite Blue and Blood Red.

http://www.customjigs.com/icefishing/softbody/ratso.html

Another easy way to make those jigs is to use flashabou similar to that used on muskie bucktails tied to a jig. I’ll post up some pics tomorrow when I get a chance. They have worked awesome for me under the ice, as the flashabou has a lot of “flash” it reflects a ton of light even when it’s barely moving and is great for murky water or low light conditions.

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Another easy way to make those jigs is to use flashabou similar to that used on muskie bucktails tied to a jig. I’ll post up some pics tomorrow when I get a chance. They have worked awesome for me under the ice, as the flashabou has a lot of “flash” it reflects a ton of light even when it’s barely moving and is great for murky water or low light conditions.

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Very cool, Jeremy. The new ideas are flowing.

flashabou, crystal flash (twisted tinsel) crystal chenille, polar chenille etc are all great for flash… but i cant give away all my secrets, how will i make any money? lol

I just purchased some of the ratsos and shrimpos.
ill be giving them a try tomorrow aswell!
Thanks everyone for your inputs!

I fish in Canada most every year for whitefish. They are a blast. Spoons walleye size work well but I catch most on a 1/16 oir 1/8 round head jig tip whith a whole fathead minnow or size minnow. head hooked just like in summer fishing. White seems to be best. when they are on it is crazy but when negative they won’t touch anything. We fish for them in 40 plus feet typically where the lakers hang out. just make them chase the bait they like to hit a moving target.

Well i went out today… to say te least i should have stayed home. winds were howling and snow was drifting. didnt catch a thing but broncidious!! haha

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Well i went out today… to say te least i should have stayed home. winds were howling and snow was drifting. didnt catch a thing but broncidious!! haha

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At least you were on the ice….I was sitting at work thinking about where I would like to be ice fishing…