A friend and I are thinking about hitting up a local lake next week for some of the rainbows in there. I was wondering if anyone who has had success catching them, could give me a little insight. Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks!
I have never ice fished for trout but in being that they are trout I would use a droper rig with an ice fly. Something that looks like the bugs at the bottom. A mayfly nymph pattern or scud could work well. I fly fish for them in the summer and those are patterns that I use. Maybe they will work in the winter as well. 
As far as bait, they like the same stuff gills do. They are a blast to catch through the ice!
Quote:
As far as bait, they like the same stuff gills do. They are a blast to catch through the ice!
I second this, you don’t know if you have a gill or trout on, but when the trout are active, your flasher will sometimes not be able to keep up with a speedy trout blaz’n in to grab your lure.
I’ve caught smallish stocked trout on bluegill jigs and spikes,crappie stuff with minnows,and tip-ups set for walleyes. The ones that hit a big shiner under a Beaver dam were in the lake for several years and had grown well.
If I was going to chase them I might use tip-downs and small minnows if they were kind’a shallow. Deeper,and I’d use a couple dead sticks with floats,and jig with the third rod. I’d probably use a 1/16 oz. spoon tipped with a minnow head,spikes,or waxie to start. Maybe a panfish jig and plastic,or those tiny jigging raps I’ve used on perch or crappies when they’re really hungry
I would use 1/8 to 1/4oz blades jigged vertically…especially gold. The trout will pound em!
Well since you are from Hudson I have a feeling I know where you will be. Fish the top layer 10-14 feet down, A Rat Finki with a waxie, be patient they come through in waves, does not take long to get your limit when they come through, I will probually be out tommorrow night.
I love trout fishing both open water and through the ice. I use really small panfish jigs and some sinking flies. We cant use live minnows on designated trout lakes in Minnesota. I have been usin freshwater shrimp and waxworms.
i second mr gursky’s reply… i fish a local trout pond in rochester and they love the hardware… my go to bait is a gold kastmaster 1/8 0z .. like most have said they will come through in waves.. simply ripping the lure then letting it sink and “thump”….
Tip Downs with fat head minnows work well .Or jig small spoons like the slender spoon.
Also, depending on the lake, check the shallow water and sight fish them. Have fished on lakes with over 100′ of water and trout were biting on 6′ ledges. Good Luck!
Try a plain gold Swedish Pimple or a gold Kastmaster with a stripe of orange tape covering 1/2 of one side from top to bottom. Put a minnow head, a Gulp 1″ minnow, 3/4 waxies or euros on the treble for scent. Copper and orange in the same jigs is another color combo that really raises the ambition level of trout.
Chubby darters work well too. If you use minnows, try a single small gold hook. many times you can see the fish down the hole if you are fishing the upper water column portion. Leave some slack if you are bobber fishing because they take the bait at 4 m.p.h and dont stop. If you can fish two poles do it. When a wave goes through you will catch more. the hardest part is getting those fish out of the hole because they usually go nuts. Just wait for them to calm then pull them out.
Awesome,
thank you everyone for the advice!
I will report back after we slay them, hopefully!
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
