Whitefish info. …..tackle, rods, etc

With the upcoming GTG in Sturgeon Bay, could we use this post for all things whitefish related?

What rods, line, tackle, and bait needed?

There more time I have to get ready, the better.

Post up your questions and knowledge! !

When I was up at Sturgeon Bay a few weeks ago a simple slider rig was effective. Best bait was a #3 gold jigging shad on the bottom and a gold rocker jig tipped with a waxie as the slider above the swivel. Gold Swedish Pimple caught a fish or two also. Braid is highly recommended over mono as some bites are subtle and we were fishing in 45′. I used a 28″ ML St Croix and that worked just fine. It was my first time going after whitefish. It’s a lot of fun.

I believe Captain Paddlefoot posted previously a wealth of info regarding different baits.

My go to rig for them use to be either a kastmaster or Swedish Pimple with the hook removed. I’d tie a drop line off the split ring and add a tear drop to the other end of the drop line

Mike… I’m setting up 3 rods between 28 and 34″ with 832 Ice-8lb.. going to use a 4lb Floro leader on a swivel with a slider above the swivel and a snap so I can try a variety spoons-raps in gold….
Not that I know what I’m doing exactly but that’s the way I’m approaching it

I like the 5# power pro

My rigs:
all are rigged with 4 or 8 pound NanoFil yellow. have at least 100 feet, you may fish that deep. I would expect we will be 40-70 feet of water.
By far for dealing with the current, this is the best. Tried all the ice braids, 832, suffice ice, NanoFil is the slickest and thinnest.
Tie direct line to line with 8 pound fluorocarbon, about 2 feet to swivel.
I use a #12 roller swivel from p-line, this one is very small.
than 8-12″ to jig or fast snap.
I always start with a slider rig.
My favorite slider rod isa 32″ custom, solid carbon, carbon fiber handle, medium light power, extra fast action. It is an extreme taper blank.
This year I am having best results with #2 jigging rap, glow yellow perch.
For my slider I use #8 or #6 Custom Jig and Spins shrimpo, glow 90%. I don’t like bare hook cause you can’t jig it. Sometimes you are fishing the slider and the jigging rap or spoon is just a weight to get down. Tipping with Gulp luma glow fish fry, 1′.
My second rig is a large tungsten jig with trigger-X 1.5″ Wax tail, natural. The rod for this is a 34″ custom, MHX blank with carbon fiber handle.
I always start with plastics alone, no waxes yet. I will tip the jigging rap with gulp.
If they are real active, I won’t use live bait.
If they are really active, I never get to second set-up. Just work the rap and slider all day.
Normally sometime in the day I will have to go to second rig and tip with waxies. I have three on the triple and one or two on the slider. One or two on the tungsten jig.
You will need to have holes drilled separate for sonar and your line. The line down one hole and the transducer down and another, down current.
It is hard to fish more than one person in a flipover shanty. I drill three holes and switch as the current changes.
Waxworms and spikes work.
Try any of the gulp, powerbait, trigger-x.
This weekend I will be fishing trying more minnow type presentations, tungsten jig with gulp minnows.
We have in the past used gulp 1′ minnows on the slider with good results.
I always have a camera down. I can gauge the fish’s activity level much fast this way. Besides it entertains me.
Make sure you set it up far enough a way. The fish circle as you bring them up and will get into the cord. I am typically 10-15 feet away in 40 feet of water.
Practically everything catches fish.
The trick is fishing the current.
I fish light line and try and get the transducer straight above the bait.
One thing, the bottom has a lot of rock and even boulders. You most likely will never see your bottom contact bait. It will be below the top of the highest rock. You will only see it when you lift it higher than the highest rock. Something on steep breaks. you will see your slider. Most fish are caught on the slider.
You will need to feel the bite or at least see or feel when your rod loads up.
You can’t imagine how many bites you miss. That is why I use the camera.
Bring lots of rags to hold the fish, they are slippery.
Don’t throw the fish outside the shanty, the seagulls will eat them.

Any questions just drop me a line.

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Do minnows and a tip-up work? Are there perch or walleye in the same area?

FYI on sliders – Flor guys that are into flyfishing and have stoneflies tied up – use them. Brown/gold or olive/gold have served me well over the last few years

yes and no
We have used tip downs with perch rigs and minnows and it has produced but, where we will be fishing we don’t see much other than whitefish. An occasional burbot.

Further south, Little Sturgeon Bay and south has produced with tip downs with minnows for perch and whitefish. They have been getting some walleyes from Little Sturgeon to Sturgeon Bay. Mainly a late afternoon night bite.

Usually the walleye bite picks up in that area later, March to last ice.

Thanks Captain. I’m sorta new at fly tying, but am going to try tying some stoneflies. Thanks Randy.

Thanks for the replies so far guys! !! I should have enough information to get set up.

Well it looks like I’m gonna set up right next to Captain paddle foot cause he sounds like he knows what he is doing…LOL looks like I better get my butt in gear and get some poles setup..

I had a couple people ask about the flies

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No need to over think this, they’re not all that elusive and there’s no magic bullets necessary. My best days have been nothing more than a jigging rap. On off days, even all the fancy rigging in the world don’t help that much.

Well that makes me feel a lot better about this journey Viking…I just hate showing up unprepared…

joe_the_fisher wrote:

Well that makes me feel a lot better about this journey Viking…I just hate showing up unprepared…

I understand, I over think a lot of stuff. To me, the real “secret” is the jigging motion not the set up. YMMV

This is a great fishery to experiment with stuff. You can catch them on about anything, hair jigs, twist tails, spoons, jigging rap, jigging Shad raps and the stone flies will be stone killers on them. Anything in the ice fishing lure department catch the white at one time or another. I have forgotten more lures than I can remember that we have caught them on.
I use this as a testing ground for my ice fishing rods.
Everyone will have a blast.

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How do you rig these slider rigs? I understand you put a heavy bait for the bottom. But how is the slider attached to the line? The bottom bait is mainly for attraction and the higher bait is the one that catches the fish?

Thread a bait such as an ice jig or fly onto the braid line on your rod. Tie a small swivel to your braid below the ice jig or fly. Next tie on a length of fluorocarbon, and tie a snap on the end (the bottom end). Simply attach a lure such a a #2 or #3 jigging shad to the snap on the bottom. The ice jig or fly slides freely above the swivel hence the “slider” designation.

If I’m fishing with the camera, I tie on about 5″ of mono to the barrel and let the stonefly “float” around. Disadvantage is loss of feel if your making very subtle lifts. Works very well when sight fishing with the camera

The white will bite on anything, I’ve tried cheese,banana peel,brat,strawberry,hamburger,piece of cardboard,bread,ham,dipped jigs in beer,whiskey,gas(for some reason they really like that) and hand sanitizer, when the bite is on it doesn’t matter what you throw at them, when it’s slow jigging rap absolutely no top hook which is just disrespectful to real white fishermen lol will fo the trick, just pound the bottom. Should be no problem for two guys to get 40 fish a day on a slow day, good days you should catch 60 or so, either way everyone will catch fish

Opinions needed. I gathered up several of the tackle items recommended by cptpaddlefoot.
In the attached picture I have several other baits that were laying around. Any of these work for the lower jig?

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Michael,

Any of them will work. The golds in your top row are probably your best options – the hammered pimple 4th from the left #1 among those. The raps in the upper right and lower left, the best choices for raps. I’ve never had much luck with flutter spoons like the angel eyes in the lower right but can’t hurt to bring ’em along.

For fun use everyone of them.
Change after every fish.
I bet you will catch one on everyone.
Golds have always been a top producer.

Thanks guys
I walked into Gander today with paddlefoots post on my phone. Walked out with a bag full of goodies and nearly $200 broker But it is going to be worth it

If you limit out in the first hour, you can be the cook. I’m hoping to make a lure run also. NOT that I need more

#3 jigging shad raps in pearl or silver/black were best for us this weekend. Yellow perch color caught some fish also. We got a couple on the slider, but most came on the rap.

Can you just run braided line all the way down to the jigging rap?? If they will bite the slider with that braided line right next to it then why do you need mono down to the rap?

Most guys want mono down because of the ultra clear water. Also, that little barrel will keep the slider from dropping all the way down to the rap

Well this is how I set up one of my poles..I put 5lb power pro on it..at the end of the braid I put a jig to slide up and down attached a swivel to the braid and put 8lb mono down about a foot and a half to the jigging shad rap. Maybe I did it wrong?