Catching Whitefish From Shore

[mtnhunter]

Hey fellow AO,

Is it possible to catch lake whitefish from shore during open water? What sort of technique do you use?

Thanks!


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[pikergolf]

Late May and June they seem to favor the dams of the irrigation lakes. Wire worm under a boober will take them. Fly fishing choronomids under a boober works very well, as do caddis imitations if the caddis are coming off.

[Smoky buck]

Not that I have put in much effort targeting them but I have caught a few with a fly rod from shore but only after seeing others do it with a float and wire worm

So it’s possible but can’t give much advice with my little experience doing so

[Zip-in-Z]

These mini-Mr. Twisters with a 1/16 or 1/32 oz jig head (Cdn Tire sell them) work on Sylvan.

Early Spring just after ice out & late Fall are the best times when Mr. White is in the shallows. Try to fish an area where there's lots of broken up rock with some depth, such as off the downtown main pier or around the Marina, Lighthouse Park area (old water slides), you'll still need to use a bobber to cast them out & work your jig back without getting snagged up. I've caught lots with no bait, but if you can find some pink mags, it would help.

Give them a try, wish you all the best.

Edit: The season opens here on May 15th.





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[mtnhunter]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Late May and June they seem to favor the dams of the irrigation lakes. Wire worm under a boober will take them. Fly fishing choronomids under a boober works very well, as do caddis imitations if the caddis are coming off.

Thanks piker! Just an ordinary slip bobber?


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[mtnhunter]

Originally Posted by Zip-in-Z

These mini-Mr. Twisters with a 1/16 or 1/32 oz jig head (Cdn Tire sell them) work on Sylvan.

Early Spring just after ice out & late Fall are the best times when Mr. White is in the shallows. Try to fish an area where there's lots of broken up rock with some depth, such as off the downtown main pier or around the Marina, Lighthouse Park area (old water slides), you'll still need to use a bobber to cast them out & work your jig back without getting snagged up. I've caught lots with no bait, but if you can find some pink mags, it would help.

Give them a try, wish you all the best.

Edit: Tthe season opens here on May 15th.





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Thanks Zip!


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[pikeman06]

Tough to get a good hookset espicially from shore with a bobber of any sort. Best to do a super slow retrieve to keep the slack to a minimum and a long rod and quick set. Yer gonna miss a ton of them and get bites you don't know you even had but that's fishin whites for ya. Every lake is different and every day is different it seems.

[mtnhunter]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

Tough to get a good hookset espicially from shore with a bobber of any sort. Best to do a super slow retrieve to keep the slack to a minimum and a long rod and quick set. Yer gonna miss a ton of them and get bites you don't know you even had but that's fishin whites for ya. Every lake is different and every day is different it seems.

Thanks pikeman. Slow retrieve with a bobber or without?


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[michaelmicallef]

I wonder how Ghost res would be at that time of year. I never bother fishing there but might not be bad if the whites come in some place close to shore.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by mtnhunter

Thanks piker! Just an ordinary slip bobber?


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Depends how deep you fish. Off of dams I fish 8 to 10 ft, under a bobber, this is manageable with a fixed bobber on a fly rod, but with a spinning set up a slip bobber would be better. Keep it small so they don't feel any resistance, sometimes the float goes under, sometimes it just tips over.

[pikeman06]

Painfully slow with bobber. More to keep tension on the line than anything. No more than 4 ft or so below I use the tiny bobbers and my favorite wire worm which is tough to cast. Sometimes put a tiny split shot just below my bobber just to give some weight to cast. Slip bobbers don't "slip" very well with little to no weight I just use the old red and white clip ons a little bigger than a dime in diameter. It's still tough tho from shore.

[Fishingforjoy]

I have been shore fishing in Travers and McGregor(north and south side). Float with red wire worm. The keys are the time(early morning or late afternoon) and the depth of the float setting which you need to find out.

Good luck

[Fishingforjoy]

Originally Posted by michaelmicallef

I wonder how Ghost res would be at that time of year. I never bother fishing there but might not be bad if the whites come in some place close to shore.

Shore fishing for white is very tough in ghost except you have a boat and flasher.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by Fishingforjoy

I have been shore fishing in Travers and McGregor(north and south side). Float with red wire worm. The keys are the time(early morning or late afternoon) and the depth of the float setting which you need to find out.

Good luck

What kind of shore line are you fishing, dams etc?

[aulrich]

Does someone have a picture of the "Pink Mag" or is it just a pink twister.

I might be able to copy it.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

Painfully slow with bobber. More to keep tension on the line than anything. No more than 4 ft or so below I use the tiny bobbers and my favorite wire worm which is tough to cast. Sometimes put a tiny split shot just below my bobber just to give some weight to cast. Slip bobbers don't "slip" very well with little to no weight I just use the old red and white clip ons a little bigger than a dime in diameter. It's still tough tho from shore.

x2 on the first part, very similar to fishing nymphs under a bobber for trout, your hook set has got to be FAST. Keep your rod tip low, and that line tight, pretty much just a very slow retrieve.

[mtnhunter]

Thanks all, I can't wait to give this a try! Hoping to have some luck with this technique in May!

[mtnhunter]

Originally Posted by Fishingforjoy

I have been shore fishing in Travers and McGregor(north and south side). Float with red wire worm. The keys are the time(early morning or late afternoon) and the depth of the float setting which you need to find out.

Good luck

Do you use a fixed bobber or slip bobber setup? I've always thought whitefish are feeding on the bottom and would not have imagined them coming up to 4 feet or so to pick up a nymph

[Fishingforjoy]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

What kind of shore line are you fishing, dams etc?

North dam and south end by the bridge in McGregor. Around the parking lot and the boat launching area in Travers

[Fishingforjoy]

Originally Posted by mtnhunter

Do you use a fixed bobber or slip bobber setup? I've always thought whitefish are feeding on the bottom and would not have imagined them coming up to 4 feet or so to pick up a nymph

I am using slip bobber. Set up the depth on the white cruising level which you need to try and found out. Go with friends or ask around who had bites, then set the bobber to that depth. Yes whites are most on the bottom in hot summer day but they won't go close to the shore. May, June, Oct and Nov are the best time for McGregor and Travers. Lots of fun while you seeing the bobber sunk. Remember to keep the slack to a minimum otherwise very hard to have a good hookset. Windy day but not very windy would be idea. The bobber is waving and the wireworm is also like jiging in the water.

Have fun

[chucklesthe3rd]

I target them in open water using slip bobbers in around 20ft depending on the time of year and lake. But I've seemed to have more luck catching them with leeches when I'm targeting walleyes haha.

[SNAPFisher]

I echo what others are saying here. Not an easy endeavor from shore. I've successfully done it at Sylvan with chest waders in early season - water is colder. But even a boat that get you out another 100 feet is a difference maker. You are very limited from shore. Unless the Res' down south are steep at shore...

[mtnhunter]

Originally Posted by Fishingforjoy

I am using slip bobber. Set up the depth on the white cruising level which you need to try and found out. Go with friends or ask around who had bites, then set the bobber to that depth. Yes whites are most on the bottom in hot summer day but they won't go close to the shore. May, June, Oct and Nov are the best time for McGregor and Travers. Lots of fun while you seeing the bobber sunk. Remember to keep the slack to a minimum otherwise very hard to have a good hookset. Windy day but not very windy would be idea. The bobber is waving and the wireworm is also like jiging in the water.

Have fun

Thanks FFJ! Hoping to put your advice to good use in another month and a bit!


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[mtnhunter]

Thanks for all the tips to help a whitefish noobie!


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[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

I echo what others are saying here. Not an easy endeavor from shore. I've successfully done it at Sylvan with chest waders in early season - water is colder. But even a boat that get you out another 100 feet is a difference maker. You are very limited from shore. Unless the Res' down south are steep at shore...

The dam faces on the res. are deep fast, most times I'm fishing 20 to 30 ft out. It is neat when the water is very clear and the caddis are hatching. You can see the fish picking them off as they rise off of the rocks of the dam.

[mtnhunter]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

The dam faces on the res. are deep fast, most times I'm fishing 20 to 30 ft out. It is neat when the water is very clear and the caddis are hatching. You can see the fish picking them off as they rise off of the rocks of the dam.

Thanks piker! I’ll focus around dams and change up wire worms and some caddies larvae.


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[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

The dam faces on the res. are deep fast, most times I'm fishing 20 to 30 ft out. It is neat when the water is very clear and the caddis are hatching. You can see the fish picking them off as they rise off of the rocks of the dam.

That is extremely cool. I would like to see that in action!

[pikeman06]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

The dam faces on the res. are deep fast, most times I'm fishing 20 to 30 ft out. It is neat when the water is very clear and the caddis are hatching. You can see the fish picking them off as they rise off of the rocks of the dam.

Yes, I'd like to get me some of that. We don't have dam faces like that in central and north central but it makes sense now about fishing whites from shore in that scenario. Sounds like a fun way to fish whites.

[Speckle55]

Pink Maggots

David

Originally Posted by aulrich

Does someone have a picture of the "Pink Mag" or is it just a pink twister.

I might be able to copy it.

[Speckle55]

out here u can catch them off the docks

use a bobber or indicator then a wire worm or nymph

here is how I fly fish them .. I have chest waders to get out deeper

both from shore or boat the way to get them is slowly twitch it in

then cast out and do it again if windy leave it to bob up and down

spring is best but u can catch all summer long in spots

here is some pictures of summer catches on Blood worms/ SJW

David