Trout ice fishing setups

[liv2fish]

Hey guys. Gonna try some trout fishing through the ice for my first time this weekend. Just looking for some tips and tricks for different setups, lures etc. Any info greatly appreciated. Diagrams are always welcome. I dont have a great deal of experience with trout. Thanks guys.

[freeride]

the lake your fishing.....
- bait or no bait?

[Bigmountainrider]

Good question^^^^^^

[liv2fish]

Oh sorry valid question. Gonna try chain lakes by nanton for first trip out. But hope to expand on that later on and hopefully try to find some bigger ones... just not sure where that will be yet lol

[freeride]

have a read through this...

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=276163


ask any questions you still have after reading it.
be happy to help further if needed.

[.243dude]

i've heard velveta cheese works well at chain.
we catch trout on corn, worms, and powerbait.
i like to fish in 8 to 15 fow

goodluck

[Poppa]

Good thread -- I've also never really fished specifically for trout before (Manitoban in Alberta...all new to me!) and was going to ask about ice fishing at Dickson Trout Pond........do people hit that up during hard water season? I've always read that jigs with with Berkley Trout bait (that fluorescent stuff that looks like candy) works well....

[liv2fish]

Ya im a sasky boy so not a lot of trout fishing for me except when i used to visit family in bc when i was young. I have an idea of baits etc. More looking for line setups hook sinker etc

[freeride]

we were using around a 12 - 14 sz hook, just one of my wet fly hooks, with a bit of valveta cheese on it.
two small slip shot weights about 12" above it just to get it down to the right depth.
fish were all around 12-15 feet down.

line size didnt seem to affect the fish at chain, however trout can be very very line shy to I always try to go light and small.

[Poppa]

I just finished reading that thread about fishing Chain....awesome stuff. Thank you very much to all who provided info. Not looking to steal anyone's spot, or overload a certain body of water, just want to learn about fishing trout and that really did the job. Excited to try it all out!

[jeffreys 21234]

We've always had good luck with chunks of shrimp from a shrimp ring plus then if you get hungry can have a snack

[Tom Pullings]

Atlas Mikes's trout marshmallows and worms both work for me.

[.243dude]

for line i use 8lb berkley fireline micro ice fused crystal.
for lures i use wire worms, panther martins, jigging rapalas, and any color of jig head or a pikerel rig setup.

[marty1]

The things I've learned over the years are show up before light, if the lake holds quality trout drill one of your holes a hole in 5 fow,many big fish caught and seen In the shallows,if you can use bait use it . Like shrimp or worms and one of the things I like to do is use a 1/16 ounce panther Martin (silver with the fly) and tip it with a worm the flutter-spinning motion on the drop can be deadly. Good luck

[FlyTheory]

Bait doesn't make a huge difference in my experience, seems to me to be action. That's just me. Spoons are the bees knees when it comes to ice fishing for potbows a little bait never hurt tho, and in that case I still don't have a preference, I've only used minnows and salmon eggs (the eggs didn't do much). I'd like to trap some scuds and give them a try as well, I bet they'd rock.

May I add, timing seems to play an important part in trout ice fishing, I have only really caught trout in the morning. After noon it dies and picks up in the evening. I used to ice fish spring lake and catch bows in the morning, then perch for the rest of the day.

[liv2fish]

Spinners in ice eh? Interesting. Never would have thought of that. What about depth? Do trout suspend more or do you fish right off bottom?

[Dragless]

I have the most confidence sofar in just using a mitzy ditzy and small cube of cooked shrimp . I guess a tip would be to cut the shrimp rather than tearing it I find you get a better peice and it's easy to cut wen its frozen. I use as small as line possible and just leave it mid water column (dead sticking). I think trout suspend in water and their vision is mostly above them so if your bait is to close to the bottom it won't be in their line of sight . this is mostly for rainbows . Hope it helps.

[rms]

Williams ice jig - half gold half silver in the hammered finish is the best trout lure I have ever used.

http://www.cabelas.ca/product/77811/williams-ice-jig

[The Fisherman Guy]

Chain is pretty well full of fish, but they are more concentrated in certain areas. Look for 14-25 feet of water, off a point. The one at the boat launch is popular, because the fish congregate there in numbers. An ultralight ice rod spooled with 6-8lb monofilament will help you feel the trout bite if they are hitting lightly.

An egg sinker 12" below a three way swivel, with a single snelled hook on a 6" leader will do. Bait with Berkley Powerbait Trout Nuggets in Chartreuse.

If you get tired of that, you can also jig a Powerbait Atomic Mite:


Or Powerbait Atomic teasers:


Swedish Pimples tipped with red worm, jigged off bottom work well too - and you will also catch the odd sucker to keep you busy as well with this rig. The suckers tend to leave the Powerbait alone.

Drop any of these rigs to bottom and jig it a few times, then let it sit still. The bite will almost always come when the bait is motionless. The bottom bouncing creates a cloud of mud, along with the sound, catches the attention of the trout and calls them over for a look. Once they smell the goods, they are not reluctant to bite.

Good luck and tight lines.

[Kim473]

For trout I like to use pink power bait or cooked shrimp from a shrimp ring.

[roofish]

did well with trout this year using 6# test with a tiny snell hook up 2 feet from a splitshot. let the splitshot hit the bottom so the hook is 1-2 feet off bottom. worms are the best bait for trout imo.
kinda oldschool but it worked 30 years ago and it still does lol

[EZM]

My favorite set up is using a jig head at the bottom attached directly to your monofilament (4-8lb) and then a snelled hook (size 10-12) about 24"-30" above that. That way you get a bait at the bottom and bait suspended above the bottom.

Ball up a little Vellvetta cheese on each hook and let that greasy oily cheese do the work.

Drum your fingers on the line to give it some action periodically.

[leloinjunior]

Many ways to catch them. In summer I love using a 3-way rig trolling a small white/translucent Rapala minnow. Not always, but often the bigger guys will hit this.