NWT Newcomer. Looking for advice!

[James92]

I've recently moved to Yellowknife for work and to visit my dad and we decided to try some ice fishing. I do a lot of fishing back home in Ontario in the summer months, but am new to ice fishing. We picked up some proper ice fishing gear, but have yet to catch a fish! I'm not asking for your secret spots or anything  ..... just curious if anyone can offer some advice! Ive been experimenting with different depths somewhat close to shore, with quick access to deep water in hopes of finding some walleye or trout. We don't have a boat so believe me I've caught my fair share of pike while visiting in the summer haha. I've been jigging a few feet from bottom to the ice using jig heads with a variety of tails, airplane jigs, silver spoons, and even just a minnow on a hook without any success. Ive tried tipping the hooks with minnow heads and Gulp! grubs also. I know its called fishing, not catching, but it would be nice to catch some! I feel that I might be doing something wrong because I KNOW the fish are down there!

[Drifter_016]

Welcome to the North. 
Where have you been fishing?
The big lake? If so you really need to go a ways before you get into any decent trout fishing.
There are a few trout caught here and there inside Yellowknife bay but it is very spotty.
For pretty consistent trout fishing close to town try Prelude and Prosperous lakes.

I tip my laker baits with a piece of cisco or a small smelt

Good luck!!!

[James92]

Thanks! I'm really enjoying it here. Taking a bit to acclimatise, but getting there.... We have tried the big lake, vee lake, and the lake just through the portage on the same road (not sure what its called). Thanks for the tips! I guess we will give prosperous or prelude a try in a few days! Yeah, I prefer to avoid the noise as well..... I'm guessing gas town has the ciscos year round then?

Also, I've realized the terrain is much different up here, so I'm assuming there's a lot of random shelves and big drops under the lakes too. Do you generally fish closer to shore or go for the real deep water this time of year? I apologize if that seems like a dumb question..... as I said before I'm new to ice fishing and the north.

Again thanks for your time and the great advice!!
Hopefully I can get some pictures up of a few nice catches!

[Drifter_016]

Canadian Tire also has ciscoes.  I think Shell and the Co-Op gas bar do too.

I like to start in about 40'. I'll drill some holes deeper and shallower and work them all to seewhere the fish are.
You need a depth finder to fish effectively.
I generally hit steep shoreline drops and points as well as islands.

[thenextbiteyk]

stick to the local lakes, kam and grace lake are decent places to start.  avoid range lake and frame lake.  then maybe start trying some lakes on your own, there are plenty up here.   thats the best advice i can give you.

[James92]

Sweet! Ill give that a go then. I was looking into flashers.... I can only imagine how much help they can be. A bit pricey for myself, but if I don't hook some fish I'm sure ill give it some more thought haha. Ok figured as much, just wasn't sure if they were in deeper water this time of year. Thanks again for the tips guys!  One concern I did have is the ice line I'm using is fluorescent orange. Seems to me it would be obvious to the fish, but I'm sure if its for sale it works fine.  Ill definitely be back on with some news on how the next trip goes, hopefully with some pictures!

[heid_man243]

Do you have a skidoo? From where you have been fishing it sounds like you may not? With a vehicle, the best spots you can get to would be off the ice roads built by the mines, both up Prosperous and Tibbitt. January can be some tough fishing. Not sure how long you are in town, but things really pick up in March/April with more daylight. The best way to increase your chances of catching fish is by getting into better lakes.

Getting some maps of the ice road and planning a trip up there would help. I usually fish fairly close to shore and look for unique shore features, like a steep wall, or a nice sloping point, or islands. Something unique, then drill a few holes on a line out into deeper water. I don't have a fish finder, and while it would help, I don't like relying on gadgets with batteries in the cold. I also use a hand auger so some call me crazy.

I almost always use plain 1/4 oz jigs with a twister and hunk of cisco and a stinger hook. It is simple, cheap and tends to work well enough. Some guys use those gorge hooks and whole ciscoes. Those work well for set lines if you want to leave them and go build a fire or something. Jig your lines fairly often. Lots of times I will get a hit during jigging or right after. Who knows if the fish would have hit had I not jigged. It was probably sitting there staring at my bait for half an hour!

I'll give a spot maybe an hour or hour and half tops, then move on. Many times you will drill a hole, drop in bait and wham, have a trout hit. I also get bored in one spot, although I have sat in one spot for 2-3 hours, then catch 3 trout in a row as I am packing to leave. I think they slowly cruise in small packs in the winter hunting. If you sit tight long enough a pack may come by, but I'd rather stay mobile and try for that hot spot.

Good luck. No one ever caught a trout watching TV on the couch. Well I guess I have, in my gill net!

[heid_man243]

and on depth, I always fish within 2-3 feet of the bottom. In the spring, like April, I have caught fish right under the ice as they chase up my jig. I've even had one chase it up onto the ice, through my hole, and land at my feet, without it being hooked. But in the depths of winter I generally think the trout are pegged on the bottom, chilling out, waiting for an easy meal during the day. My catches increase greatly in early morning and late afternoon, as expected, as they start to forage farther for meals and hunt in packs.

I don't worry too much about how deep the water is where I fish. I've caught trout in all sorts of depths but do agree with Drifter that 40 foot is a good goal. I've caught them in 3 feet of water in the spring, drilling holes on top of sand flats I didn't know were there and just threw in a jig for the hell of it. Most of my fish come in 18-25 feet of water. Maybe if I fished deeper I'd catch more and bigger fish. Something to try one day. I find it fun to skidoo or walk up to a new likely spot, pull out the auger and start trying to guess where that first hole should go, based on what the shoreline features are telling me and what I know about the lake from maps, drop in that jig and watch how far it sinks. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I find those 3 foot sand flats!

[Drifter_016]

I find it fun to skidoo or walk up to a new likely spot, pull out the auger and start trying to guess where that first hole should go, based on what the shoreline features are telling me and what I know about the lake from maps, drop in that jig and watch how far it sinks. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I find those 3 foot sand flats!

That's where your electronics become very handy.
I clear a small spot on the ice place my flashers transducer on the ice and pour a little water to couple it to the ice and take a reading. Saves a lot of work and saves your auger blades too.   
I know how deep the water is before I even start drilling.   

[heid_man243]

I've heard of that trick, Drifter. Does it stop working when the ice gets too thick, or cloudy?

There is something about the simplicity of the North I really enjoy. Being up here has made me cut down on gadgets, where you can still drop onto a lake and be the only person fishing, maybe the only person who will fish it all season. I also hand line all my fish and make my own rods out of hockey sticks. It makes it a little more fun for me to tinker with that stuff and definitely reduces my catches, but the gill net has my back and fills the freezer. I wouldn't let the fact you don't have all the latest gear stop you from getting out and drilling some holes and thinking you can't catch some fish. 

I'm sure there was a day when people used spruce roots for lines and caribou bones for hooks so I still got it easy!

[Drifter_016]

I've heard of that trick, Drifter. Does it stop working when the ice gets too thick, or cloudy?

There is something about the simplicity of the North I really enjoy. Being up here has made me cut down on gadgets, where you can still drop onto a lake and be the only person fishing, maybe the only person who will fish it all season. I also hand line all my fish and make my own rods out of hockey sticks. It makes it a little more fun for me to tinker with that stuff and definitely reduces my catches, but the gill net has my back and fills the freezer. I wouldn't let the fact you don't have all the latest gear stop you from getting out and drilling some holes and thinking you can't catch some fish. 

I'm sure there was a day when people used spruce roots for lines and caribou bones for hooks so I still got it easy!

It doesn't work through ice with a lot of air in it or where there is overflow.
It works perfectly through clear black ice. I have shot through over 5' of ice no problem.
I have even marked fish through the ice which is even better.   

[James92]

Thanks for that advice Heid_man! I guess I've just been on the wrong lakes. Unfortunately I don't have a snowmobile, but tomorrow we'll be giving Prosperous a try. Ill be here through the summer, so I'm sure to get some good experience in the next few months. Again, I've been considering the flasher option, but I imagine you need a top of the line one for up here.... (hand auguring through 4 feet of ice and finding 7-8 feet of water underneath is a bit frustrating haha.)

[Drifter_016]

Thanks for that advice Heid_man! I guess I've just been on the wrong lakes. Unfortunately I don't have a snowmobile, but tomorrow we'll be giving Prosperous a try. Ill be here through the summer, so I'm sure to get some good experience in the next few months. Again, I've been considering the flasher option, but I imagine you need a top of the line one for up here.... (hand auguring through 4 feet of ice and finding 7-8 feet of water underneath is a bit frustrating haha.)

Don't need top end.
Just an ice fishing one.
Humming bird  ICE 35 would be my choice for an entry level unit up here.
The Lowrance X67 would also be a good choice.

[James92]

Ok drifter, good to know! I finally caught a fish by the way! We had a few bites and a feisty one that broke the line, but I landed one 6 pounder on an airplane gig. What a relief that was......

[Drifter_016]

Ok drifter, good to know! I finally caught a fish by the way! We had a few bites and a feisty one that broke the line, but I landed one 6 pounder on an airplane gig. What a relief that was......

What? No pictures?   

[James92]

Just had to figure out how to get some on here..... had to join another site and post on there? Now I'm going to try to get them here. I hope this works!

[Drifter_016]

Nice Mexican auger (Manuel  ).
Mine gets put away as soon as there is enough ice to run the sled.   
Too much work once you get some thick ice.

[James92]

Haha yeah, I enjoy the exercise.  A bit tiring after 5 holes or so...

[Drifter_016]

Haha yeah, I enjoy the exercise.  A bit tiring after 5 holes or so...

Wait until you find some thick ice.   
I have drilled through 5'+ on a couple of occasions in the last couple of years.   
A fella gets worn out drilling holes with the power auger when it's like that.
Manual auger guys have a heart attack and fall over dead before they get one hole drilled!!!!!   

[James92]

Hahaha, I don't doubt that. I understand it's been quite a milder winter than usual. I haven't even needed to put the extension on yet. I drilled a few holes out on great slave the other day near a shanty and was getting tonnes of nibbles but couldn't set the hook! I later realized that whitefish have quite small mouths (we don't have them back home).... I can't help but wonder if my hooks were just too big? Wish I would have thought of that and put on a smaller jig!