Rainbows Through the ice????

[Jbarker]

I have just located a lake with rainbows and did quite well for them in the summer but have never fished for them in the winter. can anyone give and Idea of depth/structure to look for and how far off of bottom should I put my minnow?? We are heading out sunday supposed to be a nice day so I will report how we do. We are going to have a multispecies day. Gonna start with splake jump to another lake for bows and then yet another lake for crappie. I was out for crappie yesterday but it was a little too windy to detect the bites but I did manage to get 3 around 12" and miss a bunch more. Anybody else fishing yet?

Thx in advance!

[emptyhanded]

I fish some small man made lakes in new york. The DNR stocks them with rainbows, brookies, and browns. We fish them every year first ice with tip ups -- believe it or not we use egg sac hooks with night crawlers. Usually 5 or 6 guys with 5 tip ups each -- usually yields 5-10 trout a morning. I also jig a swedish pimple tipped with a minnow.
We fish shallow 8-10 feet in the bays first ice -- really no structure

[Fishrmn]

Swamp Thing,
Rainbows are the fish I target most these days.  I've been doing very well on the small, 1/16 or 1/8 ounce airplane jigs tipped with about an inch of nitecrawler.  The blue or the pink glow in the dark ones have worked best for me.  I've also been using the Genz worms in the ice blue color with about 1/2 an inch of crawler.  Last January on Strawberry Reservoir I caught two rainbows that were 25 inches long, and about 6 pounds each.  They were caught on the airplane jigs.  They grow fat and sassy up there.  I was glad that I had 10 inch holes to bring them up through that day.  That same day I caught a Bear Lake strain cutthroat that was probably 26 inches and more like 5 pounds on the Genz worm.  I kept one of the bows, and the others, along with several smaller fish were released to fight again another day.  Four days later, I took a couple of friends back to the same spot, and caught another bow  in the 5 lb class that I released.  So far this winter it has been a little slow up there, but the season is just starting.

As for depth, I've found that most rainbows around here hang out at 19 to 25 feet deep.  Seldom any shallower, and almost never any deeper.

Good luck,
Fishrmn

[captinjohn]

I agree on that depth 18-24 is about what they like on the lakes I fish.  Capt,n  West  Mich

[Jbarker]

Thx for the info guys. I was planning on fishing in the 10-12 foot range maybe I will try a little deeper. how for off bottom are you seting your set lines?

[missfishylicious]

Emptyhanded
do you check the regs on the lakes fish for a while you could icefish northlake but couldn't keep trout just wondering

[salmotrutta]

sand flats in the 2 to 5 foot range.Anything over 10 feet is way to deep.Set up before sunrise and use salmon eggs or power bait under tip ups.

[MUSKY 2004]

I FISH IN 15 FT. OR LESS,BUT I SET UP 1 OR  2 FT. UNDER THE ICE. PINHEAD SHINERS, OR RIG A TIP UP WITH A MEALWORM. SALMON HIT JUST BELOW THE ICE TO.

[olds-Pa]

I've also had good luck on the sand flats. Particularly on the swimming area of the lake. Also in the bays around a feeder stream. Careful around the feeder streams though. Thin ice is always a possibility. I use a small Rapala ice jig in perch or black tipped with maggots for the bows. These are stocked trout and usually not more than 15 to 17 inches long. Brookies like this set up also. Depth is 10 feet or less. Cold water temps and ice cover allows the trout to utilize the shallower water where more food is available.

[Fishrmn]

Swamp Thing.
On another reservoir there is a regulation requiring artificial flies or lures only.  In that reservoir we use marrabou crappie jigs, and minnow tubes in about 7 feet of water.  Some of that water is on a mud flat, but some is on a rocky drop off.  1/32 of an ounce works best, but 1/64 or 1/16 ounce if ya have to.  If we don't catch 12 or more fish per hour, then we feel cheated there.  You are allowed only one trout that must be 22 inches long or longer.  This only works when there is no snow on the ice.  Once there is snow on the ice, the amount of light drops, and the activity level of the fish goes to almost zero.  Then they leave the shallows, and head for deeper water.  Then we use a glow in the dark tube jig 5 inches below a kastmaster with the hook removed.

If you have access to electronics, you're half way home.  Without them, you're in for little more work figuring them out.

Most times, I find trout relating to some structure.  Once in a while though they will suspend without any structure around.

Fishrmn

[BCSmits]

A little late with the reply, you're probably on the ice as I write.  Anyways, add this to your info.  Trout up here like to hang around drop offs, use sonar to find them unless you already know.  Suspend bait midway to lake bottom.  Here its orange Powerbait, or a pink maggot tipping a micro-jig of some kind, glow in the dark works well.  Let us know what worked for ya

[CNY_Tim]

I catch rainbows on Lebanon and the jig that I have had the best luck on was the T.O.I 3 dot glow jigs... I don't think Tony's  doing much production as he is spending more time on fishing.  Thank god, I have two jigs left I dont even know if I would use them other than for a tournament.  They will hit the single dots too but they love the 3 dots...Them rainbows are awesome when your fighting em, they give unpredictable a new meaning... when you hook one on 2 lb. line the biggest I landed was a  17" bow,  damn near gave me a heart attack thank god for my sedona.... What a run!.  Having a great drag helps.  Can't wait to hit that lake nice gills and the occasional crappie.  Look closer to the inlet left of the boat launch these fish can be anywhere in the water column same characteristics as white fish.  Keep an eye on the entire water column they can show up sometimes a foot under the ice.

[Jbarker]

Thx for the info guys! We ended up going for splake first. we got our 15 by 11 then went for bows. We were set up by 1 and left at 3:30. We managed to get 3 bows around the 10" mark and missed a bunch more. 2 were caught on coloured gami hooks between 5 and 10 feet below the ice in 20 fow. The other one was a fluke I was jigging with a silver and green little cleo about 3 inches under the ice and he smacked it. It was a fun day none the less. By the way where is Lebanon? Anywhere near me in Petawawa?

[CNY_Tim]

Lebanon is down by Eatonbrook Reservoir it's hilly getting down and up it can be adventurous at times.

[Trevor]

Swampthing, I have relatives who have lived in Petawawa for years.  Too bad they're not into ice fishin.  At least I don't think they are.  Very avid golfers though...

[afishingfool]

SWAMPTHING   Rainbows feed in the shallowest of water during early ice and in areas without a lot of fishing pressure. Last week I caught them as shollow as 2' and as deep as 12', didn't try any deeper. I like 1" tube jigs with 1/2 a mealworm, an egg, small piece of crawler, or a small piece of raw deli shrimp (1/4"). Try Pumpkinseed, white , green, or white/pink jigs with 1/16 or 1/32 oz. jigs. STAY WARM  afishingfool