Struggling lately

[TheTroutWhisperer]

I'm from western Massachusetts and have been fishing many trout stocked lakes and ponds in the area with very little success. My 2011 trout count is 2 nice 15" and 14" rainbows through the ice. I've been fishing a combo of chartruse power bait and a worm, a worm, and small shiners at about  5 feet below the ice in varying depths with a 6' leader of 8lb test mono. Anyone got any ideas about why I have been so unsuccessful lately?

[POk3s]

How many fow? how deep is your lake? how big of a surface area is your lake?

[TheTroutWhisperer]

usually around 10 to 25 fow. the deepest part of the lake is prob. close to 70 feet, and the lake is very large, hundreds of acres.

[Cub]

They might be line shy.Try 4 or 6 pound flourocarbon.

[tziegert14]

Hi, funny you made this post. I am going thru this myself. I live in NJ, yes we do have good trout lakes in the state! For last few years my fishing slows down this time of year. Based on our ice season I would say this the mid-season blues. In NJ we are allowed 5 ice fishing set ups and on one I use shiners in a little deeper water for Browns. I have not gotten a Brown flag in about 2 weeks. So I don't buy shiners for now. I know as the season gets latter the fishing will get better so hang in there. I would try the following come in-shore and fish shollower water if possibe and try jigging. I'm jigging in about 6 feet of water and catching some fish. Try mixing up your baits by using mealworms, salmon eggs and worms and see what works. Also try a spread in bait depth. I target 5 feet but set one at 3 or 7 feet. We just have to see what works and try a little harder for a while but I'm sure things will pick up.

Good luck - Ted

[POk3s]

You're ONLY fishing with your bait 5' under the ice? If that's the case lower that sucker. I hear people say all the time how they fish just under the ice and I have NEVER caught a fish like that at my lake. Usually I'm a foot to 3 feet off the bottom in 15-30 fow. On my flasher if they don't show up right on my bait they will show up at the bottom and work their way up to my bait. I like a jig head tipped with a nightcrawler and any kind of small 2" grubs tipped with a meal worm or something along those lines. Typical colors for grubs are white, red, pink, orange, and chartreuse or any combinations of those colors.

I wrote this before looking at zieger's post and he is right. Start mixing up your depth. I like fishing in 15-30 fow but if the going gets tough set up at least a deadsticking rod in shallow.

[Fishrmn]

I've found one lake that the trout like jigs about 7 feet under the ice.  Usually in 10 feet of water, or less.  Every other place that I've caught trout they've been closer to 25 feet deep.  I don't fish for much besides trout.  Never pike, walleye, crappie, bluegill, or bass.  Seldom for perch.  I've caught Lakers, rainbows, splake, tiger trout, browns, cutthroat.  They all seem to be a little bit deeper than most people on this forum say that they've found them.

Fishrmn

[TheTroutWhisperer]

POk3s - Thanks for the replies/help def. cool. Most of the time I do usually fish about four tip-ups between 5 and 8 feet under the ice, always set the hopeful fifth trap deeper, around 20 feet. No luck most of the time. The two I've got have been about 7 - 8 feet under the ice in approx. 40 fow. I'm going to switch leaders to 4lb test and start fishing at all different depths. Hopefully this works, I'll let you know.

Fishrmn - Just got your post, I usually don't fish for much other than trout myself, sometimes some Mass. broodstock salmon. I agree it seems many here believe the trout are super shallow. I am going to have to try deeper unless the water is shallow, and I will still fish near the bottom.

Thanks guys.

[POk3s]

Alright buddy glad I could help. I also almost strickly fish for trout...except the occasional bass in the summer and trout/kokanee in the summer. I've never had much luck on powerbait. Always meal worms or nightcrawlers for rainbows. Some days they like it sitting there. Somoe days they like it moving...Just got to feel 'em out.

[Wiener]

If you're catching fish 5' below the ice, that's great.


You may want to try and hide the hole so the fish don't spook.

What I mean by "hide the hole" - use a foam hole cover to block out the light.

Trout get really spooky in the bright light.


Hope this helps,

Wiener