Where do trout like to be during the winter?

[Novice fisherman]

I'm just curious where the trout like to hang during the winter. Are they deep or shallow? I know they like hanging out right below the ice, but in deep water or shallow?

[BackCountry Kyle]

Depends on a lot of things  and they don't always hang right under the ice,.... check out this thread.. a lot of good info in here http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=263160.0   or this one....  http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=204548.0

[coboy]

If you are familiar with the In-Fisherman publications, in their library series they have a book called "Ice Fishing Secrets." It splits the ice fishing season into early,mid and late season ice.
The main factor for trout is the oxygen level in the water. It changes during the course of the season and affects where the trout will be. There are quite a few factors involved in determining
the oxygen levels such as snow depth, weed die off, etc. that affects the oxygen content. Type of body of water, shallow,deep. The chapter on the seasonal changes during winter may help in
making decisions on how to approach fishing during the slow times. My experience over the years has been to go smaller and slower during mid-season. I guess if you had an oxygen sensor
to determine at what level was the best may help, but I haven't figured out the best approach. Every season tends to be a little different so what may have worked last year in a particular area
may not work the following year. I do tend to drill more holes during that time searching for trout than during early and late ice.

[BackCountry Kyle]

right on coboy! SO..... if you have a creek or springs feeding into the body of water that would be a great spot to start.

[coboy]

right on coboy! SO..... if you have a creek or springs feeding into the body of water that would be a great spot to start.

Yes, but the ice can be more unstable.

[dekatronic]

It also depends on what kind of trout you are targeting.  In my case most of the lakes around my area contain both rainbow and brook trout, and I target each species by varying location, depth, lures, and bait among other things.  And like coboy said, it also depends on what part of the ice fishing season you're in. 

If you're looking for additional information, we can provide better info if you can tell us some specifics - what species of trout, and where you're located for starters. 

[ScreaminReels]

I try to find where brooks feed into the lake. Ya just got to keep an eye on the ice

[Homewrecker]

lakers are normally found same place in the lake in winter as they are in summer.

[thessalaker]

I tend to like shallower water...20-30 ft, rock bottom.  shoals, points, or nearby.
 also like mid lake humps in the 40-60 ft depth ranges, with real deep water nearby.  here, bigger fish tend to suspend, and 20 ft down in deeper water always a good choice.
water temp pretty much consistent lake-wide in winter, so don't be afraid to fish shallow...10-15 ft can be great sometimes.
Personal preference, is to rig a tip up or my trusty fishhawk wind jigger in 10-15 ft of water, with a dead smelt, and jig out a little, in 25-40 ft of water.
never did real well in deep water - over 80 ft.  usually small fish on bottom only.

[Hyland33]

Every rainbow I've caught was in 6-10 fow about a foot off the bottom around noon. For lakers I fish in 80fow and see them from 20 to the bottom and see them from 6am until 10 and then they vanish, I have to try and find where they go after that because I literally mark 1-3 fish every day after 10am and 20-30 fish before 10am.