IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: Scraper.jr on Dec 01, 2003, 08:33 PM
-
Walleye and perch have been my main target most years but I am going to try some new lakes that hold splake. The lake I am looking at is 71 acres and has two deep holes that reach 60 feet. This lake also has four feeder creeks come into it. What depth should I start at? And what kind of bait and lure to use. I am not use to fishing this kind of deep water I consider 30 feet deep. Just two years ago the planted over 4,000 7 inch splake. Thanks for the help guys.
-
We usually fish them quite deep and very near the bottom. A flasher will certainly be nearly indespensible in finding fish. They sometimes cruise through somewhere in the water column also. Extremely sharp drop-offs (the more cliff-like, the better) seem to be favored haunts too. Jigs (usually white or other lighter color) tipped w/ a strip sucker meat - we can't legally use live minnows. I don't usually target them, but catch them incidentally to my kokanee fishing. If I get too deep, I seem to pick up splake. I have done well w/ jigging spoon also. I suggest a low/no stretch line as your hookset w/ mono is not very effective if you have to fish 40 or more feet deep. Hope this helps.
K.
-
Scraper.jr,
I'm in the same state as Sorenson, and can't use live minnows, but I have my best luck with dead minnows on a fireball jig. I like the glow in the dark 1/8 or 1/4 oz. models. The lake that I fish for them in also has lake trout in it, and the lakers usually rule the deep water. The lakers are 50 feet to 120 feet deep. The splake are usually 42 feet. Without a fishfinder you are shooting in the dark. They're also found at the deep edge of a weed bed at about 25 feet.
We fish for both species with the same set up. We watch the fishfinder and work the bottom until we see an echo at 42 feet. Then we reel up to the splake and try for them. Once in a while they are deeper, but not often. If the echo is deeper than 50 feet, it's almost always a laker.
Good luck,
Fishrmn
-
I can us live minnow for bait, so that should help. And my father has a flasher unit so that should help also.
-
The lakes where I fish splake we fish in 20ft or less . I jig a williams wabler on one line and a live minnow on the other . If this fails I use a worm bobbing on a windlass tip up .
-
Walleye190 knows how...try giving him a IM.
-
I fish caroga lake early ice,,,as soon as ice will hold you. we fish with 2-4 lb test leader just a few feet down in the sandy bottoms. early ice i almost always get the limit in a few hours.as ice gets safer,,,move to deeper water,,10-30 feet and stagger depth. i use very small shinners,,,,good luck and stay on top :'(
-
Ok im a southerner, what is a splake a cross of, A Lake trout and?? We dont have thme down this way.
-
Deep Creek a splake is a mix between a lake trout and a brook trout or "speckled trout" thus you get a splake trout. I use to fish them in the U.P. in fairly shallow lakes with any standard size panfish jig and crappie minnows. Splake school pretty good, so once you catch one you can usually catch a couple more. Dead sticks and or Tip-ups can be effective on them also. Small aberdeen hooks, 4 lb. test leader, small split shot, and a really sensitive split shot. :'(
-
Barleydog you used to be from the UP? Thats where I am from. What lakes did yo like to fish. And thanks for the replys guys.
-
Scraper, I lived on Bass lake out of Gwinn in 90-93 or so. I loved it almost as much as Alaska! I used to fish the lake right outside of town, which I don't remember??? and Sporley Lake for Splake. If these are some of the lakes you fish, I could direct you in the right direction. ;)-Barleydog
-
Barleydog,
I'm actually hoping to do a little splake fishing this weekend. I checked the lake out in sands plains and it has about 3" on it and it was 10 degrees last night and should be cold all week. Anyway i usually use swedish pimples with a minnow for splake, seems to work well. alslo you said that you were on bass lake, i assume you mean the one near Pike lake? Did you ever do any fishing for the rainbows in there? My uncle has a camp up there and sounds like he does pretty good. Minnows and a jig of some sort. I hope to hit it a few times thsi winter.
any help would be appreciated,
Geno
-
Deep Creek a splake is a mix between a lake trout and a brook trout or "speckled trout" thus you get a splake trout. I use to fish them in the U.P. in fairly shallow lakes with any standard size panfish jig and crappie minnows. Splake school pretty good, so once you catch one you can usually catch a couple more. Dead sticks and or Tip-ups can be effective on them also. Small aberdeen hooks, 4 lb. test leader, small split shot, and a really sensitive split shot. :'(
What is a "really sensitive split shot" ?-kokanee
-
Kokanee, a "sensitive split shot" is a small piece of lead that isn't afraid to cry! Fingers got a little crossed up while watching Oprah.
-
Well what was it supposed to be??? I am still learning.-V ???
-
Here in Maine we fish splake just like brookies. I use 5 feet of flourocarbon leader and an octopus hook with just enough weight to hold down a live shiner or smelt. I set up in shallow coves and fish within 2 feet of the ice. best action early in the season
-
What's an Octopus hook?-V
-
try tip-ups with 8lb. Vanish and size 14 trebles as part of your arsenal as splake will use shallower water with structure and like was said earlier ,we catch plenty of fish in under 20 fow. precise split shotting is advised when dealing with currents. Experiment and have fun. we usually bait up with lake shiners on the small side.
-
V-I think an octopus hook is the same as a circle hook although i'm not sure.
-
An octopus hook is a thin wire hook with a slight offset. The eye is bent back away from the point. Gamakatsu makes a really great octopus hook in red that I use with minnows (Stock #02307) They aren't cheap but they are incredibly sharp!
-
The Gamkatsu hooks are the ones that I meant. I won't use anything but now that I've tried them