What to use for rainbow trout?

[fishingMarshall]

I've been catching some rainbows with corn in a small lake.  What works throught the ice?

[salmotrutta]

Pautzke's salmon eggs used with a tip up.Fish sandy shallows.

[iceintheveins]

I like smaller spoons and shrimpos or ratsos. Best spoons are custom jigs and spins stingers and also the Lindy Frostee Jigging Spoons.
Lures must be tipped with bait to consistantly work. The very finest rainbow bait is a nightcrawler. On spoons, tip the treble with a piece of nightcrawler about an inch or less in length. With the shrimpo and ratso you need a much smaller piece, about half an inch. Maggots and waxies also work well on plastics.
For a second rod I would deadstick about half of a nightcrawler on a plain hook and sinker. Suspend it about 4 feet or so off the bottom.
As far as depths go, the range you want to fish is 7 - 25 feet, with 15 feet being about optimum. Rainbows can suspend anywhere in the water column, so spend time jigging the whole water column. Subtle jigging usually works best. Generally stay away from depths over 25 feet or insanely shallow depths under 6 feet.

[big big rdg]

I have caught some nice rainbows jigging with tiny panfish jigs(dont remember the name, but they are really small) tipped with a spike. Also small or medium shiners would work well.

[salmotrutta]

I catch 90% of my rainbows in 2 to 4 feet of water only because thats where i fish for them.I will limit out every time.

[iceintheveins]

I catch 90% of my rainbows in 2 to 4 feet of water only because thats where i fish for them.I will limit out every time.

Amazing. I never see any that shallow. Trout in Colorado are deeper, 15 feet being optimum and they will move even deeper later in the season. And they are pathetically easy to catch, I catch usually several limits every time. But I usually release most all trout caught.

[Trout Sen-Sei]

I have the same success as Salmo. Here in Pa we catch most of our fish in water 4-8 ft deep. The trout seem to stay shallow in the cold water.

[iceintheveins]

I have the same success as Salmo. Here in Pa we catch most of our fish in water 4-8 ft deep. The trout seem to stay shallow in the cold water.

Our lakes and streams in Colorado are deeper than most Eastern Waters. Seven feet is the shallowest depth in which I consistantly catch trout. I think the dissolved oxygen levels are lower because of Colorado's high altitude, so the fish are a little deeper than in other areas.

[Water Wolf]

I have read that rainbows really like the same flies you would use during the open water season, like woolly buggers, egg sucking leeches and bead head nymphs.
For set lines trout worms are a good choice as are dew worms and for bigger fish, minnows.

WW

[Pasquatch]

Well, considering FishingMarshall is from Ohio, I would recomend following the guys from the lower elevation area's advice. Look for trout in shallow water with sandy bottoms. Any of the baits mentioned will work, I have found nightcrawlers and minnows to be the best.

[coldbum]

nightcrawlers 


 

[rainbow]

large shiner on tipup or popcorn shrimp  8)

[Kodiak Commando]

I do best with home cured salmon eggs and also fish shallow water. I rarely fish deeper than 8 feet and sometimes as shallow as 2 feet. I love fishin that shallow cuz i can watch the fish come and eat my bait

[TroutFishingBear]

blue ratso tipped w/ waxworm is supreme
Caught bows from 2" below the ice to 70 feet on the bottom. In many lakes they are 15-25' in others 8-15'. Bows use the whole water column and hit very aggressively and fight hard.

[trapperdirk]

I like the little cleos , night crawlers,roe and sometimes corn with a small saltie . We do quite well out in front of creeks  at last ice in April .

                 TD

[Big Dawg]

troutfishingbear, do you use the glow/blue from custom jigs and spins?  thinking about getting a few ratso's but dont know what color...

-Dave

[iceintheveins]

troutfishingbear, do you use the glow/blue from custom jigs and spins?  thinking about getting a few ratso's but dont know what color...

-Dave

We use this exact color and it really works well. Most of the shrimpos and ratsos are great in the blues, whites, pinks, oranges, and most any colors. They still need to to be tipped with a small piece of nightcrawler or a waxworm to really work though.

[icejunky]

I like the marmish jigs, usually the maggot shaped, and I tip them with a waxworm...I picked up a wack of customer jigs & spoons gear for this season and I cant wait to get out on the ice with them....

[TroutFishingBear]

The glow blue ratso seemed to be the ticket last year, although really any color of ratso or shrimpo seemed to be effective.
Trapper, the little cleos work well through the ice then? I really like them open water for trout. Roe can be very deadly for trout as I have found out within the last year or so. Don't see why it wouldn't work great icefishing. good ideas.

[Toastie]

What does pm me mean?

[afishingfool]

Hey fishingMarshall  I have good luck with 1.5-2" crappie tube jigs, tipped with 1/2 a mealworm. By tearing the mealworm in 1/2 it leaks its guts into the water and makes a milky cloud in the water that trout seam to like. Here in Colorado we can't chum so leaky bait is the next best thing. I use tubes with both inside jigs and outside jig heads, color seam to make a difference from lake to lake and even the time of day and if it's sunny or cloudy. I like pumpkinseed,white,pink and white,red and white, and greens. I also tip them with a salmon egg, small piece of worm and even a small piece of raw cocktail shrimp, and some shrimp oil on it seems to help too.STAY WARM  afishingfool

[fishhawk]

SALMOM EGGS  WITH RED HOOKS

[salmotrutta]

Ditto that fishhawk.

[dwayne]

What does pm me mean?

pm means private message

[Baiter]

I swear by this, an OLIVE CRAPPIE jig will out perform any other type of jig out there. I tip it with half a meal worm or a whole one just depends on how I am feeling.  It is hard to find olive crappie jigs so I make my own, I like to add a little flash in the body and tail as an attractor.  I have used these olive crappie jigs in Wyoming, Alaska, and Colorado. They work great, last year caught a 32in Rainbow using the olive.  I swear by these guys, try them out and you will not be disappointed.

[iceintheveins]

I swear by this, an OLIVE CRAPPIE jig will out perform any other type of jig out there. I tip it with half a meal worm or a whole one just depends on how I am feeling.  It is hard to find olive crappie jigs so I make my own, I like to add a little flash in the body and tail as an attractor.  I have used these olive crappie jigs in Wyoming, Alaska, and Colorado. They work great, last year caught a 32in Rainbow using the olive.  I swear by these guys, try them out and you will not be disappointed.

Actually marabou crappie jigs work very well for trout, including lakers. Tip them with mealies or nightcrawlers for bows and browns and cutbait for lakers.
Mostly, just bounce them a bit and get the hair to really pulsate. It's lethal.

[bigredonice]

I swear by this, an OLIVE CRAPPIE jig

Ya know, I never even thought of using those for ice fishing. what an IDEA!! Small dark colored ones look like some kind of benthic organism, the white ones would resemble baitfish...I'm gonna tie some up!

[cl733]

We use a couple of methods  one is with a spoon a stewart chrome spoon about3"long 14" of line with a hook and a piece of shrimp or just a piece of line with a hook and shrimp works good too you can try jigging a bit or just leave it alone and see what works better you can even try worms as well,if you ever get a chance to get in a dark ice tent and watch the fish down the hole you will learn what they like in a hurry

[Master Angler]

Little cleos, buckshot rattle spoons, cicadas, many kinds of jigging spoons, any kind of small jig tipped with whole minnows or pieces, mealworms, and krill (my favorite).  Also flys work good too, I like a caddis fly pupa pattern sitting tight to bottom.

[Flash_King]

BINGO!  Works in Mass TOO!  Just one problem - how to politely ask other fishermen not to use those holes? Had 2 guys cover my full run at Winni, and another at Forest.LOL