Whitefish advice

[Yooper350]

I have never really targeted whitefish until this year and I'm not having much luck so far.  We finally have ice I'm comfortable taking the quad on and it didn't take me long to get onto the fish.  We started out using swedish pimples tipped with waxies and either a small tear drop jig or treble hook tipped with waxies 10-15" above the pimple.  Some fish would chase the bait a bit but no takers.  We switched it up and tried some different spoons and some other jigs and still no luck.  We even tried tipping the jigs with different things (minnows or cut bait) and then I tried some plastic mayfly imitations and some plastics to imitate some other aquatic insects but still not one bite.  We played with the presentation, sometimes stopping the bait as they would approach, sometimes aggressive jigging and sometimes a slight jiggle, or raising the bait as they approached and sometimes pounding bottom and nothing.  I was pulling out my hair.  We were in about 60 fow.  My question for everyone is what other types of baits or presentations has everyone had good luck with?  I'm not sure if we just hit a bad day or we were doing something wrong.  I have a couple other tackle options I'd like to try as well as bring a few more fly boxes with me but I'd love to hear any advice on what to try.  Thanks

[Gillfisher]

We use the pimple and and genz bug with a waxie 12" to 18" above, we use ice blue rods, they will show the slightest bite. At times the whites will bite extremely soft and it is very hard to detect the bite with a stiffer rod. We use no stretch line to the swivel then floro to the pimple or jigging rap. We always keep the bait moving, sometimes aggressive sometimes subtle but moving at least 6", sometimes you will only be able to tell they took it on the up stroke. They have soft mouths except for their beak, so no hard hook setting or you chance ripping it out of their mouth. When you bring them up take your time, they put up a decent fight and usually go nutz when they get close to the ice, the noodle like ice blues help ease the shock of the fight and we don't loose as many.   
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[Yooper350]

Thanks for the advice, do you get most of your fish on the pimple or top bait?

[Gillfisher]

The majority are on the top bait.

[Woodsman]

Try one of these.

Williams ice fishing jig. Half & Half in Nu-Wrinkle in both J50 & J60 sizes.
Look for a large soft bottomed flat in 50' - 100'. Jig in the bottom 10' letting it just barely rest on the bottom at times.
That whitefish in my avatar was caught this way & this is one of the most popular lures on Lake Simcoe for whitefish.

[Yooper350]

We marked a ton of fish again today.  Very tough to watch them chase a bait up and down and never get a hit and if you just let it sit still they quickly would lose interest.  We tried it all today, pimples, buckshots, some other types of spoons, tear drops, plastics, wire worms, cured salmon eggs, bunch of different types of nymphs.  We went through the tackle box.  I even tried dead sticking with some very small hooks with waxworms, wigglers, or minnows and not one hit.  We just must have picked some of the worst days of the year to be out there.  Talked to one other guy out there today that said a week ago he was getting them very regular but hasn't been able to get anything the last 3 or 4 days so maybe we aren't doing something wrong.  Maybe I will try another lake close to the house that has some whitefish and lakers and see if I can locate them, its just so hard to leave fish you know are there.

[Drifter_016]

This is a 10' thick school of whitefish that I worked for 3 hours and caught nada, bupkiss, squat, diddly, zero, zilch..........
I did manage 2 very light bumps though.   

[fisheyefool]

are you fishing on an inland lake or in a bay of one of the big lakes? i take it your fishing in the U.P. by your name.

[HodakaD]

I experienced that same thing today.  I went to a spot that I did well at last year.  I marked more fish than I ever have, and none of them would bite.  The group that I was with tried different colors, wax worms, spikes, wigglers, droppers and everything else we could think of.  Fish would come flying up off the bottom, sniff it, and sink back.  It was a very frustrating day.  I coldn't decide if we were not offering them what they wanted, or they were in a weird mood.  Then I talked to another guy at the landing when we quit who said he got a few and when I asked him on what, he said Swedish Pimples.  I had one on most of the day!  Grrrr!   

[blacktrap]

Some days they wont bite anything.  Trying to get them to bite is what makes them fun.  Keep trying different lures and spots, it will lead to success even on poor biting days.  My goto lure is really simple and on 3lb test line.  Another good way to get them is with two people jigging close with different lures, find one lure that they chase and then something simple with bait on it they will bite.

[viciouscircle]

Little trick i use...micro tube jigs like the ones for crappie on a small 1/8th Oz jig

[Gixxer]

For whities that ignore any agressive presentation use a small tear drop or jig, tipped with waxy, maggot or whatever on light line, leader of about 18 inches, max 6 pound fluoro, barrel swivel to BRAIDED line, I use 10lb power pro, no stretchy mono and with split shot above your leader.  I use both a camera (marcum 825sd) and a good SONAR (Lowrance x510) and if using sonar it needs to be a good unit with ping turned up and chart speed up.  You need to get your bait in front of the fish BUT slightly above his field of view.  I watch the fish come in on the graph then look for him on the camera.  Once its there I shake the bait, or gently jig but NEVER jig more than 2 inches to get his attention and then the game begins. 

Once my bait and the fish leave the screen I go to my sonar and start the lifting game.  A slow steady lift with a little shake and you dont stop until the fish does.  I will lift as high as I can and then stand up and keep the steady lift and then I start to reel.  Playing this game for over 20 feet is extremely common.  Keep watching the graph make sure your speed matches the fishes rise.  I have hit fish literally at my hole. 

[blacktrap]

Someone knows how to catch em .  How do you keep them from getting tangled in your camera cable?  I always end up in a big mess if I leave other lines down when one is hooked up.  I have switched over to the newer light braids that are out, 3 lb stuff is great.

[cousin eddie]

Let me start by saying I am as far from an expert on whitefish, yesterday was only my first time fishing for them, but this was my experience on what worked on a day my veteran whitefisherman buddy deemed as a "pretty slow day".

Having said that, the bite was good right off the bat in 38' yesterday morning, it really didn't matter how you presented your rap or pimple.  But that bite died around 8 then it was the chase and sniff game.  Tried the dropper rigs, tried the jig above the spoon rigs, fish were there thick but they just didn't want anything to do with biting.  We moved in to 24' where we could sight fish them.  This helped a little, we picked off one here and there.  It wasn't until I "broke" my jigging rap that I started hammering them.  The plastic tail fin cracked while unhooking a fish, and the inverted V of the fin kind of flattened out causing the lure to spiral almost straight down instead of the usual glide.  Well, the whitefish went crazy over the spiraling action!  My buddy, sitting 20 feet from me, same lure/method still had lookers while there was a frenzy of whitefish under me.  Having experienced this, I think the poster who said something about tubes on a regular jig head, they might be on to something!  In my experience, tubes tend spiral the same way on the drop.  The open water crappie arsenal will be in my sled next trip to Door County!

Now, sorry to kind of hijack the thread, but I have another question I was hoping someone could just help me with real quick.  Like I said, first time whitefisherman here, so don't laugh too hard if this is a stupid question! The fish we caught yesterday I plan on taking to a shop to get smoke.  Do you have to scale whitefish before bringing them in?  I went ahead and scaled them even though I read conflicting advice on the 'net, some say you don't have to, most say you do.  And I know it's probably up to the shop, too, they might have their own requirements.  But in general does a scaly fish like a whitefish NEED to be scaled for smoking?

[blacktrap]

Funny about your experience with the broken jigging rap, my wife had a jigging rap imitation from one of those cheap packages of jigs you see at wally world and that thing caught more whitefish that were stuck in the looking mode than anything else we had till a big laker cleaned it off.  It was also broken.  Guess I will be taking some old jigging raps along to be modified, I forgot all about that lure.  She will get a kick out of this when she reads it later.

[Drifter_016]

My buddy cuts the plastic tails off jigging raps and slides a crappie tube over the rear hook when fishing whities.
Maybe this tail removal idea needs further investigation.   

[Eaglecrg]

Eddie:  I have smoked whitefish and I scale them but leave the skin on.  Not sure why one would want to leave the scales on when whitefish scale so easily.  The skin helps hold the fish together so it doesn't flake apart.  Lots of recipes online--you ought to give it a try yourself.

[cousin eddie]

Funny about your experience with the broken jigging rap, my wife had a jigging rap imitation from one of those cheap packages of jigs you see at wally world and that thing caught more whitefish that were stuck in the looking mode than anything else we had till a big laker cleaned it off.  It was also broken.  Guess I will be taking some old jigging raps along to be modified, I forgot all about that lure.  She will get a kick out of this when she reads it later.

Yeah, it must be something to do with the way the broken rap spiraled down faster than that normal rap glide.  On a day where the bite was slow and the fish seemed sluggish, I was surprise such an aggressive approach produced better than the subtle stuff (even tear drop/grub and split shot wasn't getting blown off).  I found that if I could get a fish with in a couple feet facing the bait, quickly raise the rap a foot or more and let it spiral down fast, the fish would strike at it almost every time.  They missed more than they connected, but they were definitely going after it more aggressively than anything else I was putting down the hole that day.  Kind of had to time it and base the length of lift on how far the fish were away.  I was using a #2 rap with a grub on the tail hook and treble.  The fin basically became unglued where it attached on one side.  I might have to glue the broken fin place as is and promote it from my perch arsenal to whitefish killer!

[cousin eddie]

Eddie:  I have smoked whitefish and I scale them but leave the skin on.  Not sure why one would want to leave the scales on when whitefish scale so easily.  The skin helps hold the fish together so it doesn't flake apart.  Lots of recipes online--you ought to give it a try yourself.

Yep, found them to be pretty easy scaling, but I still don't like to scale in the house if I don't have to.  I left the skin on, just gutted, headed, scaled, and getting dropped off for smoking tonight after work.  No smoker at home (yet!) so I have to rely on the meat shop.  I'm sure it will be good from the shop, but I imagine some of the DIY recipes are fantastic.  Might have to talk an old friend of mine to open up his smoker for me next time!

[Gixxer]

Someone knows how to catch em .  How do you keep them from getting tangled in your camera cable?  I always end up in a big mess if I leave other lines down when one is hooked up.  I have switched over to the newer light braids that are out, 3 lb stuff is great.

I keep my camera at least 4-5 feet away from my hole if not farther.  It's also not needed if you KNOW your water and it's just whitefish your targetting.    The ultra light line is not needed generally because the fish never get to see anything but the bottom of your jig.    Once you think your getting good try jigging two rods at once, then it gets fun.  Just remember to keep your bait above the fish or in line as they show up on the graph.

Generally speaking in 20 feet of water and deeper the fish will show on the sonar before you see it on the camera.