Fishing for rainbow trout

[Yopy]

Hi all,

I live in Iowa and recently stumbled upon a local pond that is stocked with rainbow trout. I never fish trout through the ice as i am am bluegill/crappie guy, but this pond is basically all trout. I'm looking to better my skills and techniques trout fishing to bring home my limit everytime i go out. I pulled up 2 last time i went but missed atleast 4. They are so lively that they either flip off at the top of the hole or get loose shortly after setting the hook. What type of bait/lures/ techniques do you guys suggest me to use? I located a good amount of them in about 5 feet of water. Also, on my flasher, they seem to act different than panfish. My lure will go from nothing to crazy activity on it followed by either a strike, or abruptly going back to normal. What is the trout doing when this happens?

Any and all input would be great, Thanks all!

[matt 300]

if you will be using tip ups use light line 4 to 6lb mono works well, and use smaller size 8 gold hooks. for lures evreything shinny will work ... i like using rapalas right under the ice youll normally pick a few up

[Yopy]

I did some reading and apparently no jig action is better for rainbows through the ice as jigging action often scares them. This explains why others who were just letting their poles sit were doing better than i was since i had been jigging the water column. They were also using a double hook setup on their lines. I saw something like this and they referred to it as a gang hook. I'm thinking about setting about 3 poles with gang hooks and just letting them sit, whats a good way to set these up? With jigs or just plain hooks? Thanks all

[POk3s]

Reading will only give you a start. I've mentioned before every lake is different. You just have to figure them out in YOUR lake. There's tons of info from the passed month about catching rainbows. I know on my lake one month they like it sitting there, another they want it moving. one week it's one color the next week it's another. one week it's meal worms, the other it's nightcrawlers. you just have to adapt. On the lake I fish I NEVER fish right under the ice...Always about 1-3 ft off the bottom. If i don't see the trout come in on my flasher RIGHT on my jig they will come in from below it and come up to it. leading me to believe it's rare for fish to be right under the ice in my lake. Just get out there and figure 'em out...nothing funner!

[Yopy]

Do you guys just use typical tip ups that you would use for pike? just with smaller line?

[matt 300]

Tend regaular tilts just with light line and small gold hooks

[donho]

In nj caught most of my trout jigging a very small silver castmaster not tipped with anything many times I hooked up just a foot below the ice what a blast!

[mikel7]

 I've caught em on red jigs, green jigs, yellow jigs, black jigs, castmasters, and the beat goes on.

[maineduckhunter]

On traps (tip-ups) I use 3-4 foot floruo leader with a size 8 red Gamugatsu circle hook.  I like to use very small bait for the them (dace or shiner), worms/crawlers work good too.  I usually go right under the ice, near shore off points.  Here is what it can produce....

[Duneman101]

Power bait right off the bottom on a trebble hook, or a whole worm and a #8 circle shiner hook suspended a couple feet off the bottom.

[Jim F]

I've been catching rainbows this winter, just like kokanee fishing.
You can see the pimple I use in this photo:



I also use a white flasher with a pink glow hook. Both lures are baited with small shrimp
like you would put on a salad, soaked in Mikes shrimp oil.
They POUND it when they strike, Jig, pause, jig pause jig pause, they usually hit on the way down,
or just as it stops. They will hit it dead stick too, you have to try and see what they want.
They are very active fighters and dance all over the place, you gotta reel them to just under the ice, keep tension, and when their face is in the middle of the hole, rocket them out and away form the hole. I've lost a bunch right as I brought them out.
Its a knack you have to learn, there really isnt any pause or anything, get up, look in the hole and when they go under it, lift 'em out in a smooth continuous motion