How?

[FishCrazy14]

I'm just picking up icefishing and the lake I usually go to is stocked with rainbows. I usually fish for them in about 30 feet of water by bouncing a crawler off the bottom in open water. How should I fish for them through the ice?
Thanks,
Brandon

[bigfish57]

Think 10 FOW or less 1-5' down from the ice.  Brooks, sandy bottoms and too some extent rocky and weedy areas.  My best spot....5 FOW 2' under the ice. Sandy bottom within 20 yards of rock piles right next to a 50' drop off. I also have sucsess in 3 FOW right next to brooks. Rainbows will run deeper sometimes into the 25' you fish but Mosy often if you fish them a coupple feet deeper than brokies you golden!

[fastribs85]

fish i had luck last year with minnows about 1-2 feet of the bottm in 15 -20 fow and jigging small kastmasters in the same depth but sometimes you have to move it up or down a little but thats where i had my luck

[Kodiak Commando]

I find that drop offs in shallow water is a good place to start. My best spots are usuall dropoffs of 2 feet or more in less than 15 fow.

[FishCrazy14]

The lake in mind has a sandy bottom and the spot I'm thinkin of is a drop-off that goes from about 3 FOW near a swimming area that drops off to about 12 feet and then down to about 30. In open water I caught some of the biggest gills I've ever caught there. For the trout I'd go to where it dropped off to about 30 and had okay luck. I think I'll go to the spot that's about 12-15 feet on that drop off. Sound good? What kind of bait/lures would you suggest?

[TroutFishingBear]

well, I just went fishing for rainbows today and I caught 8. 3 of them were 4 lbs. +, so I know what I'm talking about.

I like to use ratsos or shrimpos tipped with a waxworm. On my second rod nearby, I like a plain nightcrawler.
Fish in 12-25 ft. of water. Jig the whole water column... for about 2 minutes near bottom, and work your way up in 3-4 ft. incremints jigging for 2 minutes at each one. Hopefully you have a vexilar because rainbows favorite zones are the 8-12 ft. suspenders, and the bottom, whatever depth that may be. I like to fish off of points mostly.
But I have decided that ratsos and shrimpos beat the brains out of anything for rainbows...Hang on!

[fastribs85]

alright start with minners on tip ups and try the kastmasters 1/16 ounze and some of the jigs like bear said also sometimes in open water i use a marshmellow a piece of power bait the small nibblets and a meal worm it floats off the bottom put 2 or 3 small splitshot about 12 -16 inches above the hook and set that on the bottom havent tried it yet on the ice since this will only be my second season and near the drop off is a good spot that is where i kill them in the winter it is right on the edge of a weedbed and it is a little cove almost underwater the way the drop off forms

[TroutFishingBear]

Pretty much all these tips are right on the money and will work well for trout!

I just read that the trout are stocked trout...so keep in mind powerbait as well.

Seems like you have the best spot picked out and some good presentations... now get out and catch them! Good luck and I am almost sure you will be successful!!!!!!!!

[salmotrutta]

Fish over the sand as shallow as a foot.Use tip-ups with power bait or salmon eggs.You can also drill saveral extra holes and chum with 2 or 3 eggs.Check these holes every so often .If you find missing eggs,drop an egg with a hook and you'll hook up.Set up well before light.Save the deeper water for later in the morning after the rainbows drop back down after feeding in the shallows.