Stocked Rainbows: Help With Hookup Rate on Rod/Rodholder

Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! > Trout

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gorf37:
Hi All!

I have a lake stocked with rainbow trout and kokanee near my house, and have been targeting the rainbows.

I understand that a still presentation is usually the best, and I've been getting that using rod holders, and I'm getting strikes certainly enough to make me happy, but my hookup rate is miserably bad (1 in 15-20). The bell rings, and I excitedly come over to reel-up my bare terminal gear and re-bait. It's like I'm feeding fish really slowly... Even though I get way fewer hits on the rod I'm holding or sitting beside, that's the one where I've actually caught fish.

What help can you offer? Any and all is welcome!

Here are some details for better context:

Water: very clear
Depth: 5ft to 20 ft (best seems to be <10ft)
Location: not busy (ie. quiet) but still fished quite a bit (ie. line-shy, lure-shy fish)

My rods: Med & M/L 28" with spinning reels (I typically target pike/burbot/lake trout, so I don't have any lighter rods.)
Line: 12lb mono main, long (~10ft) 6lb leader - have been using seaguar blue FC, am currently using mono b/c CanTire doesn't stock FC worth buying and we don't have a fishing store at the moment. Because of the target depths, I'm typically fishing all 6lb, with 12lb 'backing'.

Terminal gear: jigs of all descriptions 1/8oz and less, small single octopus &/or small trebles beneath split-shot
Bait: cooked shrimp (gets most hits) and power bait (eggs, mallows, grubs, dough)

I've tried tight(ish) drag, normal drag, loose drag, and open bail (with no split-shot). No idea what's best. I usually sit beside one rod, jigging it lightly & occasionally. Sometimes I run my flasher, but I've ended up turning it of b/c no marks show up while it's running. The remote rod is usually ~50ft away and in my direct line of sight, and I usually use a brass bell for strike detection. When the bell rings, I've tried sprinting to it, I've tried tiptoeing to it, yet all I usually find is a jig relieved of its bait.

I have never tried using a slip bobber while ice fishing. My father in law used to put them on a little snow hill and let the fish pull them off for minimal resistance. Have never tried it. I'm interested in getting a jaw jacker or automatic fisherman, but feel like I should be able to make it work without adding more equipment. I own some cheapo windlass tip-ups, but I don't see how they'll work if I can't get a rod&holder to work. I'm curious about buying a tip-down, they seem interesting, but again: shouldn't a rod & holder work!?!

Thanks very much for reading!

gooner:
I use a pickerel rig and I drill two holes about 3-0 feet apart. On my line I place a small bobber so it barely floats when the weight is on bottom. When the bobber goes down set the hook

Cold toes:
Get a slammer or Jawjacker. They are deadly on trout. or sit close enough that you can grab either rod in about 1-2 seconds. That's usually all the chance they give you.

Idahogator:
I've managed to achieve near 99.99% hook-ups with a #6 Tru-Turn red hook tied to the line(with no other devices), 1/2" of nightcrawler fished dead - sticked halfway to the bottom.

The real trick is slack line of about 2'. Easiest way I've found for that is a sagging loop between the guides nearest the reel.

Hold that loop down with a foot of trail tape in a bright color.

Tie/anchor the rod to something that can't go down the ice hole.

When the tape goes up and the line tightens, the trout has moved off and has well taken your offering. ;)2

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