Holes/baits/lures/Garmin?

[DanR]

Hope 2023 is the year of personal bests for you all.

This is my first Northern CO ice fishing season.   I posted here last year before moving this way (mostly about if it was worth it to bring my tipups).  Appreciated the advice I got!  I’ve only targeted bass, perch, and pickerel in the past back in Massachusetts and used to post on that Ice Shanty.  Would lower down shiners on tipups at various depths with and without weights near to dropoffs.  Different game here, especially in the trout lakes. 

1.  Do trout roam in the winter or congregate around drop offs?

2.  Are meal worms worth fishing?  If so, just one little worm threaded on there with a small hook or better to shove a couple on a bigger hook? 

3.  I have spoons and jigs.  Some jigs are really lightweight and tiny.   Can I put a splitshot on there too, or is that gonna scare the trout away?

4.  I sold my depth finder along with my boat when I moved last summer.  Do I have a reasonable chance at finding fish without one?  I usually consult a depth chart and then drill holes around drop offs.

I’ve gotten out twice so far (once being with kids) and am psyched up for checking out some new hard water this season.  Anyways, tight lines and thank you for any thoughts on the matters. 

[huntinfool18]

I’m not from Colorado but I’ll throw in my 2 cents.
In the lakes I fish trout tend to roam, dosnt really matter what species it is. For rainbows I target the shallower water (8-12’) but they can be found out deeper. The weeds in the lakes I fish seem to die off in the winter but if you can find a good weed line set up a few few off the edges of it and you’ll catch fish. But being that they roam they can be caught just about anywhere, mud flats to rocky bottoms. Same applies for cutthroat’s.
Your browns and lakers will be in the deeper water around structure whether it be a river channel or a pile of rocks.

My Main go to lure for just about anything that swims when I’m ice fishing is a kastmaster. A jig with a piece of meal worm is a good option too.
Jawjackers work great for trout. Put a small tungsten jig and thread a meal worm on, put it about 6-10” off the bottom and let the jawjacker do the rest.
I would highly suggest getting a fish finder, the garmin striker series are awesome for the money.

[3labs]

I agree most trout seem to roam the shorelines 6-20 fow. You dont need a fish finder for trout since they are on the move. However if your fishing in 15 fow  on the bottom and mark a fish at 10 you can bring the jig up to that point and trigger a strike. Without the fishfinder you never saw the fish at 10.
 I primarily fish for panfish and use small tungsten jigs for such. I catch a fair share of trout on my jig pole for panfish using waxworms or spikes. Personally I never buy mealworms.
 You can use split shot for xtra weight I use that technique if I am fishing a minnow on a bare hook to get the minnow down. I prefer a cleaner look and feel on my jig pole.
 Most of the Front Range lakes have no structure so there's nothing holding the fish especially trout in one spot.

[DanR]

You all are the best.  Thank you for the tips.  Good points about the depth finder!  Yea, I have a couple kastmasters and my neighbor swears by em also.  Tungsten w a bit of worm sounds worth trying. Helpful to know about the Front Range lakes.  Will act accordingly. 

[SLAYERFISH]

I catch everything on Kastmasters. 1/8 oz. and 1/4 oz. chrome/orange, chrome green, gold prism. Tip with whatever-  waxies, piece of crawler, minnow head, suckermeat.

if you start fishing for eyes, perch, or crappie a finder will up your catch rate exponentially. 

Jig it and stop. Jig and stop jig and stop!

[DanR]

Thanks a lot, Slayer!  Will give it a go for sure.  Hopefully my next posts will be with some fish.

[da_teacher]

If you want to build some confidence,  no flasher needed,  head to St Vrain. I fished Mallard with my four year-old last week -- he fished a gold tungsten with a pink swordfish tail,  no bait. He must've caught 30.

[DanR]

That’s outta control action.  So necessary for creating young fisherpeople.  Thank you, teach.   You used to fish in Massachusetts, I saw?  No pickerel out here.  Ha.  I don’t miss em too much though.