Author Topic: THE Rainbow Thread! (Read 7187 times)

threeparrots · « **on:** Dec 13, 2011, 01:45 PM »

Ok... I'm new here but I'm gearing up for a winter of Rainbow fishing and thought a thread full of info could help everyone out!

I've had success (somewhat limited so far) in mid morning in roughly 10 feet of water, 1 to 2 feet from the bottom. I have also found that a non-moving presentation works best. We were using 2.5" Gulp floating trout worms (small, bubblegum pink). Clear sky -- we could actually watch the trout hit the worms.

In this particular lake (southwestern Ontario) has a depth of 55 feet with extreme drop offs. Would these drop offs still be productive during the winter months? There are also large areas of 5-20 feet of water... scattered vegetation. This is the area we targeted last year. Should we hit the 50+ areas?

What times of day, depths, and lures have others found success with?? How often do you move depths in relation to the time of day?

Lets get some REAL INFO!!

threeparrots · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 13, 2011, 01:46 PM »

I've also decided that jigging spoons are not as productive for Rainbows as they are other species? Am I wrong? Like I said -- a non-moving presentation has worked best for me.

coldsteel · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 13, 2011, 01:48 PM »

first and last light is best either a sandy or rocky bottom i prefer 1-5 FOW

POk3s · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 13, 2011, 05:43 PM »

First light and last light is best for me as well, however first light seems to take the cake.

Also, I get probably equal amount of rainbows on a deadstick rod as I do jigging. I never use spoons and always use jigs of some kind. Maybe I have equal success because each person can fish with 6 rods where I am

. I usually fish 15-30 FOW but sometimes will set a pole in less then 10 feet.

Caught 3 rainbows yesterday (slow day). 2 were on my "jigging pole" in 21 FOW. One I had to reel up to about 5 feet from the ice and he came back and whacked it. Another came up from the bottom and whacked it while it was sitting there. I of course wasn't ready. Picked up my pole and jigged it a few times, he hit it again and i missed him...then i had to mess with him a little bit before he hit it a third time and I was able to get him.

My other was on my deepest deadstick rod on the bottom, in about 30 FOW. 2 fish were twins at 20" and the other was 18".

Here's a picture of the 2 biggest.

threeparrots · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 14, 2011, 11:35 AM »

What exactly are you using while both jigging and dead sticking??

nonamer · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 14, 2011, 11:38 AM »

real nice catch. have fun stay safe.

jiml · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 14, 2011, 11:50 AM »

I have never jigged for trout. I use tip ups. 2 - 4 lb floro leader tied to a #12 hook......smaller the better......I use high quality jarred salmon eggs.....one on the hook.

Rainbows go to deeper water at night and come in to cruise the shorelines at first light. I set my tip ups in 2 - 6 feet of water (you will be very close to shore) on gravel bottom preferably near an inlet. Set your bait about 12 inches under the ice. Arrive at the lake an hour before sun up......drill your holes.......go back to the truck and take a nap. Come back at first light and start quietly setting the tips being sure to kick some slush in the hole to block some of the light.......and get ready. I have limited out before getting all of my tips set up using this technique!

Good luck!

threeparrots · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 15, 2011, 01:51 AM »

Jim, do you use anything other than eggs?

jiml · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 15, 2011, 04:12 AM »

Usually salmon eggs but I have used small shiners when going for Browns in deeper water.

threeparrots · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 15, 2011, 02:49 PM »

Last year I caught a rainbow with a crayfish in its stomach. This was the end of January in Ontario...

Do you think it would be possible to bounce brown tubes off the bottom and get into a few rainbows? Anyone heard of doing this??

coldsteel · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 15, 2011, 03:13 PM »

I personaly have never jigged for rainbows and I know it probably depends on what other species in the body of water you are fishing, where the rainbows will be located... I know here in nh for the most part when in deep water rainbows stay towards the surface more right under the ice and in shallow water, in sandy or graveled areas... I think the rainbows stay towards the surface in these lakes because there is less competition with lakers and such, i could be completely wrong just what I think and from personal experiences when fishing for them.

Duneman101 · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 15, 2011, 03:16 PM »

My best rainbow trout success has always been on power bait, either corn yellow or white... hands down the best, just put a small ball on a small treble with a small splitshot sinker and drop it to the bottom, set your drag at a little above lite, and whamo! trout will occupy all of the water column, so i will usually drop on line on the bottom and jig with a dab of powerbait and a crawler up and down till i find them.

threeparrots · « **Reply #12 on:** Dec 15, 2011, 03:54 PM »

Coldsteel: That's a good thought about where the rainbows will be vs. their competition. One specific lake that I am going to be fishing in Jan has rainbow, smallmouth and pumpkinseed. For the most part, I'd say that the rainbow have no real competition.

Duneman: by crawler do you mean plastic worm? You have a worm along with powerbait on a hook?

Duneman101 · « **Reply #13 on:** Dec 15, 2011, 04:04 PM »

Yeah powerbait and a night crawler, i use the nuggets usually in this case.

coldsteel · « **Reply #14 on:** Dec 16, 2011, 08:06 AM »

Three parrots I would definately agree with you there, I would imagine in a pond like that they could get to a hefty size too

threeparrots · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 16, 2011, 02:00 PM »

Quote from: POk3s on Dec 13, 2011, 05:43 PM

First light and last light is best for me as well, however first light seems to take the cake.

Also, I get probably equal amount of rainbows on a deadstick rod as I do jigging. I never use spoons and always use jigs of some kind. Maybe I have equal success because each person can fish with 6 rods where I am . I usually fish 15-30 FOW but sometimes will set a pole in less then 10 feet.

Caught 3 rainbows yesterday (slow day). 2 were on my "jigging pole" in 21 FOW. One I had to reel up to about 5 feet from the ice and he came back and whacked it. Another came up from the bottom and whacked it while it was sitting there. I of course wasn't ready. Picked up my pole and jigged it a few times, he hit it again and i missed him...then i had to mess with him a little bit before he hit it a third time and I was able to get him.

My other was on my deepest deadstick rod on the bottom, in about 30 FOW. 2 fish were twins at 20" and the other was 18".

Here's a picture of the 2 biggest.

(Image removed from quote.)

What exactly are you using on the end of each line??

eroknroll · « **Reply #16 on:** Dec 17, 2011, 02:38 AM »

I usually jig with some type of spoon such as a sweedish pimple and then have a deadstick rod with a small pink maribou jig. Catch seems about equal between the two. I have had the best luck from 6-20 feet of water.
I always start a foot off the bottom unless the sonar showed that the fish are coming through at a different depth.

I use night crawlers first (the more active the fish are, the more worm I use) Maggots second, meal worms third.

I usually fish 6lb mono, but will downsize to 2 or 4 lb when the fishing slows in the middle of the winter. I may bump up to 8 lb test in bigger bodies of water where there is the potential for bigger fish.

good luck

POk3s · « **Reply #17 on:** Dec 18, 2011, 09:58 PM »

early season I like just a whole nightcrawler on your favorite jig head. I have a fire tiger jig head hat does well as well as some two toned ones that I like. A buddy I go with uses the nightcrawler AND power bait tandem that has been mentioned above but I seem to not have near the luck with it. I also like a small white marabou jig with a meal worm (which is what we have for bait around here...i'm sure maggots or spikes or whatever will work just as good if not better). Oce it gets later in the year I have to switch it around some but those fish were caught on either the worm on a jig head technique and the other was caught on a small white jig.

pipes18079 · « **Reply #18 on:** Dec 18, 2011, 10:59 PM »

Red and green label eggs in shallow water on a size 12 hook on jig stick go around and drop a few eggs in multiple hole. Check them often and when one is missing them carefully drop the one on jig stick in hole missing eggs

Boatless · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 20, 2011, 11:03 AM »

I like to run a dead stick with either a piece of shrimp or a salted frozen minnow on either a small jig a small hook and splitshot, and the other rod pumping a jigging spoon all day long. I tend to focus on 10' or less of water and find gravel bottom to be what I target the most. That or weedlines.

This one came on the deadstick with shrimp just as the sun was setting.

jiml · « **Reply #20 on:** Dec 20, 2011, 11:06 AM »

Quote from: Boatless on Dec 20, 2011, 11:03 AM

I like to run a dead stick with either a piece of shrimp or a salted frozen minnow on either a small jig a small hook and splitshot, and the other rod pumping a jigging spoon all day long. I tend to focus on 10' or less of water and find gravel bottom to be what I target the most. That or weedlines.

This one came on the deadstick with shrimp just as the sun was setting.
(Image removed from quote.)

OMG....now thats a bow

Boatless · « **Reply #21 on:** Dec 20, 2011, 11:10 AM »

Thanks.

We get lots of big bows up here in our lakes. I don't do a lot of rainbow fishing through the ice anymore - I tend to go right before freeze up or right after.

I am however, taking my dad rainbow fishing for 3 days over Christmas, so hopefully I have some more pics of pigs through the ice to share.

coldsteel · « **Reply #22 on:** Dec 20, 2011, 11:12 AM »

dang those are some nice bows

threeparrots · « **Reply #23 on:** Dec 20, 2011, 03:00 PM »

Wow, Boatless! I'm hoping to hook into a few like those ones.

What kind of shrimp do you use??

Boatless · « **Reply #24 on:** Dec 20, 2011, 03:13 PM »

I try to get the smallest raw shrimp I can find, but those tiny cooked ones seem to do the trick too. In late fall and early spring I tend to stick to pulling spoons like Cleo's, Strobes and Williams, but if I can get my hands on fresh roe in the spring from big bows, that's fun too.

POk3s · « **Reply #25 on:** Dec 21, 2011, 12:36 PM »

Good gravy! I can honestly say I've never seen a rainbow that big. We have lots of fish in the 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 lb range....not many bigger then that (that are ever caught). Those sir are a sight for sore eyes!!!

pipes18079 · « **Reply #26 on:** Dec 21, 2011, 01:10 PM »

Today I couldn't get em to look at salmon eggs just powerbait under the ice about two feet in ten to twelve feet of water and it had to be sunrise power eggs also no luck on other colors

jflood · « **Reply #27 on:** Dec 26, 2011, 07:01 AM »

My 2 cents. Mix up the bait. I have had success on icicles, trout worms(or crawlers),waxies and hellgramites. . I have had great success deadsticking with northland forage minnow tipped with a waxie or icicle. Ice flies work too. Shallow water at first light under the ice has been most productive. 3 foot mono leader with circle or treble hooks. I use the smallest split shot I can find about 12 -18inch's above the bait.

jiml · « **Reply #28 on:** Dec 27, 2011, 06:30 AM »

Quote from: jflood on Dec 26, 2011, 07:01 AM

My 2 cents. Mix up the bait. I have had success on icicles, trout worms(or crawlers),waxies and hellgramites. . I have had great success deadsticking with northland forage minnow tipped with a waxie or icicle. Ice flies work too. Shallow water at first light under the ice has been most productive. 3 foot mono leader with circle or treble hooks. I use the smallest split shot I can find about 12 -18inch's above the bait.

Jflood......can you define dead sticking for me? I've been a straight tip up guy and my son got an ice fishing rod and reel from santa and want to use it......is deadsticking just using bait on the road and holding it?

jflood · « **Reply #29 on:** Dec 27, 2011, 03:54 PM »

Deadsticking: a jigging rod on a rod holder. I normally tip a pimple or forage minnow with a waxie or minnow. I have had great results.

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Author Topic: THE Rainbow Thread! (Read 7187 times)