A whole new Ice fishing fishery!!!

[fishermanjake]

well i made it up to fairbanks last weekend and got out fishing a few times.  I finally figured out the whitefish in the Tanana.  The trick is to find a spot with minimal current that hasn't ice dammed, I was fishing in 4-7 feet of water and using a small to medium silver Swedish pimple tipped with single salmon eggs.  I couldn't believe how well they took it with as small as their mouths are.  Anyhow my brother who had a smaller spoon than me caught 4 whitefish between 14-18 inches and I caught a 15 inch grayling in about an hour of jigging...not hot, but not bad at all. The next day I managed a small grayling and a 16 inch whitefish in less than an hour and had to leave right as the bite was picking up.  Anyhow, it was something I had done before, I just never had that consistent of action.

[bullhead bandit]

Nice!! I didn't think they'd be that easy to find or eager to bite, so I've never tried.  All I've ever done was set some burbot lines on it.  Might have to give it a shot.

[fishermanjake]

maybe i just got lucky, but i would imagine you could find much better action than i just happened to stumble into.  which would be a whole lot of fun!!!

[akdube]

Whitfield are a lot of fun

[Barleydog]

Hey Jake,
Yeah, we have been fishing them for a couple years now on the river with some success as well.  THe Chena is actually a little more consistant and if you have the right gear, it''s crazy good!  Going to try spearing them this year, soon!  Dang work keeps me trapped inside and the fish are safe...  Good on you getting into the whites!

[fishermanjake]

bet you end up throwing a bunch of grayling back too...what do you use? and whats the biggest white you have caught so far?

[Barleydog]

I use the same thing, but will resort to smaller jigs and beadheads if they seem sluggish...  We caught a big old humpback two years back that wieghed around  5-6 lbs.  Great fight on light gear!  It's a tough fishery that can be hit or miss.  I look for backwater and or slow current usually found by points and or man made structure.   Fishfinders are a great tool if you are in too deep O' water too.
I have also found whitefish REALLY agressive in the spring when the grayling are in full spawn.  1/32 oz. jigs and floats on 2 lb. test are killer. 
You said you looked for "ice dams?"  What do you mean by ice dam Jake?

[fishermanjake]

Where the ice is all chopped up on top.  You get the frazil ice underneath it.  The best river ice is smooth on top and looks like lake ice.