How To Catch Trout – 3 Tips To Help You Catch More Trout Through The Ice
During the months of December, January, February, and even March fishermen in the Northern Hemisphere engage in an activity known as ice fishing.
Fishing through a hole in the ice can be a lot of fun and can also be quite productive and a great way to catch fish.
Not to mention the fact that battling fish on downsized ice fishing gear and tackle can be as fun as fishing gets.
One of the most popular species of fish to target when ice fishing are rainbow trout and in this article I will teach you how to catch trout through the ice by listing 3 tips that have enabled me to experience a lot of success fishing for trout through a hole in the ice.
While it is not totally necessary when ice fishing a portable ice house makes the entire experience of ice fishing a ton more comfortable, and is something that you might want to consider investing in if fishing through the ice is something that you enjoy engaging in.
I know for me, using a portable ice house makes me go ice fishing at least twice as much. As a matter of fact, the comfort that my ice house provides makes me wonder how I ever went ice fishing without it.
With that being said let’s get down to the tips so that you can learn how to catch trout, or should I say more trout, through the ice, what do you say?
Do not Be Afraid To Fish Just Below The Ice
Many times rainbow trout are found and subsequently caught, just below the ice.
Using very light line, two or four pound test, and a small jig tipped with a wax worm is an excellent way to catch trout that are ‘cruising’ just below the ice. It’s also very important that noise is kept to a minimum when fishing for trout that are “just below your feet”.
Start by jigging six to twelve inches below the hole and gradually fishing deeper until a trout strikes.
Do not Be Afraid To Use Powerbait
It seems that everyone who fishes for rainbow trout knows that Powerbait is an effective trout bait to use, yet many times anglers neglect to use Powerbait when fishing through the ice.
Whether you are fishing with Powerbait using a # 12 or # 18 treble hook or you are “tipping” your jig with Powerbait the bottom line is that you should not be afraid to use Powerbait when you are trying to catch trout, especially rainbow trout , through the ice.
Artificial Flies Can Be Very Effective
A great way to learn how to catch trout under the ice is to use a Stonefly or Mayfly nymph on light line with a split shot sinker eighteen or so inches above the fly.
This can be an excellent bait choice for fishing under the ice that many ice fishermen never consider.
Suspend your fly in the top half of the water column, as rainbow trout like to “cruise” off of the bottom in search of food. A very slight jigging motion is the way to go when using artificial flies under the ice.
The bottom line is that is you want to know how to catch trout through the ice the aforementioned tips should be added to your ice fishing repertoire sooner rather than later.
