Another day of learning how to ice fish for rainbow trout is now behind us. We learned a few things and are excited to try again soon so we can learn some more.
After reading a few different articles (on the world wide web) about ice fishing for rainbow trout, I was ready once again to put what I learned to the test. For those who know me, I tend to be stubborn and always have to verify the facts for myself before I come to a conclusion on what I believe to be true. This helps my learning processes. It also helps me learn about what others say and cross reference for myself the methods I choose to use for a particular species.
Most articles I read said rainbow trout seek deeper water later in the winter as oxygen levels get depleted. The articles did not define late winter which I would imagine varies based on the lake, with elevation, depth, and size being a consideration. Some articles also suggested that rainbow trout feed in shallow water and retreat to deeper depths as the day progresses. Over the last two days we caught fish from 12ft to 25ft and there seemed to be no pattern as to why. The average productive depth seemed to be 20ft, but I was not able to confirm if the location was a success, failure or somewhere in between.
With my limited knowledge and experience ice fishing for rainbow trout, I was convinced that fishing 6 inches to 2ft off the bottom was the correct depth to target. While this worked earlier in the week, I discovered (by mistake while dropping down) that fish were suspended from 12ft down to the bottom. I had multiple fish come in at 12ft and some also came in quickly at 8ft to strike my presentation. Being mostly a kokanee ice angler in the past, I was using an orange/yellow flasher and an orange jig. Mealworms worked most of the time and when not working I used a mealworm and a piece of krill scented corn to help convince a few wary trout.
After playing with depths, I found keeping my flasher 5ft off the bottom worked the best for attracting and “calling” fish in. The issue I was having once I discovered my “go to” depth was that the fish seemed more attracted to my flasher than my jig which got me thinking. Next time, I plan to try two new things. The first thing I would like to try is a shorter leader to see if I can change the focal point for incoming trout. My original way of thinking was that these fish prefer more of a dead sticked presentation and a longer leader might help simulate that. I had a lot of fish come to my presentation. I was even able to reel up and have them chase my gear just like we do when kokanee fishing. This technique yielded one fish, but most fish just turned and swam back to the bottom. Then second thing I plan to try is a small heavy jigging spoon with no flasher. Austin caught a nice fish on a spoon as well, which helps my thought process reaffirm that spoons might be another item to add to my tackle box which is already quite full.
The bite lasted about two hours and then it seemed to shut off even though we marked many fish cruising up to our offerings. We found it difficult to leave because we were still having fun marking fish, especially Austin. After many discussions, Austin weighed the pros and cons and decided to buy his very first fish finder with money he had been saving for something special. It goes without question that I was happy about his purchase, but I had to be sure this was something he wanted and not something he thought he wanted. After watching him catch the biggest fish of the day while hole hopping and seeing the smile on his face I can honestly say he made the right decision.
Today was much warmer standing outside (compared to yesterday) in what could be the last day above zero for quite some time. No gloves were needed and I found myself putting on and taking off the hood of my jacket multiple times due to a constant breeze coming from the south.
When fishing, I have always told the boys to make sure they look around and observe the weather. A few years ago when fishing at Horse Lake we experienced how the weather can change quickly in the Cariboo. We watched a storm coming from down the lake on Horse Lake and had to seek refuge within minutes along the shore as the storm pushed through. Today, we looked up and saw a concerning cloud rolling over the horizon. It was time to go anyhow, so I started packing up my camera gear and asked the boys to start gathering their stuff so we could get to the truck before the storm arrived.
As luck would have it, this was the fastest moving storm I (and now my boys) have experienced ever. Within what felt like 30 seconds, the storm was on top of us and brought hard hitting hail, then blowing snow. Thankfully everyone was out of our ice tent and I had it secured with 3 ice anchors, 2 on the skirt and 1 anchor on the windward side hub. The wind was so intense that our tent folded from two sides, then the roof caved in. I had also secured my ice sled and tent bag to the anchors, so we lost nothing outside of the tent.
I have never had my fingers freeze as quickly as they did today. With the tent bending and twisting uncontrollably, my first priority was to get the boys to put their gloves on. Unfortunately, all of our gloves were stowed inside the tent. We collected our gear as best we could outside while it collected water and snow to be later dried out at home. As the wind speeds slowed down I climbed into a twisted mess of a front door and realized there were still chairs, gear and Austin’s brand new Garmin Striker 4 inside. As I carefully navigated under the collapsed hubs I was able to get to our gloves and noticed a fishing rod was stuck halfway into one of our ice holes. The handle of the rod was held on by the elastic rod holder of our Otter Outdoors tent. I struggled to remove all the items in the tent as I noticed a second gust of wind felt like it was on the way. As I stood in the doorway passing items to the boys, I could feel the wind getting stronger.
Thankfully, I was able to collapse my tent before the second blast of wind came. We then methodically removed each anchor as I lay across the tent with my full body weight. Over the years, I have developed a set up and take down method for my tent and today I was happy to follow my routine as it kept my tent from picking up the wind like the sails on a sailboat.
As we started putting my tent into the bag, I noticed it had picked up a ton of water from the storm and the floor of our tent which the boys had cleared of snow. I did not think much of it yesterday, but I am now wondering how much water an insulated tent can absorb in wet conditions. It sure felt like 400 pounds soaking wet and it showed when we opened it up at home. As we left the lake, the wind and snow changed directions 3 times. Crazy!
After putting all our gear away, draining water logged items and opening everything up to dry (tackle boxes, fish finders and a dry box which had wet items thrown in it during the storm) we opened our tent. We had packed enough snow home in the tent to have a snowball fight in the house, which we chose not to. We then employed our mop and some towels to help dry the laminate floors in our living room. After mopping up all the water I decided that I should go fishing more. This way, I can say I cleaned the floors and did my chores. Well, I can’t take all the credit, because Ethan did most of the mopping.
This fishing trip was a great experience. I look forward to getting out there again soon. Next time I hope to try a new location and use the methods I learned today. If my methods are successful, I hope to continue learning new things and a new winter fishery.
Here’s the video from this trip. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel Fougere Family Adventures to learn more about fishing.