When Walleyes Won’t Bite, Trout Will

How ice fishing for trout saves slow midwinter days

Walleyes got lockjaw? Trout bite reliably all winter and are a lot of fun to catch. | Joe Shead

I peered down my ice hole as I dropped a jigging Rapala in the water. The lure hadn't sunk 3 feet before a silver streak slashed at it. The fish missed, but circled back for a second swipe and this time connected. I reared back and the fight was on. I only had to reel the rainbow a mere 3 feet, but have you ever tried fighting a trout on short line? There's no quit in an angry rainbow!

Winter Trout to the Rescue

An ultralight ice rod with a jigging Rapala was potent medicine for this rainbow, which aggressively slashed at the lure as soon as it went down the hole. | Joe Shead

Ice anglers covet early and late ice, when fish are active. Some of the worst fishing occurs in late January and February, when the ice is thick and blanketed in snow. Sunlight can't penetrate. Photosynthesis from underwater plants slows or ceases. Popular ice fishing targets like walleyes go dormant. Mid-winter fishing can be a grind. But not for trout. Trout thrive during the dead of winter and will bite when other fish are lethargic.

Where to Find Trout Under the Ice

The author hoists a chunky rainbow trout caught while jigging in his ice shack. Although sight fishing for trout in shallow water is fun, this fish hit a spoon in 20 feet of water. | Joe Shead

Trout are willing biters and are fun to catch through the ice. In fact, anglers can often watch their prey strike in clear, shallow water, which adds to the excitement.

Trout require cool water and high levels of oxygen to survive. In summer, the shallows are too warm for trout to linger any longer than a short feeding burst, but in winter, the shallows become hospitable. Trout can now take advantage of aquatic insects, crustaceans, worms, minnows and other prey that live in shallow water.

"Shallow" is a relative term. In some lakes, you might find weeds or shallow flats that hold food in 3 to 10 feet of water. In sterile environments like Canadian Shield lakes, shallow shelves and weeds may be nonexistent. In that case, try targeting points in 15 to 30 feet of water.

How Trout Move in Winter and Why You Shouldn’t

Once you've set up on a likely spot, try to wait them out as long as possible, especially in shallow water. | Dreamstime | 107527866 | Rostislav Stefanek

Trout will rise from the depths and move onto flats to feed. Try to figure out the route fish take as they move from deep to shallow water. Look for inside turns that lead from the flat down a slope toward deeper water. These inside turns funnel trout as they move uphill to feed.

Once you’re set up, stick tight. Trout roam flats in search of food and as long as you’ve picked a suitable spot, the fish will come to you. In fact, trout sometimes make laps around a lake, resulting in flurries of activity, followed by no activity. Equally important, trout are spooky, especially when you’re only in a few feet of water. Moving will spook fish and be counterproductive.

Winter Trout Lures and Presentations

A Hali jig lures in trout from a distance, but the small hook catches finicky feeders when tipped with a waxworm. | Joe Shead

Trout will hit a variety of baits, from micro-sized ice jigs to jigging spoons tipped with insect larvae, minnows, minnow heads or soft plastics. Brook trout like smaller baits with insect larvae, while browns like bigger presentations with minnows. Rainbows can go either way, so experiment. Splake – a brook trout/lake trout hybrid – combine the gullibility of a brook trout with the voracity of a lake trout, making them relatively easy to catch. Splake, like rainbows, will hit a variety of lures.

Line choice is important. These fish aren’t dumb and will quickly spot heavy lines. Go with 1- to 2-pound-test fluorocarbon; certainly no larger than 4-pound-test, unless you're on trophy trout water.

In shallow water, the depth you fish is irrelevant. In deeper water, it pays to experiment. Trout may suspend to feed on minnows, probe soft bottoms for worms or chase insects right beneath the ice. Start high for visibility and gradually work deeper until you hook up.

You can go subtle with small jigs in shallow water, but in deeper water, they can get lost in a sea of nothingness. When fishing deep, I pop a jigging Rapala to call in fish. Fish often strike, but sometimes they ignore the bait. That’s when I go subtle. I take the hook off a spoon and tie on an ice jig tipped with a waxworm on a 6-inch dropper. A Hali Jig, which is a spoon with a chain dropper, works the same way. The spoon calls in fish and the jig seals the deal.

When Midwinter Changes the Game

When midwinter fishing grinds to a halt, you have a decision to make. If the walleyes have lockjaw, don't beat yourself up trying for fish that won't bite. Switch species and let aggressive winter trout remind you why you love ice fishing.