how to catch whitefish through the ice

The best time to target whitefish is at first light, when they’re up on the structures and easier to find, Whyte says. Whitefish can easily grow to 2 feet in length, but a typical catch is in the upper teens to low twenties of inches. The final four tips help you present the right setups and baits to catch walleye after you’ve found them. After spending half of the 1990s working as a tour guide in Latin America, he completed a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson University in 2001 and was hired on as Outdoor Canada's assistant editor. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Whitefish have small mouths, so you should use small eggs or worms when selecting live bait. All of those types of structure can hold zebra mussels, round gobies, crustaceans and aquatic insect hatches, making for a whitefish smorgasbord. These top-of-the-line predators are fast and powerful, a fish that can actually become more active under the ice. Like clock work, whitefish pack into the northern most point of the lake across from North Dam Park in mid-December. Start with your rod tip pointed down toward the hole, lift it up slowly, pause, then let your lure fall under controlled slack. Many fishermen catch whitefish using jigging spoons. For that, he suspends a soft-plastic bait, such as a Berkley Gulp! Also productive are areas such as underwater humps, where the fish can dig through the bottom to stir up food. Last Updated: July 31, 2020 You will be sent an opt-in email to confirm that you would like to receive emails from us. These Outdoor Canada readers find out, 4 cool new outdoor accessories for the season and beyond, Outdoor Canada’s 2020 holiday gift guide for anglers and hunters, 3 great numbers (and one that’s not so good) about fishing and hunting in Canada, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation expands its family membership plan, Alberta to allow new coal strip mines that could kill four blue-ribbon trout rivers, Recipe & video: Roasted blueberry-pepper elk tenderloin with sweet and spicy sauce, Recipe & video: Scrumptious duck schnitzel with a hearty potato sauce. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. So there are a few tried and true whitefish tips that will help you catch more whites this winter. ... After looking through the Off road Mapbook, i decided to try Big Sandy Lake, only half an hour away which also held Lake trout. Whitefish fillets are a very delicate flavor that accepts a variety of seasonings extremely well. “It’s easier to find them on structures in shallower water; there’s more food there in the winter than there is in deep water.”, Whitefish like gravel patches that hold food, Whyte says, as well as broken structure with plenty of nooks and crannies for their prey to hide in. Once you get a grasp on the basic understanding on how to locate the active fish you will be in for an enjoyable day of non-stop ice fishing action! Pause for a second or two and gently shake it. Some whitefish are found in the Pacific Ocean as well. This is how you will tease the fish to take your bait. Ice fishing for Walleye has a broad range of methods and time-tested tactics. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. John Whyte. Blue Fish Radio: Fitness secrets from an expert who trains pro anglers, The #1 tactic for putting big reservoir walleye on the ice, 12 of the year’s best Canadian outdoor adventure photos. The first three tips aim to help you locate walleye. Without it, it is very difficult to locate the fish. Sometimes Captain Jimmy and his team of Professional guides fish Egg Harbor or Sister Bay for Whitefish through the Ice. "Success is yet to come, but I recently moved back to my hometown Rossland, BC and I'm preparing myself for the time. Once the fish move to the flats, which can be large areas, a … Imagine being one of the first to get in on the action and catch and release 100 or more fish a day. That’s how Colorado Ice Team Pro Bernie Keefe describes the best locations for finding lake trout. You can add a weight if you are using either a jigging spoon or live bait. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. If you want to get rid of any slack in your line, reel in your line a little. On lakes that form ice by late January, you can expect to catch whitefish in slightly deeper water near the spawning areas. Big whitefish will still eat nymphs, but what really gets them going is the opportunity to grab a small baitfish. On the ice, the water can surge up through the hole this time of the year. Most anglers ice fishing for whitefish do so using artificial lures. During the winter, however, they’ll visit various structures in the shallows to feed. And since 64-year-old Whyte (below) is widely regarded as one of Canada’s best ice anglers, we asked him to share his advice on how to catch more lake whitefish throughout the hardwater season. Enter Outdoor Canada’s 10th annual photo contest. The disruption signals a struggle of feeding activity in the area which calls in Perch. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. And since 64-year-old Whyte (below) is widely regarded as one of Canada’s best ice anglers, we asked him to share his advice on how to catch more lake whitefish throughout the hardwater season. The Cat Is Out Of The Bag. “When they’re not actively feeding,” he adds, “they’ll go out and suspend in 10 to 15 feet off the bottom around the structures.”, Whyte starts the day with an untipped jigging lure. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Ice-fishing Friday: How to make an ice livewell for perfect live releases, Want to score more ice-fishing wins? Lake Whitefish: Tips and Tricks to Catch Whitefish in Spring If you’re an angler from the northern US or southern Canada, chances are, you’re familiar with lake whitefish. The same goes for moss. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. You can park your vehicle and launch your boat, kayak, canoe, or whatever via the two spots marked on the map below. Depth. See you on the ice. The added resistance of those lines (compared to super braids) allows lures to create wider circles on the drop. In many cases, the whitefish I was catching on Paxson Lake came up through the hole and swam onto the surface of the ice. The best rods for lakers on ice are long for ice rods. You can search online to find popular fishing spots in advance. A species best known for providing mid-summer action, cats also offer incredible mid-winter fishing. In May and June when the lake water is still cool, you may be able to see Whitefish within a couple hundred meters from the boat launch. Finding Walleyes on Hard Water Ice fishing is more difficult than regular fishing because your visibility is limited. When fishing for whitefish through the ice, you will need a power auger and a Portable Flasher. Drill holes over four to 10 feet of water and plan to be fishing as the light hits the horizon. Ice anglers accidently catch whitefish while chasing perch or walleyes but the ice angler who has learned to fish whitefish successfully will find it well worth the effort. Whether you are an experienced ice fisherman or just learning how to fish, whitefish are pretty easy to catch! This info and lovely artwork helps immensely! You will be sent an opt-in email to confirm that you would like to receive emails from us. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Search for something like, "Best whitefish spots in Nova Scotia.". https://www.takemefishing.org/fish-species/lake-whitefish/, http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/commercial/cf.html, http://www.in-fisherman.com/other-fish/where-and-how-to-catch-whitefish/, http://www.in-fisherman.com/ice-fishing/dance-the-white-fantastic-ice-fishing-for-whitefish/, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. There’s a misconception that whitefish are always down deep, Whyte says, especially on his home water of Lake Simcoe. Recipe & video: Scrumptious smoked-steelhead pizza—from scratch! Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. If I’m keen on trying to catch the biggest mountain whitefish in a river, I’ll change things up. How to catch more fish through the ice ... in a white perch while ice fishing on Hermon Pond in 2018. % of people told us that this article helped them. Rather than seeing through the water, you have to drill a hole through the ice and fish through the hole. That’s because whitefish are a cool-water species and need to go down deep during the summer to find colder water. Again, whitefish have small mouths so stick with smaller jigs. Here are 7 straight forward tips on finding and jigging for walleye ice fishing. The old size limit for commercial fishers on Lake Michigan was set at 17 inches. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. So naturally, the pike will be in these shallow areas and easiest to catch, but the ice will be thin this time of year. Thanks!". If not, release the fish after you catch it. Whitefish tend to be more active in the morning during the winter. Research catch and release laws based on where you are fishing. “It’s my go-to bait, particularly in the morning when the bite is aggressive.” As the day progresses, he switches to a drop-shot set-up. White jigging spoons are the most popular bait for catching whitefish, many people use live bait as well. That way, when a school of whitefish comes in on bottom, as well as a sus­pended fish or school, you can both move to target them. Sexton is the past president of the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors. Watch the video to see how the team does from this dark Alaskan ice shanty. Anglers can certainly tip their lures as well. Get on the lake at dark. Best lures for catching whitefish through the ice. Don is also a big believer in quality sonar units on the ice to see if the whitefish are around a certain area, and to work the jigs more efficiently when the fish are under him. Electric Ice Augers, Cusk and Lake Whitefish through the Ice The Electric Ice Auger After suffering a back injury, battling blizzards last December, I realized that if I wished to have any hope of continuing my passion for ice fishing, I needed to find a better way of hacking a hole through the ice. This winter season I wish try to catch Lake Whitefish. Start by fishing the bait right above the poofed bottom and slowly work it up a few feet. Banks Lake is a great place to catch lake whitefish for the first time. The combination I use is a 30-inch, medium heavy action, Fenwick Aetos ice rod. Go long It is the best to fish on a boat, kayak, or canoe etc. You can catch them with live bait or a jigging spoon, either in the early morning or at night. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7d\/Catch-Whitefish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Whitefish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7d\/Catch-Whitefish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid9742435-v4-728px-Catch-Whitefish-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"