Powerbait or other Stink Baits for Rainbow Ice Fishing in Lakes?

[TroutYammer]

Sometimes Powerbait works great for summer rainbows in lakes...but anybody ever try ice fishing for Rainbow trout using Powerbait or any other Playdough type stink baits. Does this work better than wax warms and crawlers through the ice? And how would you rig it so ot would actually sink in the winter?

[reinhard1]

for rainbows on hard water i found that for best results, fish shallow. by that i mean 10 ft or less. if you are out deep then they will be in the top ten feet under the ice for the most part. a jigging spoon and minnow head has worked best for me, while small panfish presentations with euro larva has worked at times also. i also have caught them with tipups with 10lb. test leader and orange hook with a live fathead fished just a couple feet under the ice in shallow water. the gulp minnow head works also with a pimple for example. i have never used the "stink" baits you have mentioned nor have i used crawlers under the ice. not saying they wont work, just never gave them a shot. good luck.

[TroutYammer]

thanks for the tips! Jiggin spoon and minnow head is an awesome idea! I think I will also try PowerBait Dough this weekend the see if the stuff works on hardwater. I'll post back here next week with the results!

[monstermoose78]

never met a bow that would not eat a nice fat worm.

[Feathers Rainin]

We tried the neon yellow trout powerbait last winter. It caught fish but the minnowheads seemed to be best with waxies second and stink bait last. I fish crappie nibbles a lot in the winter and some lakes it lights up the fish better than any other bait and other lakes you can hardly get a bite so I would say it might depend on the lake.

Has anyone tried crawlers in the winter? It seems like they would work well but I haven't seen them selling in the store. Anyone know where to find em this time of year?

[leech~~]

I have used crawlers for Loopers in the winter on the northshore which work well, but for ice fishing Rainbows I have tried a lot of things and still go back to small Crappie minnows with bare hook and small bobber. But that is Only on non-designated Trout Lakes. On designated lakes waxes seem to do the best for me on small jigs. One year I did keep some crawlers in a big cooler thinking I would try them for Walleyes on Mil Lacs in the middle of the winter. Nothing!

[monstermoose78]

I used worms in the winter and they worked as good as anything else. You can order them from places.

[jjz]

When the fish are aggressive jiggin spoons, jigs with waxies, maggots, worms, minnowheads and pastes all work. Usually the fish indicate what is best. If they are more passive I have had good luck with with bait all the above, plus spawn sacs just sitting on bottom. Regardless usually it is not a question of what they want, more often it is a question of how much or little movement they want, the bait just seals the deal.

[JBMasterAngler]

Bought some gulp minnow heads today. I'll compare those with real minnow heads for rainbows this weekend.

[reinhard1]

i did have some success with them last year at grindstone for rainbows and a few lakers [small eaters]. red/orange seemed to be the best in that lake. i also have the chartruse and they did not want them, but who knows, any given day. i use more of the red/orange as a rule. bronze pimples and jigging spoons have always produced better for me as well. hope you have a good time. good luck.

[Zenit]

Never have had much success with TurboDough/Powerbait, Gulp products, TroutKrilla, etc., in the winter. Waxies/butterworms and eurolarvae are pretty much all I use.

I did hang a Gulp minnow head off of a #3 Chubby Darter last year and caught a few rainbows with it when the bite was really, really slow.

[TroutYammer]

I tried power bait trout dough opening morning. Caught two right away...so the stuff really does work for ice fishing. But later on in the morning the trout would come to the bait, take a whiff

(1"-2" away) and then dart off wile my buddies using waxies, eurolarvae and frozen minnow heads were still pulling in some fish. We were fishning inside a dark house and you can actually see the fish swim by the hole, check and attack your bait. Very cool! Recommend trout fishing from a dark house. Even if you don't catch them you can see them and you don't need an underwater camera. I saw some dandies today that none of us caught and are still on the loose! Good luck to all.

[St_Croix_Banks]

Bought some gulp minnow heads today. I'll compare those with real minnow heads for rainbows this weekend.

I'm interested in your feedback on this.