Winter Trout Fishing.

[Renneberg]

Unlike like warm water fish like crappies and walleyes that slow down during winter, cold water fish like Brook and Rainbow Trout are at there most active during the cold winter months. They are willing bitters during this period and quickly show themselves to anglers fishing for them.

Brook trout and Rainbow trout are the two most common trout stocked in Minnesota lakes. Both are willing biters and will bite on many of the lures that you have right now and use for panfish during the winter months.

Lures for Stream Trout:

Jigging spoons account for more stream trout caught during the winter months then any other lure. Some most have jigging spoons are Swedish Pimples, Fidget Minnow, Jeweled Willow, Angel Eye JR and Slender Spoons.

Silver, gold, green, orange and pink colored spoons work great for stream trout.

1/16 oz. and 1/32 oz. work great for trout up to 18 inches, but when looking for a trout over 20+ inches use a 1/8 oz. spoon.

Tear drops work great for when stream trout that are not aggressive. Tip it with some bait and deadstick it or give it just a little action to draw in stream trout.

Trout can be very color selective when not aggressive, so be sure to carry a good selection of tear drops. Some that have work for me are Lindy Techni-Glo Frostee jigs, Fairy jigs, Moxy jigs, Dart jigs, Crippled Willow, Fish Eye, Willow, Perch Eyes, Teardrops and Dippers.

Dropper rigs commonly used for perch and walleye also works great for stream trout. All of the spoons listed above work great for this. Tie your dropper 6 to 14 inches from your spoon. Tie on a tear drop style lure, and bait it and your ready.

You should raise the spoon a few feet then let it flutter back down. The fluttering action of the spoon will draw in stream trout and the tear drop will trigger them into biting.

Dropper rigs work best when stream trout are spread out over large flats or in open water.

Baits for Stream Trout:

Anglers often tip their spoons and tear drops with a minnow head, entire dead crappie minnow, one or two wax worms, salmon eggs, euro larva, spikes, fresh water shrimp, and power bait in a rainbow of colors.

Live minnows are allowed only on non-designated stream trout lakes. Be sure to check the regs book before fishing with live minnows.

Stream Trout Locations in Lakes:

Brook trout are commonly found in water 10 ft. or less during the winter months. They prefer points, muddy bottom, rocky bottom, rocky outcroppings and areas where feeder creeks enter the lake.

Brook Trout hug the bottom tightly when they are in shallow water so keep your bait near bottom when fishing for them.

Rainbow Trout are often found in the same areas where Brook Trout are during the winter, but they also like weedbeds and often suspend over deep water or just off mid lake humps. When they suspend they are usually found just a few feet under the ice. Usually no more then 10 ft. under the ice.

Rainbow Trout don't hug the bottom as much as Brook Trout. They often cruise just under the ice. Rainbows caught with their back fin and the top of the tail fin warren off from ice isn't uncommon.

Stream Trout Location in Pits:

Many of the locations that you find stream trout, in lakes; will work in pits, but there is one location that many anglers over look or don't know how to fish right. Flooded timber. Flooded timber is commonly found in open pits. Much of the aquatic life found in pits can be located in the flooded timber and so can the stream trout. If you are fishing a pit look for flooded timber stands. They aren't hard to find. Just look for dead trees sticking out of the ice near shore. These timber stands stop when the lake bottom drops off into deeper water.

Stream trout use the flooded timber stands the same way a bass uses a weedline, and so you should fish the flooded timber the same way you would a weedline. Look for inside turns and points sticking out into deep water. Setup a few feet out from the edge of the timber line and start fishing. If you don't see anything on your depth finder or see any trout with your eyes within a half hour, at most, then move down the timber line or to a different timber stand until you mark or see trout.

The winter stream trout season outside the BWCA opens Jan. 15 '05.

Winter stream trout opener for lakes entirely inside the BWCA is Jan. 1st '05

[Matt Johnson]

Good info Steve!

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[-Marc V-]

Hey Ren . . . Thanks for the info on the ice trout. I was just wondering how to fish for them lately in a lake. I heard of a lake out my way stocked with them, and heard some pretty good success ice fishing them, but didn't know tactics. Now just gotta check the regs.

Also looking forward to the winter stream season. I'm starting to twitch not being able to stream fish. Tying flies temporarily cures the ill, but then I just wonder if the patterns I'm tying are going to be worth the effort. Dreaming of the elusive 20"+ doesn't seem to help the situation.

It will pass.

[Renneberg]

bump

[Renneberg]

Less then a week to go!

I cann't wait to catch a few big trout through the ice again.

[BigMike]

Wow - great info Ren. Keep up the good work!

[Moses2531]

I really appreciate the info! I never really fish for trout but am going to try Cenaiko in Coon Rapids this year. Just wondering if those presentations who talked about earlier would be a viable pattern on that small lake. Should I target 10 feet of water? Thanx! Good Fishin!

[Renneberg]

Moses, any of these patterns will work for stream trout anywhere in the state. If you want to catch some trout out of Cenaiko lake it would be a good idea to fish it this weekend reguardless of the weather.

[Jumbolaya]

Renneberg,

I took part in a recent query on the Rochester forum about brooks rainbows and browns at Foster Arend.

So I came over here to see if there was anymore info.

One of the moderators there claimed brookies and browns are pretty hard to catch through the ice and rainbows are simply "dorks"? That's why rainbows get caught more there?

Now you write, brookies are in with the stupid fish?. Getting more confused as I write.

Jumbo

[Jumbolaya]

Renneberg,

I have read your info for quite a while and enjoy the passion and love for the sport! Thanks!

I understand about the trout and was somewhat playing devils advocate.. Sometimes I read info exhanged from folk claiming to be an expert on a certain specie then turn around and BANG they are now an expert on another specie.

Maybe I'll see ya on the ice or water!

Jumbo

[Renneberg]

No matter what the species of trout, they are all very easy to catch shortly after they have been stocked. While I've never fished Foster Arend I hear it gets stocked regularly with rainbows during the winter, so it's no suprise that he said rainbows are the easiest to catch.

Bottom line is that they are both very easy to catch once you find them in a lake. I've just noticed that I catch more big brookies then big rainbows.

Good luck this year Jumbolaya!

[Moses2531]

Hey Rennenberg, thanx alot for the info! Yeah I plan on rivaling that brutal weather this weekend, I don't mean to rake you over with questions, but I just wasn't sure what depth you'd suggest I work with to start of at Cenaiko? Thanks again! Good Fishing!

[Quickstrike]

I believe a big factor in how easy the fish to catch are what size they are when they were stocked. in a lake that stocks rainbow yearings and brown trout fingerlings, the rainbows are always easier to catch. it also seems lakes where all the fish that are stocked are yearlings produce very few bigger fish.

[Renneberg]

Moses, just set up within 20 ft of the shoreline anywhere on the lake. The trout should be everywhere saturday.

[wall-i-king]

Hey Quick,

You gonna get out and fish the trout opener this weekend. There are a few lakes to hit up there but I don't think that I am going to get out due to this crazy weather. Well for all of you who do get out I hope you are able to find some fish. Good luck.

keep fishin'

wall-i-king

[-Marc V-]

That's going to be a quite different ice fishing within 20 ft of shore.

With this cold front moved in do you think the trout are going to be a little less aggressive than normal, and maybe only looking at smaller presenations?

Ren, you've been an endless abyss of info on trout. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge.

[Jim W]

Renneberg is quite the whip isn't he!

Your a good man Steve-O!

Jim

[northman]

You guys are talking about catching those more recently stocked trout and how easy they are to catch. I hope everyone lets those small trout go. When I was a kid and my grandfather took me out and taught me how to stream trout fish. I later on and just for myself. I made a rule that I would not keep a brook, brown, rainbow unless it was over 8 inches long. I am not saying that is the right size to judge by. each person can come up with there own rule. I also note that brookies are very much better tasting then rainbows for some reason? I also like the taste of Splake as well. All 4 species are equally fun to catch. The last trout I caught in a stocked lake was a 2 lb. brookie. It had lost its drab plane colors that planted trout have as it had a bright orange belly and very black body with very bright yellow spots as a native brookie has that has been in the stream or lake for a few years. There is one lake that is pretty far north that I have been trying to get my self to as it is according to the dnr one of there highly stocked lakes with splake and they say they are getting very big in that lake. There is actually a stocked lake in minnesota, stocked with browns that is the same name as my first and last name. Last name Lake of course. I plan to try that lake some day to. Never been to it yet. I am staying home to hybernate in my home this weekend untill it gets allot warmer out then it is and will be this weekend.

- northman

[Renneberg]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone.

I hope everyone that braved the cold weather caught trout. I took my 4 year old nephew out and he killed me! He out fished me 3-1. This was his first time trout fishing through the ice too!

He caught all his trout on Islander Lures, Sunfish

I tried everything I had, but nothing caught them like that Sunfish did.

[say_der]

Renneberg, was that Islander Lure Sunfish tipped with anything?

[Renneberg]

Waxies.

[Jim W]

Rennenberg,

When you get a chance please e-mail me.

Thanks

Jim

[freighttrain50]

hey Rennenberg,

could you email sometime at [email protected]. I have a few other questions for ya. Thanks

Train

[Quickstrike]

alright here's one more question for ya. what depth of water do you ussually locate splake in the winter? do they suspend over deep water like a lake trout or hug the bottom in shallow water like a brook trout? the lake i fish is a 35 ft bowl and catch shallow in the spring and deep in the summer. what would my best bet be for a starting spot in winter?

thanks

[Renneberg]

Splake act like Lake trout and Brook trout. They can be found shallow (less then 5 ft. of water) and deep. If I remember right the state record splake was caught in over 40 ft. of water.

I'd look for them on large flats, points, and humps. Start shallow then make your way deeper.

If your lake has non of these then for rocks, bolders, sucken trees, something that will offer bait fish a place to hide.

Splake are very aggresive trout and are used very effectily out west as a way to control brook trout populations, or to remove brook trout from a lake.