How to Ice Fishing Tips and Tricks for researching and breaking down a new lake to find Cutthroat Trout and Arctic Grayling at different depths below the ice.
The lake I am fishing in is a highly eutrophic body of water. This lake is shallow with maximum depths only around 15 feet deep and a very gradual slope around the lake edges. The lake has large shallow reed and weed beds with high nutrient levels and very productive feeding grounds for Cutthroat Trout and Arctic Grayling.
During the winter months the weed beds will often hold the highest concentration of aquatic insects like daphnia, scuds, dragon fly nymphs, damsel fly nymphs, leaches, water beetles and snails.
Fish can easily swim around these shallow weed beds and shoals, but usually only occupy these areas during peak feeding times in the morning and evening. Sometimes on low light day the fish will spend more time in the shallow water feeding.
It is best to start your day fishing in less than 7 feet of water. You can fish in as little as one foot of water below the bottom of the ice with great success sometimes. Much shallower than most people even try to fish.
If the fish are not in that shallow zone try the edge of a drop off or depths in the 7 to 12 foot range. If fish are not located in this area they are likely in deeper water known as the lake basin. The basin fish can be locate anywhere from the bottom of the lake and suspended right up through the water column to the bottom of the ice.
I did my best on this particular day fishing multiple high probability zones and multiple locations and depths around the lake. For some reason I only interacted with one Cutthroat Trout on the underwater camera. This was an amazing looking fish and taught me a lot since it bit the lure 4 times without releasing the Jaw Jacker. After that I set my trigger as light as it went.
These small lakes with higher fishing pressure often have educated fish that act hesitant like this around the artificial lures.
The Grayling seemed to occupy the shallower weedy areas primarily and were suspended half way in the water column up to the under surface of the ice. They really were attracted to a moving lure. They became quite aggressive hitting several times till they could eat the lure. They also hit stationary flies and tungsten jigs with meal worms for bait on the Jaw Jacker.
Check out @circle_tackle for many great options. www.circletackle.com.
One of the Rods I am using that I did not describe in the video is the Full Circle Series Panfish 36" by Circle Tackle. The Reel is a KY 1000 reel.
www.jawjackerfishing.com for all your Jaw Jacker needs... or find them in a fishing store near you.
The underwater camera I am using is the CanFish CF1:
Purchase Link: https://bit.ly/40fC53P
15% Off Discount Code: 7Y6G3D15
#Canfish #CF1 #underwatercamera
Thanks for watching. If you like the video hit that LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE with a friend. If you want the notifications when I release more videos hit the NOTIFICATION BELL.
God Bless your adventure.
#cutthroattrout #trout #CIRCLETACKLE
#tungsten #tungstenjigs
#arcticgrayling #grayling #montana #icefishing