Ice Fishing For Trout

Harness the Season’s Fastest Action.

- Lou Phillippe

Deer seasons have passed or are winding down, rivers and lakes are frozen or soon will be, and cabin fever is tightening its steely grip on many woodsmen. Couch potatoes we are not. So what better way to chase away the winter doldrums and provide a tasty meal than ice fishing for trout?

Most think of ice fishing as a Midwestern panfish sport, with some buddies holed-up in permanent shacks, playing cards, smoking cigars and watching satellite TV while waiting for a bite. Likewise, trout fishing is presumed to be an open water pursuit. But for those who live in trout country, some of the year’s best and most exciting fishing comes after lakes are capped. It seems strange to think of ice fishing as exciting, but when a 2-foot trout is sharking around your lure just a few feet from your nose as you peer down a hole, his fins flaring with electric anticipation, it can produce an adrenaline rush comparable to a big buck strolling into view. Well, almost.

Some of my fondest memories are of my friend’s dad loading a bunch of us kids into a big station wagon and heading to a frozen lake. We would fish in the morning, drink cocoa and roast hot dogs over a charcoal grill at noon, play pond hockey in the afternoon, and catch the last bite before sunset. Bringing home a couple of fat trout for mom to fry was the bonus prize for a great winter day.

Tackle