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WINTER BROOKIE BASICS 

by Gord Ellis

  If you're a winter brook trout angler, think shallow.

  A general rule of thumb is the shallower the hole, the larger the fish. I've seen this scenario play out time after time, winter after winter. Why shallow? Winter brook trout  feed in the littoral zone of the lake; that's the area near shore were minnow, insects and amphibians can be rooted out. Shallow mud bays work, but beaver houses, and rock or rubble shorelines near deep water, are often the best. Drill a long line of holes horizontal to the
shoreline. Leap frog your rigs until you find  feeding trout.

  Don't make noise on the ice. Snow machines, footfalls and even loud talking spooks specs. Send the kids up on shore if they want to wrestle. Drill all your holes at one time.

  For shallow water fishing, you should go with a still line, set just under the bottom of the ice. For big fish, you can't beat large minnows (red-belly dace are best) of 3 to 4 inches. Hook them through the back with a single, # 6 treble and a couple split shot. I sometimes add colour by hooking minnows with an 1/16 oz. orange or red marabou jig. The motion of the feathers as the minnow struggles will really attract brookies. If you want to fish a worm, tie a #6 Wooly Worm fly 4 to 6 inches up the line from the minnow and put a piece of night crawler on it. The fly should then be set just below the hole. I have hooked several doubles with this system. Unfortunately, that top hook can become hooked on the ice and that's caused me to lose a few fish as well. It's one of those things.

They don't get much bigger, a 25 inch winter spec.

  I prefer to set still lines with a jigging rod balanced on a dowel. If a brookie hits, the drag is loose and the rod tip dips into the hole. I let the trout run for a bit, tighten the drag, and then set the hook. In most situations, eight pound test line is fine, although I'll go lighter if they are really picky. If you're near wood, you should bump your main line up to ten pound test.

  As winter drags on and fishing pressure increases, some trout move to deep water of ten  to 20 feet. Set lines work, although a better method is to jig. Small, bright coloured  jigging spoons such as the 1/4 or 3/8 ounce Hopkins, Crippled Herring or Krocodile spoon work well. Draping a piece of worm on the treble adds a little extra flavour.  Light lead head jigs tipped with a minnow are also effective, although trout often hit them short. A stinger may help, but I prefer to let the trout run with a light jig and minnow. Chumming deep holes with cut minnow or worm will help attract trout to the area. As spring approaches, inlets and outflows become the key fishing spots. Pick a point closest to the water movement, or a nearby rocky shoreline.

 Be careful of open water, and thin ice. Keep mobile when winter brook trout fishing. If you find fish, they'll hit.

Gord Ellis with a big speckled trout caug