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Water
Bodies Services Interactive Misc.
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Whitefish Wisdom, Part I
Food for Thought If you asked most anglers what species they would target during the hard water season, the majority would not list whitefish as their number one pick. Most people think of whitefish as an ugly cousin to walleye and lake trout, something that is caught accidentally on many trips. Yet no one can dispute that once on the end of a line, a whitefish is a tough scrapper and fine table fare. Whitefish as a species of choice for ice fishermen is catching on. Once you find the mother lode, the action can be fast and furious, Finding the fish and then putting them on the end of your line can be as frustrating as it can be rewarding. I’m fortunate enough to live next to the north shore of Lake Superior. Its cold, clear waters are loaded with lake whitefish, herring, lake trout, salmon and steelhead. On any given day while angling for whitefish you can encounter these other species. Many anglers fish over deep water (over 50 feet), but for catch and release purposes I try to stay in water less then 30’. One of the keys to catching whitefish is locating a potential food source. Find the prey, you can bet the other predators are looking for it to. Fishing in locations where smelt are present is your best bet to catching whitefish and other species higher up the food chain. Several years ago while fishing south of Thunder Bay I set up my ice fishing shelter over 22’ of water. Inside the dark tent I could see down to the bottom through the crystal water. When my fish finder’s screen started to black out, I peered down the hole in the ice. Six feet below the ice was an immense school of smelts. The fish had no idea they were being watched and just idled in the current below. The smelt appeared to be feeding on zooplankton that was being pushed along by the current. The small fish would move a few inches at a time, as though to scarf down the small invertebrates. Bringing my jigging spoon into their ranks did not spook the school. This was the first part of the smelt behavior puzzle that was the cornerstone of a pattern developed for winter whitefish. I find I am most likely to encounter smelt in places with currents in water 12 to 25 feet deep. Underwater currents are notorious for creating unsafe ice conditions, use caution when fishing these areas. This can be anywhere in Lake Superior, and smelts are not restricted to these depths. Before heading out to a new spot I will consult a depth chart of the area. Based on past experience I look for slow drop-offs and likely feeding flats. Out on the ice, my fishing companions get nervous whenever I start up the power auger. I am notorious for drilling as many holes as the gas tank allows. While I aireate the lake, someone will check the depths with a flasher. Sooner or later the sonar will find an area where numerous baitfish signals the spot has potential. Smelt can be found hugging the bottom, but often the school is stacked vertically in the water column. On many occasions smelt have been so thick that they are not afraid of a lure and wind up as fresh bait on a tip-up. I have often witnessed schools of smelt being attacked by whitefish under the ice with my electronics. How a whitefish is able to swallow an 8” smelt? I don’t understand considering the size of their mouths, but they do. By: Iceman |
