Starting ice fishing for lakeers/trout/salmon

[SIMCOX28]

I want to start ice fishing for lake trout/salmon.  I have no idea about the lures/jigs/bait to use for this.  What types of lures/bait should I be looking at using?  Also any suggestions for rod/reel combos would be great.  Any information about how would be greatly appreciated. 

[JBMasterAngler]

Bucktail jigs, jigging raps, rattle traps, jigging spoons, tube jigs, twister tails. White and blue are the most popular colors, but a little bit of everything is good to have.

[Surface Tension]

When you say lake Trout and Salmon I assume you mean Lake Superior.   Your going to go about them differently.

 Lake Trout would be targeted on bottom.  Depth wise your limited to what and if we get any ice on this end. 

Beatles, Tube Jigs, Bucktails, Pimples are a few go tos for Lake Trout.   Before the super braids a jigging hoop and steel braid was the only way to go.   Rods, because you have the potential of fishing in 200'+ and jigs 2 oz + your going to want a rod with some back bone and quick tip.   Garcia 6500 would be a good reel. 

 

 Salmon are more prone to use the whole water column and when going after Salmon its probably going to be Coho.

Your going to get Herring at the same time and you don't have to be in deep water, 40-60' will do.   If I'm going I'll have some16th-32nd oz white jigs and twister tails with.  Tip that with a crappie minnow head.  Small Swedish Pimples again tipped.  You get the idea there.

 

[Vitreus]

Great info. Could we expand this thread to include information on how to target stream trout, like rainbows, on inland lakes through the ice? I'm really interested in trying this.

 

Just guessing, I'd probably try a similar presentation to what I use crappie fishing… small tungstens, micro plastics, waxies, maybe small spoons. Would this be far off?

[Surface Tension]

 Yes pretty much what you might use for crappies.  Add small pimples and preserved crappie minnows.

One thing that is different is the bite.  If your fishing under a bobber you wouldn't wait for the bobber to slowly disappear.   In that case its like fishing gills where you set the hook as soon right away.

 If your working a pimple, instead of a lift and drop you use a swift lift.

 

 Brook trout you tend to target the bottom. In low light I'm usually in close and if there is a rock slide I'm there.

I'll have my holes drilled through the area before the sun comes up so when its time to move I can do that without spooking the area.

  Rainbows you can be any where and I usually fish them with a pimple a couple ft under the ice.  Be sure to have your drag set on the light side because the the fight is all thrashing and with just a few feet of line out you can pull hooks or break off.  Something else is I change the hooks on pimple to a size larger.

 Bring your flasher but you'll find yourself looking down the hole. Bring a chair you can roll forward on because you'll be "on the edge of your seat".

 

  You probably know about MN DNR Lake Finder. There you can get the list of designated trout lakes. Some have special regs such as artificial bait only and closed seasons but.  On none of them can you use live minnows.

[SIMCOX28]

thanks for the tips it is appreciated.

 

So what I hear is -

Lake trout - more artificial lures

Coho - tipped with minnow head

 

Is that kind of the guidelines? 

[JBMasterAngler]

Not really. Every trout (lakers and streamers) that I've caught through the ice has been on a live minnow (where legal for stream trout). Sucker minnows and frozen Ciscoes are very popular for lake trout. And as far as I'm concerned, a lively little crappie minnow with a tiny bright jighead is the absolute best bait for rainbow trout through the ice. Unfortunately, it's only legal on a handful of lakes.

[Surface Tension]

9 hours ago, SIMCOX28 said:

thanks for the tips it is appreciated.

 

So what I hear is -

Lake trout - more artificial lures

Coho - tipped with minnow head

 

Is that kind of the guidelines? 

No,  there is no right or wrong there. You can catch both on artificial,  live or dead bait or a combination of both.