Trout

[Guest]

Anybody icefish for trout around Aitkin? I want to try the pit lakes sometime. I would love some tips on what lakes, times, equipment, tackle etc...
Also for open water.
Any info I could get would be great, Thanks.

[Guest]

My favorite place for open water rainbows is the trout pits in the crosby area. Iam pretty sure they are closed for ice fishing. But open water you cant beat it. The DNR has a map of the mine pits for the area. Pennington is a great one. From opening day to the end of june you can catch them right off shore. Most shore fishing is done from the public access. I put my boat in there once but the fish were biting next to shore anyways. I fish them two ways: Large weighted slip bobber to cast far and a yellow flu-flu with a waxworm or a plain long shank hook tipped with corn. Start fishing 5-8 feet down. Keep going deeper until you contact fish. You usually dont have to go deeper that 15-20 feet. The next rig i use is a bottom rig. Use a 1oz egg sinker tied above a swivel. Tie a #6 thin wire hook to the swivel. Next tip the hook with Berkely trout paste. It comes in a jar and you ball it on the hook.Its almost like silly puddy. The key to get it to work right is to get it a litte wet first and then pack it on the hook hard. Cover the whole hook,barb and all. Cast it out as far as possible and lit it sit on bottom. The paste floats so the hook will rise from the bottom.Its like carp fishing. When the line goes tight, set the hook. When using the bobber rig you will see the fish wont pull it down. When the bobber starts to bob, set the hook. Most fish in pennington are nice 15-18 inchers. When Mille Lacs gets to windy,you'll probably see me there.... Good Luck

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