Icing Rainbow Trout

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brandonkop
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Icing Rainbow Trout

Post by brandonkop »

Was out in Alberta last week and hit a bunch of trout ponds. Heard of some brood stock going into some ponds and decided to give it a try. First night out was my first ice fishing of 2014/15 season and the MarCum was dead! Oh to my dismay I'd be jumping back into to my fishing blind years. So headed to the pond for the evening bite. Drilled a whole bunch of wholes and started jigging around. Took a while but hooked up on a really nice one. Put him back and kept fishing. Before leaving was surprised by a late biter and a fat female. Well that was a great start to my ice fishing season.

A few days later went back after having minimal luck at another pond and the fish were on. Set a deadstick with a jig and powerbait and jigged around. Caught some on my jigging rod and on the dead stick. 5 or 6 in total the second afternoon. Biggest looked to be 20+ inches. Let them all go for another day. Put a couple videos together with tips on exactly what I was doing if you're interested. Get out there and catch some Rainbow trout this early ice season. It's a lot of fun.

Video Day #2 - Dead Sticking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15NHHjDs_fk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Video #1 - First Day on Ice 2014/15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUF0yeJrlpU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


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maverick
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Re: Icing Rainbow Trout

Post by maverick »

Cool pictures and great video's Brandon, thanks for posting them. (pun intended)
What were the temps when taking the video's?
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brandonkop
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Re: Icing Rainbow Trout

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maverick wrote:Cool pictures and great video's Brandon, thanks for posting them. (pun intended)
What were the temps when taking the video's?
The shorter video with two fish caught in the evening was about -4 F (-20C).

The other was warmer about 23F (-5).

-4F is getting a little cool but that was just the first day. the rest of the week temps got above freezing for a small portion of the day. A couple days were quite nice.

Thats fishing Canada for you. Have to enjoy the cold.
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Vaca Russ
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Re: Icing Rainbow Trout

Post by Vaca Russ »

I really admire your video making skills! I wish I could get that good.

I never heard of a "Marcum". I had to look that up. :nod:

Thanks for the report. It is time I get out there and try to create a decent video report.

-Russ
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rlown
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Re: Icing Rainbow Trout

Post by rlown »

A few questions.

why are the holes you were monitoring so far apart? Fish tend to gulp beyond 5 seconds.

why are their fins so "messed up?" I think I know the answer, as they've been in a hatchery and not wild. I've seen that problem in Utah and in planted fish.

Last fish. It gulped the leader and jig. You still let it go. No blood on the ice so a good sign. Was it?
I think i would have kept that one.

I love your reports and videos. Keep it up! I'd be more careful on what you think the hook did to the fish. Lip hooks are nice. deeper is a keeper..

Russ
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brandonkop
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Re: Icing Rainbow Trout

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Vaca Russ wrote:I really admire your video making skills! I wish I could get that good.
I never heard of a "Marcum". I had to look that up. :nod:
Thanks for the report. It is time I get out there and try to create a decent video report.
-Russ
Thanks Russ, yeah I just set the camera up and fish. Not hard to get the footage but all the work comes with the editing. I enjoy making the videos though, always wanted to have a fishing show growing up so now I sorta do on Youtube I guess.
rlown wrote:A few questions.

why are the holes you were monitoring so far apart? Fish tend to gulp beyond 5 seconds.

-In AB we can be 50 yards from our set lines. I usually drill about 10-20 holes when I set up and just move from hole to hole to hole. Sometimes I'm close and sometimes further away. I usually use Jaw Jackers which are automatic hook setting type gadgets so you always get lip hooked fish, but I didn't have them with me. So with the Jaw Jacker you can be where ever you want.

why are their fins so "messed up?" I think I know the answer, as they've been in a hatchery and not wild. I've seen that problem in Utah and in planted fish.

-Yeah these are Brood Stock they were just put in the lake in September of 2014 and have spent the rest of their lives growing up in tanks so the fins take a beating.

Last fish. It gulped the leader and jig. You still let it go. No blood on the ice so a good sign. Was it? I think i would have kept that one.

-Hooked in the roof of the mouth, no bleeding likely a survivor. They do pretty well in the cold water. I didn't really want to keep and eat the brood stock ones. Let them go for others to have fun catching... if I keep it then its dead for sure. This lake is also stocked with 5000 smaller rainbows in the spring and they are the good ones to eat, I didn't get any though. Usually grow to around 13-15 inches by winter and have nice fins and fat like footballs.
This lake also has a moderate to high winter kill risk so they might all be dead in two to three months anyways. That's how these prairie ponds work without aeration, they just restock every year.

I love your reports and videos. Keep it up! I'd be more careful on what you think the hook did to the fish. Lip hooks are nice. deeper is a keeper.

-If you realize that all those fish might be dead in a couple months you might say they should all be keepers. I'd rather let other people have the chance of enjoying catching one. They only put 210 of these larger fish in the pond. I caught 7 in two days, they wouldn't last long if everyone kept them.

-If the fish was bleeding and obviously dieing or dead I wouldn't put it back in that case.

Brandon
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rlown
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Re: Icing Rainbow Trout

Post by rlown »

a nice response. again, thanks for posting!
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brandonkop
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Re: Icing Rainbow Trout

Post by brandonkop »

rlown wrote:a nice response. again, thanks for posting!
No problem... if you guys get tire of the posts just let me know. I fish a lot, haha!
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