FishDoc
Well-Known Member
After the Early ICE steady shallow water Trout Fishing things can sometimes slow down through January and February, or does it? Sometimes the lack of fish in the shallows during this period makes people think the fish are no longer interested in feeding. This is quite contrary to what is actually happening.
Trout will continue to feed through the middle of winter and you can have success, but you may have to look in different locations than you found them earlier in the winter. Due to changing water temeratures, weed decay, oxygen levels and probably other factors the fish will stop using the shallow water as much for feeding. The may only push up shallow for very short windows as long as their comfort allows. The rest of the day they probably spend their time in deeper water either suspended or cruising the basin sucking up blood worms and nymphs.
The struggle is that the lake basin is the largest area of the fish and often has minimal fish concentrating ability. So you're waiting for a random fish to pass a random location. Or are you? There is one major caveat to this randomness. That is DEEP WATER STRUCTURE. If you are able to locate these keep points of interest for fish where they can swing in and out of Deep water easily and still feed then you have found their mid winter feeding grounds.
My biggest producer is Mid Lake Humps, also known as Sunken Islands. These are mounds that rise above the lake basin. They can top out at 20, 15, 10, 5 feet deep. It doesn't seem to matter they all attract fish. I usually find them with a good depth map, in the summer trolling around with a sonar or using satellite imagery on unmapped lakes. If you find these spots fish will either circle the island right on the drop or even be up on top depending on the depth.
Next are deep water points that extend under water. These will also hold fish and can be fished successfully. Drop offs just off the feeding shelves may also be a good location to check out or the bottom edge of the drop where it flattens to the basin. Give these areas a look mid to later winter and you may be surprised just how much action you'll find.
Best of luck out there.
Trout will continue to feed through the middle of winter and you can have success, but you may have to look in different locations than you found them earlier in the winter. Due to changing water temeratures, weed decay, oxygen levels and probably other factors the fish will stop using the shallow water as much for feeding. The may only push up shallow for very short windows as long as their comfort allows. The rest of the day they probably spend their time in deeper water either suspended or cruising the basin sucking up blood worms and nymphs.
The struggle is that the lake basin is the largest area of the fish and often has minimal fish concentrating ability. So you're waiting for a random fish to pass a random location. Or are you? There is one major caveat to this randomness. That is DEEP WATER STRUCTURE. If you are able to locate these keep points of interest for fish where they can swing in and out of Deep water easily and still feed then you have found their mid winter feeding grounds.
My biggest producer is Mid Lake Humps, also known as Sunken Islands. These are mounds that rise above the lake basin. They can top out at 20, 15, 10, 5 feet deep. It doesn't seem to matter they all attract fish. I usually find them with a good depth map, in the summer trolling around with a sonar or using satellite imagery on unmapped lakes. If you find these spots fish will either circle the island right on the drop or even be up on top depending on the depth.
Next are deep water points that extend under water. These will also hold fish and can be fished successfully. Drop offs just off the feeding shelves may also be a good location to check out or the bottom edge of the drop where it flattens to the basin. Give these areas a look mid to later winter and you may be surprised just how much action you'll find.
Best of luck out there.
