blake
Life Member
This article was posted in the latest Iowa Sportsman Newsletter:
Icy TrouIce Fishing for Urban Trout
The Gear
If you plan to venture out for some icy water trout, there's no need to switch up the routine with different tackle and outfits as you may already own everything necessary. Much of the same tactics used for crappies, perch and bluegill through the ice work magic for trout as well. Trout are opportunistic feeders and feed on a whole host of aquatic organisms from fish to insects. Usually a light to medium action rod spooled up with your favorite 4 lb line is all that is required. For those that like using braid, 6 lb braid tied to a tiny barrel swivel and a four foot leader of 4 lb fluorocarbon is another great option.
The Tackle
Tackle is honestly to the users discretion. Trout can be caught on most smaller baits designed for panfish in your box as well as many other smaller baits designed for walleyes. Some baits will stand out however and produce more strikes. Top producers I have found are brightly colored jigging spoons and tungsten jigheads, both tipped with either a minnow head or a wax worm. Natural colored jigging spoons such as the Northland Forage Minnow in the smalls sizes available are also solid choices. Sometimes dead sticking with a live minnow below a bobber can produce fantastic action as well. I always like to set up a bobber rod to sit while I jig with another to maximize my fishing exposure.
The Location
Trout are notorious nomads in many of these urban environments, consantly on the move. They can be found both near the bottom to just below the ice at any given time. Typically I like to start out shallower in the mornings and slowly move out deeper as the day progresses. This style of fishing is where a flasher style ice depth finder really shines. I use my flasher to locate trout in the water column as I jig. You may notice that trout are suspending more frequently and getting your bait up to where they are hanging out will ultimately produce more fish.
Urban Waters Stocked With Trout
The Iowa DNR stocks the following urban ponds and lakes for the purpose of ice fishing. Click HERE to see when these specific locations were, and will be stocked. Continued stockings will be unannounced at certain locations to eliminate large groups of anglers gathering on potentially unsafe ice conditions.
• Petoka, Bondurant, Polk County
• Ottumwa Park Pond, Wapello County
• South Banner Lake (Summerset), Indianola, Warren County
• Lake of the Hills, Davenport, Scott County
• Prairie Creek Park (Cedar Bend), Cedar Rapids, Linn County
• Discovery Park, Muscatine, Muscatine County
• Wilson Lake, Fort Madison, Lee County
• Big Lake, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County
• Sand Lake, Iowa City, Johnson County
• Ada Hayden, Ames, Story County
• North Prairie, Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County
• Heritage Pond, Dubuque, Dubuque County
• Blue Pit, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County
• Bacon Creek, Sioux City, Woodbury County
• Moorland Pond, Fort Dodge, Webster County
• Scharnberg Pond, Spencer, Clay County