by Josh Bendoski, Bendoski Power Fishing
Utah is home to world-famous trout fishing, and the Ice Fishing season offers a unique experience to catch an abundance of species. The Uinta Mountains are home to the Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus), a unique species of freshwater fish in the salmon family Salmonidae and on the bucket lists of many trout anglers.
Along with beautiful cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii), a fish species of the family Salmonidae native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. The common name "cutthroat" refers to the distinctive red coloration on the lower jaw’s underside. The specific name clarkii was given to honor explorer William Clark, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
As well as an abundance of Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout, Brook, Brown Trout, and Kokanee Salmon, often on Ice fishing trips, it’s possible to land 20-100 fish per day.
Ice fishing differs from casting, spinning, or fly fishing in that the primary way of catching fish is by jigging or deadsticking.
Here are a few tips for catching tons of fish through the ice.
First, be willing to move around. Drill several holes and if you are not catching fish within 20 min then move 20 yards 1 way or another and then wait. If you have a fish finder, it is much easier, but with a moving pattern, you will often find fish even without one.
Second, ice fishing can be very cold, so make sure you wear the proper gear to make it an enjoyable experience. On very cold days, the holes can freeze over with a thin layer of ice just as fast as you are drilling another one. In these situations, I will start with a “run and gun†system, dropping a deadstick into a fresh hole before drilling my next hole until we get onto the fish then we will set up an ice tent for a full day of fishing.
Third, during the ice fishing season, the fish are very cold and not aggressive, so the bite is subtle. I use indicator bells to let me know when a fish is on. But oftentimes, all you will see is your line moving in the hole very slightly. The fish are often not striking the bait rather just holding it in their mouth. The trick is to watch your line very closely.
Fourth is the setup. I often place two jigs about a foot apart with small jig heads ⅛ ounce or less, sometimes just the jig itself or with a small jig on it and always tipped with one of three baits: mealworm, butterworm, or a small piece of nightcrawler. When going for larger fish, I use a ¼ ounce jig head tipped with Chub meat. By using two jigs and two poles I am able to try out four separate combinations at a time. This allows me to find out what they are biting very quickly. And for added fun, we even get double-ups from time to time.
Trout are beautiful fish with amazing colors and diversity, and ice fishing is a wonderful way to get a variety of fish in a single day.