Instead cut off 1 to 2 inches of worm, and thread that onto your hook. Since the average size of trout in most lakes ranges between 1 and 2 pounds, it’s best not to use a whole nightcrawler as trout bait. The great thing about them is that you can set up several rods baited with crawlers as deadsticks, and then wait for trout to cruise by and grab your bait. While nightcrawlers don’t work well for all species when it comes to ice fishing, they are one of the top ice fishing baits for trout. Live bait for ice fishing troutĪs true coldwater fish, trout remain very active during the whole winter, and feed more aggressively under the ice than most other fish species.īecause of this, a great option for catching them under the ice is with live bait, since the combination of movement, color, and scent of a tasty worm or grub is hard to beat when it comes to getting trout to bite under the ice. Now let’s dive into the details, and look at each of these trout ice fishing baits more closely. Just try to test as many as you can from the list above, and then narrow it down to the 2 or 3 top performers that work best for you. While there is a wide variety of baits that can work well for catching trout under the ice, you don’t need to bring all of them every time you go ice fishing. The top baits for catching trout through the ice are: What is the best bait for ice fishing trout? In this article we’ll cover the best baits for ice fishing trout, and explain how to fish them, to help you choose the best options for your purposes. This is especially important on lakes with heavy fishing pressure, as you’ll want to use ice fishing baits that set you apart from the other anglers, in order to entice pressured trout to bite. However, in order to catch trout successfully through the ice, it’s important to have the right trout ice fishing baits at your disposal. It’s quite common to find them feeding actively in shallow water of 3 to 4 feet, and this provides a great opportunity for ice anglers to target them in winter.

Unlike many other freshwater fish species, trout love cold temperatures, and don’t retreat into deeper water during winter. What Is The Best Bait For Trout Ice Fishing?

Download wax worms for trout fishing