LOCALadk Magazine

Trophy ADK Trout and Salmon e beginning of ice season triggers thoughts of big trout. Jerrod Vila is a delivery driver/outdoor writer/mushroom forager who keeps a close eye on early ice while driving his delivery routes through the East Central Adirondacks and Saratoga region. Each year he adds to his impressive score of trophy rainbow, brown, and landlocked salmon, most of them earned during the magical time of early ice. Jerrod oen follows hunches on waters others have overlooked or are more known for pike, perch, and walleye. He is also willing to invest in an outing of setting up and then waiting out the bite. What's great about going with Jerrod is that he's a gourmet chef who all week prepares his "ice-fishing weekend menu." Like most chefs, he can't wait to serve it to his ice mates. To find trophy trout fishing spots, do some easy research at www.dec.ny.gov. Trout 'n' About by Jerrod Vila First ice is always best when targeting spotted quarry, no question about it. e fish's metabolism continues to run high, as the underwater weed growth is still receiving enough sunlight to keep photosynthesis going strong, in turn keeping the surrounding water rich and well-oxygenated. It is the single best time to target trout through the ice, so my focus is always on trout until the ice gets to 8 inches or so. I tend to fish each species similarly, but with minor adjustments for each. Brown Trout: When specifically targeting browns, I almost always fish extremely shallow water over a sand bottom. Scattered cobble or larger rocks mixed in with sand is okay, too, but sand is a must. Rule No. 1 when targeting browns is No water is too shallow. I cannot stress this enough. It is not uncommon to be fishing 16-18 inches—yes inches—of water. Most sets are in the 2-3-foot depth range. Small live bait is ideal: fatheads, small shiners, icicles, the smallest hunts in the mix, bait in the 1.5-2-inch range. I find this size the most productive. e tops of sandbars in the 6-8-foot range adjacent to deeper water have traditionally been hot brown trout sets. When fishing such shallow setups, make sure to gear your leaders to the situation. (More on this later.) Midday during sunny conditions seems to be the best time to put nice browns on ice. I have caught fish over deep water here and there as well; all these deeper water sets have been set just under the ice to maybe 5 or 6 feet down at most. Rainbow Trout: As with browns, I tend to target rainbows in shallow water conditions as well, but earlier in the day. As midmorning arrives, I gravitate to moving sets out 3-6 feet down over deeper water as the sun rises higher in the sky. In addition to small live bait, crawlers can be an absolute killer bait as well. I would never fish a crawler for browns, but for rainbows specifically they work incredibly well. In my experience, rainbows tend to be more random, nomadic-like roamers than brown trout. Large expansive spreads of tip-ups covering lots of water seems to be the ticket for rainbows as opposed to the more structure-oriented approach I tend to use when targeting browns. Normally I run around a 6-foot leader for most ice fishing situations; however, this is not the case when targeting trout. I will shorten them to as little as a foot, because I always want my ball-bearing swivel free-swinging and outside the reel; otherwise, it defeats the purpose and I'm le with nothing but twists and tangles, making my offering ineffective. Another notable point is to run smaller-sized hooks, going as small as 20. Targeting trout and salmon specifically through the ice can sometimes be a daunting adventure. Hopefully these tips will put a couple more spotted beauties on the ice this season! ere couldn't be a better time or place to be in love with ice fishing than right here and right now in the Adirondacks. We are blessed with a plethora of waters and species of fish to choose from, and our cold mountain nights make for a long ice season. I didn't take up the sport till I was over 50, and it has made me look forward to winter in a way only love can explain. Since I had a late start to the sport, I was fortunate to get ice-fishing tips from some local experts, many of them very experienced writers and guides who worked with me when I published a local fishing magazine. I can't think of a better way to unleash this knowledge than to ask them to share some of their tactics with our readers. If you are new to ice fishing, there's no reason to be intimidated, just stay safe and mindful of ice conditions. Local bait shops and other fishermen are very helpful and downright generous with newbies. If you're uncertain, ask questions and be patient. All you need to get started is a sled to pull your gear, some ice spikes, and a $6 set of ice picks to hang around your neck for safety. Many Adirondack ice enthusiasts still utilize hand augers; the new versions are lightweight, effective, and easy to tote. Ice gear isn't very expensive, so getting started needn't cost you much. 35 LOCALadk

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