Blades for Whitefish

Bucho

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Mar 29, 2013
Messages
919
Location
Kiel, Germany
Hi,

this is a shot in the dark. Just bought a year´s license for a relatively deep and clear lake stocked with whitefish. Thing is, there is no whitefish angling up here in the north where I live. While they are bread and butter to the commercial net fishery, anglers target them only in the south. Up here, they are being considered uncatchable. Down in the alpine region they get them with a sophisticated method of imitating zoo plancton with a dropper rig of nymphs. Up here however the only catches heard of are very occasional ones on lures, with fish spilling over with landlocked smelt. Net fishermen managing the lakes like to point out that they "had specialists here from the south failing just as badly as anyone else...." Frankly, I believe they see no reason to change anything about selling licenses to anglers harvesting specimen pike and keep the whitefish for themselves.  

I´m under the impression that northern whitefish here are just as piscavorious as they are in scandinavia and north america so I decided to chose a straight forward jiggin`approach. Problem is that I start from scratch. Here´s what I came up with for a first try. I am going to use a hobie outback with fishfinder and a capable drift sack. Fish should be suspended in 30-40`of water. Lures are 3/8th (small blades) and 2/3rd (larger ones). Basic color is a subltle blue glow that has done well at night fishing, topped with fluorescend green, blue or plain black or olive/gold.

Every idea, every detail and feedback on the topic is highly apreciated! Haven´t tried them yet. Main forage should be smelt. 

25270662el.jpg

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Fin and Fur

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Jan 15, 2016
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349
Location
Redmond, OR
We have mountain whitefish here in Oregon. I've caught alot on dry flies, nymphs and small streamers. Caught one last winter on a crawfish imitation jig, and a few on curlytail jigs.
Not sure the difference between mountain and northern whitefish.
 

Jig Man

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May 19, 2010
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Out here...
Don't know what a white fish is, but it sounds like a follow the money kinda deal to me. We see that a lot over here! As for bait, I'm sure those will work, and you can't beat a good ole buck-tail jig fer puttin fish in the boat... Maybe with a spinner!
 

Pup

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Mar 24, 2010
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3,489
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Fishermen catch lake whitefish around the Michigan City, IN Harbor of Lake Michigan during late fall and early spring.  Most are caught on salmon eggs and worms/nightcrawlers fished near the bottom.
 

bucktail

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Apr 1, 2016
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153
Location
CNY
If main forage is smelt I'd try netting some and using them for bait...we use a lake clear wobbler here for ou r trout that feed on same forage...not sure if you know what that is ,its a thin flat trolling spoon which you run a 2-3ft leader behind it either with a streamer fly or smaller hook with piece of worm...the spoon resembles a school of baitfish....
 

toadfrog

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Jun 28, 2010
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OKLAHOMA
Took a look at what a smelt looks like . Thinking on this . A plastic bait with silver glitter, holograph tape inside a clear body and an olive drab back applied to an A-rig I think would be your ticket to success .
 

AtticaFish

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Mar 22, 2010
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Attica, OH
I don't have experience catching whitefish, but there was some talk about them on another forum i am a regular of. A couple groups of guys from Ohio made an ice fishing trip to Sturgeon Bay (Lake Michigan) last winter and posted their results. They were catching them (and limiting out) on Rapala Jigging Raps and similar minnow lures along with Swedish Pimple and Buckshot spoons. Black, gold and perch colors sounded like they were catching most of the fish. Also said they were using 'slider' jigs (not exactly sure what they are talking about) tied a little distance above the main lure and then tipping those with maggots or waxworms. They mentioned that they were tipping the raps & spoons with minnows and getting bigger whitefish than with the sliders.

All that said, would think what you have made up could find some fish if they are feeding aggressive. Great looking paint - love that blue/white combo. I think i would take along some bunny strip jigs or craft hair jigs also so you can get the long skinny profile of a smelt and have some less 'in your face' presentations with you. But that may just be cause i personally have never had the best luck with those style blade baits. If you do a Google search, there are lots of Smelt Fly Patterns you could turn into jigs.
 

duffy

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Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
534
Location
Eastern WA.
They used to have a bounty on them here because supposedly they ate the trout and salmon fry that was planted. Don't know if they are the same species or not as these were once known as squawfish before they changed it to whitefish for PC reasons. :rolleyes:  They claimed that the fish would lay in slack water around bridge pilings and rocky edges then dart out to grab an easy meal of trout or salmon fry as it swam by. Most of the reports of guys catching them claimed using minnow imitating baits so I think your on the right track. I had caught one years ago by accident and didn't know what it was. An older fellow told me it was a whitefish and they are real bony so I pitched it back.                                              Here's a page I found from the game dept.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/Species/2186/
 

Fin and Fur

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Jan 15, 2016
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Redmond, OR
Whitefish is really good smoked, don't discount it as inedible. The sliders are known as "buzz-bombs" we use them for kokanee alot.
 

duffy

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Oct 7, 2015
Messages
534
Location
Eastern WA.
Thanks for the clarification and the memory jog Hawn. At one time I don't think our own DFW knew which was which as they seemed to keep renaming them. They quit calling them squawfish, went to whitefish and then settled on pikeminnow. I believe the one I caught at Banks lake was an actual whitefish but maybe at the time no one really knew much about them.  At first I thought it was a sucker with that turned down mouth but realized it wasn't after closer inspection and it's silvery color.That was back in the 80's and it's possible no one really messed with them or if they did it could have been the pike minnows and they all got a bad rap. I just remember the old fellow telling me that you could eat them but they had lot's of bones so maybe he was thinking of the pike minnows.
 
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