Fishing for whitefish

Whitefish is very popular among aficionados of winter ice fishing. On some lakes, this kind of fish can weigh from one up to 15 fifteen pounds. Lake Simcoe, which is just an hour of driving from Toronto, became famous for breeding “whiteys” which weighed over 12 pounds.

Since it is quite easy to catch, whitefish is a favorite of many anglers. This fish is much fun to catch during winter. You just have to look in fairly deep waters, around 70 to 85 feet, and get ready to catch one.

If it is not winter—hence, no ice fishing—don’t be depressed. Whitefish is also abundant in early spring or in fall. Because they prefer areas with strong current, spring and fall are the times when groups of whitefish move to rivers and lakes. Since they have small and tender mouths, most people who catch whitefish were actually Walleye fishing using small hooks and minnows or very small jigs. As we said, you don't have to wait too long to catch a whitefish.

During the first days of spring, schools of whitefish move to rivers and streams to eat the spawning walleye, pike, and sucker eggs. The best place to catch whitefish during spring is in a river and the ideal method is using a four-pound test line. You also need small hooks and one salmon egg, grub, a small ball of Berkley Power Dough or the best bait, Wax Worms. Allow the bait float downstream and over deeper pools behind the spawning beds.

When May Flies start hatching, schools of whitefish are tempted to move out of the river and wait below the surface of the lake to feed on these flies. When the May Fly hatch is over, whitefishes return to deep waters.

Since it is in the nature of a whitefish to go deep, it does so during summer. You can easily catch one during summer use a three-way swivel system with a Zero Mepps or Blue Fox. Submerge any of these two very slowly for as deep as 60 feet and you’ll be having a whitefish in a minute.

It is during fall season that whitefishes breed. They relocate to rivers and spawn in the same spawning beds as the walleyes. During fall, whitefish eat only during the day, which is the opposite of what most kinds of fish do. The logic is that when it is dark, whitefish lose interest in eating and spend their time spawning.

During winter, most whitefish stay at shallow waters. But whatever the season you want to grab a whitefish, remember that smallness is the key. A whitefish is effortlessly lured by smaller baits. A whitefish won’t ignore lures such as a small Rapala or Thunderstick. However, the hooks on these are frequently too large for the whitefish's tiny mouth, so stick to smaller baits.