February and March Trout

Sadly, this is the largest fish to be brought up
while I was along ice fishing this winter. 

 Alright...It is March!  This was without question the slowest and shortest ice fishing season of all time.  I only got out on the ice a total of four times and I did not catch anything worth while.

There was one specific day that Norah woke up and asked to go ice fishing.  We went and met up with our friends Travis and Ceci.  Didn't catch any, but it was fun for the 45 minutes that the girls lasted on the ice.

The benefit of having 60-70 degree weather in February is that there was only ONE month this winter I was not in the boat (January).

The brown trout fishing has not really heated up for me yet, but we have caught some excellent 11 plus pound fish.  The best day I had was when Carly was able to escape to fish with me and she was able to catch the two large trout pictured above.  The top one I hooked and she reeled in, but the one below it, she did everything herself.

I have had quite a few people lately asking me how we catch the browns and rainbows...Trout are not particularly smart, you just have to keep at it until you get lucky...but here are some basics to get you going.


1) I launch my boat either at McKinley Marina or the river launch at the end of National Ave on Bruce St.  The water discharge at Jones Island is the worst kept secret in America...Just motor down to where you are just south of where the river comes in, look for the discolored spot on the wall, and fish there.  Fish are usually by the discharge from late November through the end of March.  If the discharge is not pumping water, there will be nothing drawing fish in, and you can fish anywhere down the wall and the mouth of the river.  The depth here is around 30 feet.

2) My favorite place to fish is actually in the Summerfest lagoon.  This is not a secret either, on any given day there are about 30+ fishermen fishing the shorelines, but boats don't usually spend much time in there.  You can catch fish from the boat or the shore.  The depth here is about 8-16 feet.

3) I have caught numerous nice fish in McKinley Marina itself.  This is a popular ice fishing spot, but I prefer going out there before and after the ice.  They actually unlock the gates in November to allow fishermen out there. The depth here is about 12 feet.

4) A lot of guys fish the main "gap".  This is the opening in the break wall by the large white building.  I am not actually sure what that building is, but it is there.  Guys catch big browns and lake trout here.  The depth is about 39 feet.

5) For bait, I use one of four things: spawn sacs, jigs and Gulp! or some other plastic, minnows, or Kastmasters.  If you go to Dick Smith's tackle shop and tell them you want to fish Milwaukee Harbor, they will set you up.  That said, I don't buy bait shop spawn...you will need to find your own hookup for that.  Trout are pretty picky about the size of hooks you use.  I usually use #6 Gamagatzu Octopus hooks for minnows and spawn.

6) Play with your depth.  The fish are almost never "just" on the bottom.  Earlier this year I was catching them 4' down in 30' of water.

7) For tackle, I use 6.5' to 7' medium action spinning rods with 10 lb Berkley Nanofil line leading down to a 8-14 lb florocarbon leader.

8) Guys understand that "urban" fishing is different than most fishing.  I talk to guys in other boats all the time and never get mad if someone fishes close to me.  I have even had people in a different boat teach me how the fish wanted to bait presented on that day when we weren't catching anything.

This should be enough to get you started.