Ice Fishing Trout At Night

If you’re an avid fishing enthusiast, who loves angling for trout, then you may not want to end the day when the sun goes down. Why not try ice fishing trout at night?

Some of the best bites happen once the sun sets, so you will not have to go home disappointed ever again! Just buckle up, caffeinate yourself and get ready for lots of night bites after it gets dark.

But, you may be wondering if you can catch trout when ice fishing at night. Trout are a popular fish to catch, and are a cold water species that reside in streams and lakes across North America, Europe and Northern Asia.

Being a cold water species, you may be pondering whether you can ice fish for trout at night. Luckily, this guide has all of the answers you need. 

Can you ice fish for trout at night?

The short answer is yes! Trout will bite at night, making them perfect for ice fishing during the latter hours of the day. Being a cold water species, trout can remain active underneath the ice where the water is cold. 

All you have to do is look for shallow flats of about 4-8 feet deep, with soft bottoms. Most trout will flock to the largest flats they can find during the winter months, so there is a great place to start! 

As they are active under the ice, trout will bite when ice fishing at night. It can sometimes take longer once the sun has gone down, but you will feel nibbles and strikes from the trout. 

Is ice trout fishing good at night?

Whilst some fishermen will argue that ice fishing for trout at night can be hit and miss, in our experience, trout can bite even better during the night time than in the day, particularly if it has been a sunny day. 

During sunny and very clear days, trout may lay low and will not be as active or refuse to rise to the surface of the water.

But, at night, they will chase towards bait closer to the shallows and the surface of the water. It seems as if the darkness puts the trout in a feeding frenzy, ready to clasp its mouth around anything it can find in the water. 

Sometimes, in other cases, it can take a little more patience to catch trout at night, as they are not as aggressive as other species of fish, but it is not impossible and they can be caught during the dark hours.

You just need to handle the cold temperatures, have a lot of patience, and be prepared with all of the best and most useful gear for ice fishing.

Can you ice fish for lake trout at night? 

During the night, the moonlight will not penetrate a lot of the water, and will only illuminate the first few feet. Most lake trout will reside a few hundred feet under the water or more if they can, which means that there will be very little chance of light reaching them.

However, they are opportunistic eaters, and will feed on whatever they can find if they come across it. So, you could be lucky when ice fishing for lake trout at night.  

Best night fishing areas for trout

If you want the best chance of success when it comes to ice fishing, then you will want to head up north. Colder locations such as Canada are absolutely perfect for ice fishing.

To catch trout, you will want to head up to Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan. This lake is extremely large and popular for anglers in Canada. It stretches 145 miles, and is perfect for catching lake trout, rainbow trout and walleye. 

You can also try areas such as the Lake of the Woods, which is on the border of Canada and Minnesota in the states. This is the second largest freshwater lake next to the Great Lakes, and is a prime area for fishing trout. 

Gear for ice fishing at night:

For ice fishing, you should always use a braided line. This is due to the fact that it has a thinner diameter, less stretch and more strength than traditional monofilament.

This means that you can get a good hook in deep water for the less active trout, which will double your chances of catching trout when ice fishing. We recommend this one as it is a personal favorite of ours to use:

We also recommend gearing up with this rod:

as it is slightly longer than normal which will help you catch bigger fish when on the ice. You also want to ensure that you have a medium to medium heavy action such as this one:

You should also invest in some thermal clothing, as you will most likely be out in frigid temperatures for many hours, waiting for a bite. Try out fleece lined thermals to keep you warmer for longer, so that you can stay out ice fishing for longer!

Summary

To summarize, you can catch trout at night when ice fishing, as they remain active under the ice. All you need is the correct bait, and lure, along with a little bit of patience, and a lot of thermal clothing!