Hello everyone,
I'd like to share some of my findings on feeding trout through the ice. I have a 1 acre pond in Ontario, Canada stocked with brown trout. They are fed floating pellets in the soft water season, and I wanted to see if I could get them to eat during the winter through the ice, as that makes up a good portion of the year. I was skeptical that sinking feed would work, as I don't think of trout as fish that eat right off the bottom. However, I gave it a try and was impressed with the results.
I made a sinking feed by soaking my floating pellets in water for about 0.5 to 1 hrs and then forming the moist pellets into a dough, with a similar consistency to Powerbait. I made a hole in the ice and then rolled balls of food just smaller than golf balls and dropped them in. I did this for a few days and then dropped an underwater camera. As the video shows (linked below) the fish do attempt to eat off the bottom, and I caught a trout filled with the dough in its stomach.
I am happy that I can now get an extra 4 months of feeding in on my pond while it is iced over.
https://youtu.be/-Oy0LLv7diM ///
video
