After drilling the ice hole over deeper water try making some noise in the surface water or under the ice. Maybe tap a stick or broom stick against the hole to attract the trout. If you made this type of noise during the open water season the trout would learn to always come to this noise. Then drop some smaller rolled soft pellets into the hole. You could use the underwater camera to determine when trout are below. When you see the trout drop lots more softened pellets. You may as Cecil Baird found some of the trout will rise to just below the ice for the pellets. Allow the pellets to soak for a longer period to time maybe 4-6 hours. Higher protein trout type pellets soak and soften much better and are pliable than lower protein pellets such as 32%-36% protein. Just enough water to moisten the pellets to where they are the consistency of pie dough that is moldable but not sticks to the fingers. These rolled large pellets can be frozen thawed and used anytime later.
I do this type of winter feeding thing with my yellow perch with the same results as you saw with your trout. Occasionally I have had some perch actually come up into the ice hole for the pellets. Although when the perch are below the hole no pellets make it to the bottom.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 01/24/21 07:40 PM.
