Whitefish in the fall

[Rod Caster]

I was on a large/fast river today and I saw someone catch a 24" whitefish. We were both fishing for walleye and I was using 3" twister, 1/4oz jigs and he was using hook and minnow... lets just say that my lure stayed cleaner than his.

 

I tried some mepps, small five-of-diamonds and several jig combinations but nothing took interest in my offerings. The water is clear, 7-12 feet deep and very rocky at the bottom.... what would you use to cast for them??

I've heard of people dip-netting whitefish in rivers but I do not have that option in this dam-adjacent river. Any experience with river fishign for fall whitefish?

 

I also tried a slip-float system, which this morning I thought was genius because it reduced my snags to 0, unfortunately it wasn't the walleye-killer I thought it would be.

 

Thanks in advance... this could be an good alternative to walleye fishing in the fall.

 

 

 

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

they seem to like steelhead presentations.

Edited November 20, 2011 by Dr. Salvelinus

[BillM]

they seem to like steelhead presentations.

 

I was going to say, a small roe bag or even singles in gin clear water would most likely be very effective.

[Rod Caster]

What egg would I be imitating? Whitefish roe? There are not any trout/salmon in this river so what else would be spawning in the fall?

 

I have trout hooks and slip bobbers, I suppose I could even try drifting 2" minnows or even small worms.

[J-M]

I have trout hooks and slip bobbers, I suppose I could even try drifting 2" minnows or even small worms.

 

Good idea, I think drifting small minnow's (whatever is native to the area - emerald shiners?) on bottom or just off bottom should trigger some whitefish hits. If not, it might not be the bait offering, they may just be spawning and unwilling to bite. Having said that, they may turn on after they've finished spawning ( if reg.s appy of course

 

Cheers,

 

Joe

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

a small #10 or #12 hook with a maggot... make sure you use a tapered shot pattern... adjust shot placement and leader length until you are occassionally ticking bottom and until your float cocks so that the top of the float points slightly upstream.

 

make sure you load your float with enough weight that the float will go down very easy. whitefish don't hit hard and will drop a bait if they feel too much resistance from the float.

 

i had a day last fall that i couldn't buy a steelie but starting hit whitefish on roe and maggots.

[Leecher]

a small #10 or #12 hook with a maggot...

 

Great suggestions from the members to add to Dr. Sal's... you can also tip the hook with Gulp fish fry. Whities go nuts on them Just a thought

[buick14]

Wireworm or red Berkeley honey worm

[Rod Caster]

Thanks guys, looks like we agree on float-drifting smaller baits. I've taken note of the other tips too

 

I'll also pull out some of my smaller Roostertails. They cast far and drop quick.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Rod Caster

[cl_fishin]

I have never fished them in rivers, but we plan a trip every Sept to target Whitefish in a northern lake. There we fish them with our centerpin rods and slip floats set about 12 inches off bottom with a small ice jig and waxworm. It is critical to load up the float so it goes down with the slightest movement as these fish bite very very lightly, the float will often just "squat" in the water. You gotta keep your eye on it so you don't miss them. I have alot of pics and some video I will post when I have some more time. They are an absolute blast to catch and pretty good eating too! I suspect you can transfer some of these tips to river fishing as well.

[BillM]

^--- Now THAT looks like a lot of fun!!

 

Only cool thing I've done with whitefish is catch them on a dry fly (Which I guess is pretty awesome considering they usually live in the deep stuff)

Edited November 21, 2011 by BillM

[Rod Caster]

Well, my float system didn't produce during the few hours I was out. There is a very strong current/back current and boulders 20 feet into the water from shore. With only a 6 foot rod, my 20lbs braid line was dragging the water surface and was pulled every which way by the current, so my presentation wasn't consistent or accurate. I'll have to look into buying a 10-12foot river rod for this kind of fishing (rainbows too). With a proper setup, I think the slip-float system would work well for walleye and whities.

 

I managed one eater walleye on a jig. At least I broke the streak.

 

Thanks for the tips, I'll be out there this weekend to try again for whitefish. Whitefish-school is still in session,.