When fishing for bass or other species the prime time for catching them might be during spring or summer months.
However, with trout, things are different. Ice fishing for trout is the prime time to catch them.
The question now is what are the best ice fishing lures for trout? What are the best colors? How do I fish them?
In this post, we hope to answer those questions.
We are going to take a look at 9 good trout ice fishing lures and offer a few tips on how to fish them.
So let’s get started….
The Best Ice Fishing Lures For Trout – My Top 9 Picks
Here is a preview of some of our favorite lures when ice fishing for trout. For more information on each one, please keep reading.
- PowerBait Power Tube
- Williams Ice Jig
- VMC Tingler Spoon
- Keitech Fat Swing Impact Swimbait
- Acme Kastmaster
- Swedish Pimple
- Rapala Slab Rap
- Sebile Vibrato
- Livetarget Yearling Baitball Rattlebait
PowerBait Power Tube
Ask any ice fishermen what are the best ice fishing lures for trout and without hesitation, they would reach for a plastic white tube.
Yes, it is true, trout love white tubes.
So for me personally, if I had to narrow it down to just one lure that I would bring with me on the ice, without a doubt I would grab a pack of white tubes, such as the PowerBait Power Tube.
As you can imagine, this is a jigging lure.
It can be fished by simply allowing it to go down to the bottom and yo-yo it off the bottom. The important thing is to keep it moving to get the fish’s attention.
What color tube should I choose? Do I have to choose white?
No, you don’t, many people have had a lot of success with white tubes, but give other colors a try.
Try to match the hatch if possible.
I always like to tell people, before changing lures, change colors. Sometimes the fish like a white tube one day, the next they may want a different color.
Williams Ice Jig
Spoons in general are very effective when fishing for just about any species and of course they have proven to be effective in catching trout as well.
They excel in dark dirty waters and with the right action they can generate a reaction strike.
One such spoon that we really like is Williams Ice Jig.
The reason, we like this spoon over others is the colors. It is available in two different colors, silver, and gold.
These colors work great in causing a flash that looks like a fleeing fish.
The best way to work a spoon is by giving the rod a quick snap and then let the lure flutter back down to the bottom.
Also, allow for a pause.
Many times trout will strike on the pause.
The key to remember when fishing with this lure is that the more flash you can cause, the better the chances of getting a fish.
VMC Tingler Spoon
If you have fished spoons before for trout, but you would like to try something new, you might want to give the VMC Tingler Spoon a try.
This is a unique spoon specifically designed for the ice fishermen.
As you can see what makes it unique is the V-shape. This shape can give you the advantage over all spoons when out on the ice.
For one, it flutters slower than other regular spoons. This gives us the advantage because the longer the flutter the greater chances of a fish taking it on the fall.
Another advantage this spoon has over others is that the shape allows you to fish more area.
How is that possible?
Rather than falling straight down the ice fishing hole, it flutters out, giving you more area to fish and thus more opportunities to catch more fish.
Remember the larger the area you fish, the better your chances of hooking up with a monter.
Learn more about the many features of the VMC Tingler Spoon in the following video:
You May Also Enjoy Reading: The Best Ultralight Spinning Rod For Trout Fishing
Keitech Fat Swing Impact Swimbait
As we mentioned earlier trout like white. If they aren’t taking the tube, you can try the next best thing, a swimbait.
With that in mind, we are going to look at one of my favorite swimbaits for trout the Keitech Fat Swing Impact Swimbait.
What I like about this lure is the action of the tail. The tail gives it a subtle action that just might be enough to entice the trout to commit.
One of the best ways to fish a swimbait for trout is to attach it to a heavy jig head.
What I mean by a heavy jig head is one that is going to get to the bottom rather quickly. Keep in mind that tungsten is oftentimes preferred over a lead jig because it sinks quicker.
Next, let your lure down the hole until it hits the bottom and slowly swim the swimbait with an up and down motion back to you.
This will allow you to fish the entire water column and figure how where the fish are feeding.
Once you see some followers on your flasher you can dance it around to generate a strike.
Swedish Pimple
No list of the best ice fishing lures would be complete without mentioning the Swedish Pimple.
I know it has a funny name, but don’t let the name fool you, this lure will definitely put some trout in the bucket.
Not only will you land some rainbow and lake trout, but you probably will land some other fish such as walleye or even bass.
One of the best ways to fish it is to allow it to hit the bottom and then quickly start jigging it up and down off the bottom.
By quickly jigging it vertically you are going to create all kinds of commotion and flash. This is going entice the trout to come in and check it out.
Depending on the fish at that point, you can either dead stick it, or continue to move it slowly.
The objective here is to make it look like a dying baitfish and to generate a strike
A Swedish Pimple is a must-have when ice fishing for trout.
Kastmaster
Another spoon on our list that is designed to grab attention is the Acme Kastmaster.
First, let’s just briefly talk about the build of this lure.
It is made from brass meaning it will never bend, corrode or break. Even after a day fishing in saltwater, this lure will still give off the same amount of flash.
It is because of that quality build this is an effective lure both on the ice as well as off the ice.
Like most spoons, the best way to fish it is to jig it off the bottom.
Keeping in mind that the more flash and commotion you can create the better as it will invite trout and other fish to come and check it out.
You may also enjoy reading: The Best Ice fishing Lures For Perch
Rapala Slab Rap
The next lure on our list isn’t limited to catching trout only on the ice, but year-round, it is the Rapala Slab Rap.
This lure has a very unique looking body design.
This body design allows it to be versatile and fished in many different ways.
This is especially effective when ice fishing because it can be fished on a bottom such as mimicking a baitfish feeding on something or it can be vertically jigged up and down the water column.
Pay close attention to how the fish react by means of your favorite underwater camera for ice fishing and adjust your fishing method accordingly.
However, you like to fish it, it will catch fish. It is also available in many different colors so that you can easily match the hatch.
See the Rapala Slab Rap in action in the following video:
Additional Reading: The top 10 best ice fishing lures for crappie
Sebile Vibrato
The next lure on our list of the best trout ice fishing lures is a very unique looking bait.
I believe it would be safe to say that it is something that you have never seen before.
It is the Sebile Vibrato. As you can see from the picture, it is a blade with a treble hook located on either side with the hook tie in the center.
This unique hook tie helps to maximize the vibration output, thus appropriately named the Vibrato. It is designed to put out a lot of vibration and draw fish to you.
How do you fish the Vibrato for trout?
Simply vertical jig it. Not only does it give off great flash and vibration on the way up, but also on the way down.
Learn more about the Vibrato in the following video:
Livetarget Yearling Baitball Rattlebait
What?!? A lipless crankbait!? That’s not a trout lure, that’s a bass fishing lure.
I know, I have heard many people tell me that exact same thing.
However, I must say, lipless crankbaits make great ice fishing lures for many species such as crappie, walleye and certainly trout.
For that reason, the next to add to our list is the Livetarget Yearling Baitball Rattlebait.
While just about any lipless crankbait will do when ice fishing for trout, we really like the live target lipless for two reasons.
First, the rattle. This rattle can prove to be deadly. Simply vertical jig it making sure it gives off a rattle on the way up and on the way down.
This rattle actually brings the fish to you. You will certainly agree after fishing with a lipless crankbait that ice fishing never has gotten so easy.
You may also enjoy reading: A Look At The Best Ice Fishing Reel – My Top Picks
The next thing we like about this particular lure is the paint job.
One of the best ways to entice trout to commit is to make it seem like they are getting a large meal for a little effort.
This is what livetarget has down nicely with the Livetarget Yearling Baitball Rattlebait because it imitates not just one baitfish, but a small group of baitfish.
The bigger the meal presentation the better the chances of more bites.
Let’s take a closer look at the action of this lure in the following video:
Final thoughts…
So what are the best ice fishing lures for trout.
Well in this post, we talked about several good trout ice fishing lures.
Without a doubt you will catch trout on anyone these lures, but what if I could only take 3 lures with me? Which ones would I choose?
For myself personally, I would choose the PowerBait Power Tube, the Livetarget Yearling Baitball Rattlebait, and the VMC Tingler Spoon.
The reason being is they are 3 completely differently lures that can be fished in a variety of different ways.
Once I have my 3 lures I would then drill a few ice fishing holes.
Then I would fish the crankbait to draw the fish to me in one hole and have my buddy fish one of the others in the other hole.
That way I am giving the trout the option to tell me what lure they want.
Once I find out which one they prefer I would switch over to both of us fishing the same lure. I feel like this would maximize my chances of catching a fish.
Now it is your turn….
If you could only choose 3 trout ice fishing lures. Which ones would you pick? How would you fish them?
Please share with us your thoughts in the comments below.
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