Bobby! How do I catch whitefish?

Simcoe has NO real safe ice. Open water, and what little shore ice there is, now has snow cover. With temps dropping later today - we'll need at least 7 days of deep lows before we even get out for Whitefish and Trout.

For Whitefish on Simcoe, most fisherpeople go with the old reliable - Williams Spoon - either silver or gold. When I uuummm lose one - which happens all to often....lol, New Spoon - I take the side hooks off - leave them off - and the factory treble - and replace with a quality treble. Other favorite's, incl Swedish Pimple and Bad Boy's. Some use minnows - I seldom do - not that they don't work - it's having to travel miles to get them - then miles back to where I want to fish.

Most of my Whitefish and Trout fishing happens in around the 75' - 85' range. Targeting them is tough some days, moving from a mud bottom to gravel, but the best approach I have had drilled into my head by some of the old timers on Simcoe is - Move - sitting in one spot for hours is worthless, so I run and gun - If I'm not marking after 15/20 minutes I'm on my way.
However sometimes I break that rule "if" I see lot's of baitfish activity on my screen and will stick it out a little longer than norm.
There are many different ways to jig, most guys have there own well developed methods - for me - very little. I'll drop that spoon right down to the lake bottom, if I'm marking, then start playing that spoon as if it's a wounded baitfish - soft lifts and flutter down, no more than 6 or 8" - Whitefish suck the lure in and start carrying it away - hook set time - all in a matter of 3 or 4 seconds. If you fish Simcoe, targeting Whitefish, stay on or within inches of the bottom.

Trout, well a whole different game plan. Those critters will suspend just about anywhere in the water column. Again, I start with the Williams, usually a 4", but I've gone bigger in shallow water (towards the end of the winter season). They love Rock, so I fish mainly rocky bottoms and canyons between Strawberry Island (be careful around that island due to ever changing current) and the Western tip of Thorah island. My best days are when I find baitfish or smelt I become aggressive and jig with a snap then flutter then snap. It's on that flutter that they will hammer it - and the fun begins..............lol I don't play with colours or colourful lures - solid gold, silver, or the hammered/half n half. It works for me, and with all the moving I do, I just hate changing over and over - gettin lazy in my old age..........

Line - Spider - 8-12 lb test
Reel - min 3 B's spin
Rod - Rovic Custom - 32 - 36" medium to med heavy (I use the medium heavy in shallower water - to set that hook I found I just needed more backbone). Shallow - less than 40 feet, working the trough SSW from Lagoon City to Marapoint.

I guess I could have just said - keep it simple. I hope I didn't bore anyone and if we ever get ice, if any of you want to join me, send me a pm. Always happy to meet and fish with new friends.

bobby