![]() We use the Automatic Fishermans with 8-pound test because you have no idea what size fish you hook. A 34-incher is a great fish on a short rod. "But we don't get too excited until they get up to 30 inches. "The average fish is 20 to 24 inches," Kastern says. If they're hungry and close to the bottom, browns come zipping up to bite."Ĭold as she is, Superior grows stupendous browns. They're all over the place, so we set pretty high for them in clear water. Looking down the hole, you see them come through in pairs or groups right under the ice at times. They root out crayfish and take sculpins off bottom, yet sometimes they suspend under lake herring over deep water. "We look for spots where rocky structure comes close to soft-bottom flats. The intersection of rocky breaks and softer flats is a key location. Beyond that, likely-looking habitat stretches for miles. River mouths can be key, but Kastern avoids community holes. They might be on the first break down to 8 or 10 feet of water or on the second break down to 30, 40, or even 50 feet along a shipping channel or typical steep Superior shoreline." At first ice, usually around Christmas time, we look for browns on structure. Croix strains can be around wood in 4 feet of water or out suspended over depths of 100 feet. Some winter in the streams, some along shorelines under the ice. German and Scottish strains run up rivers in fall to spawn and then funnel back out. "Brown trout fishing is the bulk of our winter business," Kastern says. Paulson has fished the Apostle Islands area of Superior many times with Guide Aron Kastern (Unlimited Trophy Outfitters, Mason, Wisconsin). It's especially important on Lake Superior during the middle of the day." Light coming down the holes is a huge factor. "Stand, walk or sit well away from the holes. ![]() "Stand where you don't want the fish to travel," Paulson advises. If the drag is set right, you can reach the rod before the fish topples the rig. When fish bite, the rod tip snaps up and the arm it was supporting clacks down on the frame. So we stand or sit well away from a trap line of Automatic Fishermans placed in key spots. In shallow water, browns know when you're overhead no matter how quiet you are. But when you harvest a ripe female steelhead from a put-and-take fishery and tie spawn bags with that, it catches browns anywhere." And what we call Play-Doh - Berkley Gulp! dough in jars rolled into balls - catches everything. But some experts don't leave the house without it. Shrimp is something a lot of people overlook. I think the key is fresh bait, not eggs from specific species. ![]() "I primarily use steelhead spawn and it works all winter. "Hardcore anglers favor brown trout, coho, or salmon spawn from early ice through midwinter because that's what browns feed on after those species spawn," he says. Spawn is the most consistent bait for Paulson.
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