2022/23 First Ice Brookies

Affiliate Links: This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning I may get a small commission, at no cost to you, if you decide to make a purchase through my link. Please read my DISCLOSURE for more information.

Ice fishing season has arrived in northern Canada! Brook trout have quickly become my favourite first ice species to fish for, they still have their fall spawning colours on and with that first layer of ice, they are in a fighting mood!

Whether you like social media or not, it has become the best tool for getting local ice condition updates. Friends and anglers I follow have been out and reported safe ice conditions across most of northern Alberta, and with that knowledge I thought it was time to head out myself. We have had weird fall weather, and in my region it seemed that winter came overnight. The ice conditions reflected a rapid freeze and when I arrived at the lake, I was happy to find 5-6 inches of clear, black ice.

male brook trout fall colours ice fishing

After checking the depth at a few spots I came across a shallow flat next to a beaver house. Within minutes, I hooked into a beautiful male brook trout on a Cajun Cricket coloured Strike King tube jig. Over the next few hours the bite was fantastic, with about 8 brook trout caught and several personal bests. While backcountry lakes can be a bit tough to get into, if you time your trip right you will have a great time catching bigger, less pressured fish!

Please check out the video below and comment with any thoughts or questions, I’d be happy to share my knowledge and help you put more fish on the ice.

Tight Lines Anglers!