Mountian Whitefish

[Moose-head]

I am anxious to try to catch some of these in the rivers.  I know to use small baits and tiny hooks.  That is about the extent of what I know.  I am guessing by looking at their mouths that I want to fish on the bottom.  Do I want to fish current or frog water?  How deep, where, moving bait or still on the bottom, etc?  Any tips would be appreciated

[Skyvalhunter]

I usually fish in pools using maggots, Helgermites, eggs but some people fish for them using a white fly but I haven't. I usually smoke mine.

[jackelope]

Just go on a trout fishing trip. You'll catch plenty of whitefish. We catch them on nymphs a lot while fly fishing. Small nymphs down towards the bottom. Not sure about baits as I don't fish much with bait.

[Bigtine96]

Some of the mexicans at work use a red nymph, thats about all I know for whitefish lol

[husky270]

Use a whitefish fly on a lake perch set up, meaning if regs allow use 2 flys tied off on your mainline with about a 8 inch space in between hooks, with a piece of regular coat hanger out of your closet. Just bend the end of the coat hanger with pliers into a loop and tie onto your line ive always used half  a coat hanger, if you can use bait tip flys with maggots this is the set up i grew up using good luck! let me know how you do i fish the wenatchee when posssible its no bait and This is the set up.They will hit them flys without bait just make sure they are for whitefish.

[husky270]

Sorry i forgot to mention this works in any kind of water from fast to slow,especially from fast into a tailout ,as long as you can get a drift it works at least where i fish.

[Widgeondeke]

I usually catch them on single hook lures while trout fishing. Best luck is with a size 0 Dick Nite in Silver.  Good luck and tight lines.

[bankwalker]

I targeted them all summer long and did quite well on little flies of any pattern. BUT! I caught way more throwing size 4 spinners for steelhead. A lot of the times I would be sight fishing steelhead and have a whitefish come flying in and slam my spinner before it got anywhere near the steelhead. It was really annoying, but yet really fun and super exciting because you're focused on the steelhead and get caught off guard big time.
Those little suckers are fierce! It's surprising how hard a 2-3lb whitefish will crush a spinner that it can barely fit in it's mouth. 

My other favorite way to target them is float fishing trout beads.

[csaaphill]

only went once a long time ago seems like we double hooked like one hook on top one on bottom then used maggots worked really cool. Threw upstream then let drift down. usually picked up one, and sometimes two.
Of course was in Idaho on the North fork of the clearwater so regs were diff. Also been a long time so don't know if you can still do that or not. been wanting to head out too but no luck yet.

[Gobble Doc]

I caught them in deep slots right on the bottom.  If you flyfish you should try nymphing a small bead head as a dropper right on the bottom.

[Jack Diamond]

Have used special whitefish flies tipped with maggots on the Yak, and the Columbia below Priest rapids with success. You do have to be careful asking the mini-mart attendant if they have maggots.

Also used speedometer cable for weight as a sort of bottom walker.

[Gobble Doc]

 

[Skyvalhunter]

There was a time when multiple hooks on a line could be used but not a single hook must be used