Where are trout right after ice-out?
Shallow — all three species, and it is the easiest big-fish window of the year. With the whole lake sitting at a uniform 4 °C (39 °F), the temperature wall that exiles lake trout to the depths does not exist yet, so 10 kg (22 lb) lakers cruise shoreline rocks and wind-blown points in 2–5 m (6–16 ft) of water, catchable on a casted spoon from shore. Rainbows stage off tributary mouths, gathering for their spring spawning run as meltwater pulls them in. Brook trout slide to warming shallow bays. At 45°N this window runs roughly mid-April to mid-May; farther north it shifts weeks later and lasts longer.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
Same topic, other species
- When and where do crappie stage before the spawn? — Crappie
- At what water temperature do largemouth start biting in spring? — Largemouth Bass
- Where are muskie before the spawn, right after ice-out? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- Where do perch stage before the spawn? — Yellow Perch
- Where are pike in the weeks before they spawn? — Northern Pike
- At what water temperature do smallmouth start feeding in spring? — Smallmouth Bass
- When and where does the walleye pre-spawn happen? — Walleye