This overhanging snout is believed to be an adaptation for feeding on bottom-dwelling invertebrates and fish. The thick-walled stomach of the whitefish resembles the gizzard of a chicken. And like some birds, whitefish ingest gravel and pebbles, which they hold in their stomachs, presumably to help grind food.

Whitefish and tullibees spawn on gravel bars in 6 to 20 feet of water in fall, when water cools into the mid-40°F range. Eggs incubate slowly under ice, hatching in early spring. At ice-out, whitefish forage in shallow water on invertebrates and minnows. During spring and early summer, they sometimes enter warmer surface waters or even shallow bays to feed on insects or small minnows.

Once the thermocline develops, however, these coldwater species remain almost exclusively below or near it, where water temperatures remain in their preferred range. They’ve become a popular sportfish, pursued by anglers who combine sonar with trolling techniques, or who vertically jig small baits.

Under the ice, they scatter throughout lake basins, where water temperature varies little and plentiful oxygen exists in the infertile lakes where they thrive. In the large mesotrophic lakes these fish occupy in Minnesota, they often feed on deep main-lake structure that also holds walleyes and perch. Look for them on deep gravel and rock bars that rise from the deep lake basin into the 30-foot range.

In lakes where they aren’t abundant, making contact with roving bands of whitefish can be difficult. The best strategy is to stay mobile by pulling a portable shelter in a pickup, or behind a snowmobile or ATV. Cut a series of holes toward the tip of a point and out into the basin. Lures attract whitefish cruising the area, so don’t consider a blank sonar screen reason not to drop a line.

But don’t dally long, for a few minutes of jigging in each of a series of holes should attract a bite if a school’s nearby. You may catch only a few or maybe only two from a hole before the group moves on. Move to the the next structural element and check it. Like tullibees, whitefish feed most actively during early morning and toward dusk.

Whitefish hit 1/4- to 1/2-ounce jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head, and they also strike live minnows set on tip-ups. Spoons of chrome, chrome-blue, and chrome-red seem particularly attractive, based on the limited experience of the In-Fisherman staff.

Despite the shape of the mouth, whitefish are piscivorous. In summer, they sometimes strike large minnowbaits trolled deep for walleyes or pike. In Canadian lakes where whitefish are more abundant, ice fishermen set up on deep underwater points extending out into the basin of the main lake. The tops of such bars may range from 15 to 30 feet in depth and slope into 60 to 100 or more feet of water. Groups of whitefish apparently move from one point to another in search of prey. They also may group on flats that range from 20 to 40 feet deep.

For unlike walleyes and perch that seem to move onto structures and hold on them for weeks, groups of whitefish may feed briefly on a spot, then wander to another. In the southern part of their range, whitefish usually comprise incidental catches, though highly memorable ones, as these 5- to 8-pounders usually convince walleye anglers that they’ve hooked a record-class ‘eye.