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lake trouting for beginners... please help


joeyquicksand*

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I'm going to try and get some lakers this weekend, but don't know where to begin. I've never been lake troutn' so, can someone give me some tips on what to use, how to do it, etc.?

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I responded to your post about grindstone too...but anyway, you'll get lot's of advice if you post this question in the duluth/BWCA forum, but I'll give you a quick run down. As far as rods go you'll be fine with your typical walleye gear. With jigs you'll want to get some swedish pimples and jigging spoons in the 1/4 to 1/2 ounce range...I like white, blue, silver, and/or chartreuse. Bucktails and airplane jigs are good too. Some plain ol' northland jigheads with 3" white power grubs tipped with a minnow can also be deadly. As far as bait goes, you can go with large crappie minnows and shiners or small sucker minnows. Depending upon the forage base of the lake your in, frozen cisco or smelt are really good. Well, that wasn't exactly a quick run down, but hopefully it's some helpful information. Once you catch a laker through the ice your going to be hooked for life!

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Have caught lots of lakers in northern mn.Like to use 10lbs. no stretch fusion line,30" med rod. I tape a paper clip on rod handle just behind reel with electrical tape.

Put the rod in wire rod holder,set rod holder on the ice, drop a 3.5 to 4 inch sucker to the bottom in 35. to

55ft. Then bring it back up 24-36" off bottom. Keep the reel bail open and pull line into paper clip. I then use a small piece of folded tin foil like off a marboro pack, I twist or pinch this on line two inches below rod tip . as a line marker. I fish two lines 100ft apart. When laker hits will pull line out of clip and reel will free spool,you will see line marker gone and line flying out, FISH ON. PS, My 1st laker was on a tip-up 50ft. of water north of grand rapids, 7am -28 air temp. was a nice 6 pounder, I was hooked. But haven't use tip-up since for lakers, 1oo plus yards of line out is no fun at -28. Rod and reel with no strecth line is much better.

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