Lake trout Guys

[eyesonly]

My Company makes me pick my vacation time for the following year in December. For a lake trout trip up to the Gunflint do you prefer January or March Fishing. Thanks in advance .

[leech~~]

My Company makes me pick my vacation time for the following year in December. For a lake trout trip up to the Gunflint do you prefer January or March Fishing. Thanks in advance .

Sometimes it depends on what your going to use to get around the lake?

January could have thinner ice spots and has the coldest weather of the year but March could have deep snow and slush which may mean sled and keeping the speed up a bit to your spots.

[eyesonly]

Thanks Leech... We want to fish inside the BDUB so we will be walking/ Pulling sleds.

[Wanderer]

I'd go in January if the potential cold doesn't bother you.

Travelling in the BDUB is always unpredictable in the winter. If it's bad, maybe you can exercise an option while all the major fish species are still open.

I prefer the January bite anyway.

[DooWap]

We did our first laker trip in the BDub last year and opted for March. This was mainly so we could get a handle on the challenges that this type of trip throws at you. March is more likely to give you the better weather, but we had temps go from 30 deg our first day to -20 a couple days later so who knows.

If I went again I'd like to give January a shot, only because I've heard the bite can be a bit better.

[eyesonly]

Thanks Much Guys. I just took January off.

Wanderer , I know you posted a thready about the gear you use last year but now I cant find it. Would you mind posting it again . Prefered Rod , Reel line and artificial bait choices please if you have time. How about Jigging Rippen Raps. Id bet they may work decent- anyone ever used them for winter trout ??

[NoWiser]

eyesonly,

I think you made a good call on the January dates. I haven't fished lakers in MN but have fished them many times just across the border in Canada and I can't imagine they act too much differently. On a late ice trip we may do decent but on an early January trip we KNOW that we'll do well. The fish are also much easier to find as they seem to be more concentrated around shoreline features like points and rock faces. Be sure to fish all depths, too. 45' is usually a good bet for us but last year I got all of my biggest fish in 10-20 feet of water. The year before I got a 16 pounder 3 feet under the ice in 75 feet of water.

I know they are not as popular in Minnesota but literally the only thing we bring up for fishing them are white tube jigs with a 5/16 oz. tube jig hook. We get very few lookers. If they show up, they smash it. Our first few trips we wasted money on other lures but the tube just outfished them all so badly that we gave up on them and just stick to tubes.

we use homemade rods from broken off summer rods with a cheap (the expensive ones tend to freeze up) spinning reel with 12-20 pound Pline. Stay away from braids if you don't want to battle the line freezing constantly. I also use a swivel and leader to keep my line from twisting too bad.

My last advice is to cover a lot of water! I'll rarely fish a hole for more than 10 minutes if I'm not into fish.

Have a great trip! Catching lakers is the most fun a person can have on the ice!!

[Surface Tension]

This should keep you busy.

Lake Trout Gear & Tactics

[Wanderer]

Thanks for posting that link Frank. It's epic.

Eyesonly, thanks for thinking of me when you have lakers on the brain! I'm just one of a crowd here on HSO that got obsessed with them though. Ice fishing lakers is what originally brought me to HSO. Ive learned a lot from the original veterans and just plain hard won experience. The link Frank posted is like our laker Bible.

White tubes are the bread and butter winter laker lure. Much of the other things I've used is a result of fishing pressured waters like Burntside. It does seem to help to change things up a little there.

In the B dub I think you can get away with sticking more to the basics. You don't have to overthink it. Good luck!

[Mike Stark]

Top Five Laker Lures

This is a decent thread too. You really can't go wrong with a white tube in the BDub tho.

[monstermoose78]

I got some white hair jigs can be smashing

[eyesonly]

Im thankful for the responses. Those old Threads are just the information someone needs to get started.

[Murdock26]

I also vote January. The weather is more predictable (cold) and the ice is thinner for all that hand turning you will do. I've gone in March two years and January one, we are going up again in January. The fishing is better in my opinion.

I couldn't agree more with No wiser's bait selection. If the fish are around and active a white tube is the way to go. One can drive them self crazy (and poor) finding the right lure. I like 4" tubes if you can get them, small fish eat and I like to think I can coax a larger fish into thinking it's worth his time.

I use 10 lb Fireline ice, sometimes with a mono leader, always with a swivel. Yes the line freezes but it's durable enough to handle me pulling on it to clear the line.