Winter Lake Trout

[JerkinLips]

This may end up be a quiet topic, but I thought I would share my results (and lack there of) because of my love for late winter lake trout fishing.  Went to Burntside Lake on Thursday, February 27th for my first time there this winter, and like my last 3 trips there last year I was skunked.

 

It was a very windy day so I fished in a spot next to a cliff to avoid the wind.  I found 4" of hard pack snow on top of 3" of water over 20+" of ice.  I was able to avoid the water (most of the time) by sitting in my sled portable and walking around very carefully.  I had no bites in 10+ hours fishing and only 3 "follows" of my pike suckers and jig.  Was still a very enjoyable day on the ice.  I saw a few other people out fishing, and was surprised to see that somebody had plowed a huge road out from Van Vac landing and plowed spots for wheelhouses.  Currently there were 8 of them on the ice.

 

My success on Burntside has definitely diminished in the last few years.  Guess I need to get to "10,000 jigs" to catch another.  Or maybe I will take the tough trip into the BWCA to enjoy the wilderness.

[Wanderer]

It’s been all of 7 years since I’ve fished Burntside.  The last time I also brought my wheelhouse up and headed out of Van Vac.  That was a scary ride down the hill at 11pm when I showed up.  The switchback access road was iced up and the weight got me sliding like I was on a luge.  I intentionally put my rig into the snowbank before I got to the 2nd turn.  It was enough to slow me down that I could make that corner.  I left the lake out of Camp Van Vac and that wasn’t easy either with the double layer of ice.

 

The lake ice conditions you described are too familiar to me for this time of year.  I’ve  had a wheelhouse out there twice in my years of fishing it, otherwise it’s been sled or wheeler travel only - which is a way better idea!

 

Reports have been so quiet from there, I’ve wondered if the fishing got tougher or if it’s just the shift in social media that’s the reason.

 

March trips for me have always had that great expectation but honestly, most March trips for lakers have been a bust.  I’ve been in Canada the past 3 years at this time and only 1/3 were good laker trips.  No trip this year and I’m OK with that.

 

All this to say, I still miss ice fishing that lake!  I was looking over some of my old spots on my mapping app and thought how nice it would’ve been to have that back in the glory days!  
 

Good luck and thanks for posting!

 

*6 years, 11 mos, based on a phone pic. *  

Edited 2 hours ago by Wanderer

[mbeyer]

Is Burntside "the Laker" spot to fish in the area? Is that a matter of convenience or is Lake Trout populations far better there than any other lake??