Best lake trout lures

[Steve Foss]

Hey everyone:

Here's your chance to chime in. I'm starting my first season lake trout and splake fishing through the ice. Fished lakers in open water before and have done lots of ice fishing, just never combined the two. So tell me, what are the best lures. Will my big Kastmaster spoons and jumbo jigging Raps be in the ballpark, or am I looking at a new home mortgage for a whole new lure layout? Throw in a few techniques too, if you don't mind. Thanks kindly.

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Steve ([email protected])

[Xplorer]

Steve,
Personally, I dont think you need to come close to mortgaging anything to initially get outfitted for trout. For lakers I've done the best with 1/2 oz. northland bucktail jigs in white, yellow and glow. A couple airlplane jigs in the same. A bag of salted lake shiners from the bait box and your set!! I've done most of my winter trout fishing up near Atikokan, Ontario and thats all I've used. You can also try scented tube jigs, sonars, larger jigging spoons or dead rigging a large shiner/cisco. If you go over to the Apostle island area alot of guys will be "bobbing" using "beetles" with cutbait. Ask the guys in the washburn baitshop how to rig it up, can be deadly.
Alot of what you use, and the size, will depend on how deep you will be fishing. I dont usually fish more than 50' deep so a 1/2 oz is fine, deeper and you may want to go to a 1 oz.
With the misses and I having a little one on the way, I will most likely not be getting up to Canada this year (no extra days) so will need to do some exploring on our NW Minn. trout lakes this year.
Have only fished splake a couple of times over on chequamegon bay, in front of the onion and soiux rivermouths. Used small/med swedish pimples and shiner head.
Sorry so long, but hopefully gives you a start.
Xplorer

[Xplorer]

Steve, missed the techniques question.
Do you have a vexilar? If so you've cut the learning curve in half or more. Many trout suspend and being able to see them above/below your rig is very helpful. If not, the method I was told to follow as a novice was to drop bait down to the bottom. Reel up in 5 ft intervals and jig for a few seconds and let set, reel up and jig and let set and repeat all the way up. Many times trout have hit a jig within 10 ft of the ice. With the vex I have watched a trout follow my jig/shiner up 30' and smacked it, quite a rush!! And man, winter lakers fight! Xplorer

[Steve Foss]

Hey Xplorer:

Thanks for the tips. I've got a Vex. My catch rate doubled after I got it. Nice to see all those suspended fish, and to be able to tease the ones right below the lure. Have heard the tales of lakers charging up to smack lures through the ice. Can't wait to see it happen. If you're looking for company on some of your NW Minn explorations, let me know.

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Steve ([email protected])

[Early Riser]

I like to fish lake trout in relatively shallow water on BWCA lakes in the Grand Marais area. They seem more aggressive and are in as shallow as 4-6' in the early morning and evenings. I like to use a sweedish pimple with a live chub and jig right off the bottom.