Inland Lake Trout Gear & Tactics

[Surface Tension]

OK, since we're getting closer to trout season and this question comes up every year I'll give this its own thread.

We'll start with rods. I like something on med/heavy action, length in 32-42. Now that could include a huge range of rods. To nail that down further, I want backbone but not a pool cue. What you have to take into account on rod selection is not so much the size fish you might catch, its the weight lures you'll be using and depth you'll be fishing. A walleye rod would get you by but the deflection as you jig larger and heavier lures won't feel good. You'll be fishing deeper then you would be eyes so you add the resistance of more line out. That means more rod bend/deflection just to jig a lure. You also lose sensitivity when the rod and weight lure isn't matched. So like I said a walleye rod would get you by but you should select lures matched for that rod.

Now that holds true for all inland laker fishing because lure weights are relitively the same and depths that I fish are all in the range that my laker rods can handle. Having said that my inland laker rods would be worthless for jigging Lake Superior lake trout. Lure weights and depths go way beyond what those rods can handle.

Reels, I prefer levelwinds, the Penn 920 and Garcia C3 to be exact. The size is a good match to the rods I use. Another reason I prefer them is if you use a braid no matter what the claims are they all will freeze if used outside in cold temps. Thats not a big problem with a levelwind but on an open face reel you'll have a mess.

Line, you could be perfectly matched with rod, reel, and lure weight but we way off on line. The resistance of deeper water not only drags on your lift, it also slows your lure drop. I use 10 lb mono and 10 lb braid. Thats enough to land huge lakers but the line dia works with my lure weights, anything heavier will coil and thats not good when you have to be in contact with your lure.

I rarely fish deeper then 60' so line strength with mono isn't any concern and either is detecting the slightest nudge.

Lures, like I said above, don't pick lure weights or lure profiles your rod will mush under. Example, an airplane jig and walleye rod won't work but a Swedish pimple or 1/4 oz Go Devil would be fine.

So heres some the lures in my laker box. Swedish pimples, Go Devils, jigging raps, airplane jigs, tubes, Erie dearies,

sonars, and cicadas

[Steve Foss]

I'm with Frank on pretty much all that.

I tend to go heavier on my three rigs. Lakers aren't line shy until you get into really heavy lines.

Even though I fish almost all the time from a heated flipover, I stay with mono for lakers. They're so strong and make such sudden runs that I like the stretch mono brings to keep rods from snapping and to help keep from tearing out hooks that may not be embedded well enough.

And a note on Bside lakers: You don't catch too many eaters on typical laker sized tubes, airplanes, etc, which tend to be a couple-three sizes larger than walleye lures. Burntside eaters (1-3 pounders) like it small, as in walleye sized. And the larger fish will readily smack a walleye-sized lure here, too.

So if you're in the market for stout laker gear, go for it, but don't be discouraged if all you have is walleye sized lures and walleye sized gear.

Here's my rundown on three rods.

1. Berkley Lightnin Rod baitcaster, 36 inches, LSIC36-MH-R, rated for 6-17 lb line. Ambassadeur 5500 C3, 12 pound Trilene XL, ball-bearing swivel, three feet of 10 lb fluoro, lure.

2. Polar HT Polar Lites series spinning, 34 inches, PL-34H, Shimano 4000 series reel, 14 lb XL, swivel, 14 lb fluro, lure. This is a $15 rod, and has plenty of backbone and a good tip. Stronger than your average walleye gear, it's just right for inland lakers, and is very affordable. If a guy wants to get started with lakers and not shell out a lot for gear, this is the rod to get and couple with a standard sized spinning reel with 10 or 12 lb line.

3. Handmade by Surface Tension 34-inch baitcaster, Ambassadeur 5500C3, 12 lb XL, swivel, 10 lb fluoro, lure.

For lures, I have one rigged with a big airplane jig or rattle spoon, which I may use to get fish to come in from distances. Second one is rigged with a No. 9 jigging rap and third with a smaller jigging spoon. Bigger the lure, bigger the chunk of cisco I tip it with.

For lakers, jig aggressively. So aggressively that any walleye in the area will be sent running away. Lakers love to chase. I like the jigging rap especially for its erratic action, and I've worked out a technique on lakers that come in all hot but just won't hit. Rell the rap up fast, watch the laker dash up on your vex but don't wait for him to get to the lure. While he's sprinting up, drop that lure back down so it's 10 feet below him, and he'll drop back down for it. Before he gets quite down to it, sprint it right back up and wait for him to get nearly to it then drop it back down past him. We're talking about 40 to 70 FOW, so you crank it up above him 20 feet, even, and drop it back below him 10 or 20 feet. Keep doing this and it can drive that laker crazy. After a few cycles of this, when I crank it up hard and he dashes up to get it, I just hold it still and let him come, and lots of times that'll do the trick.

Egg 'em on, I say.

Other days, they're all over it right from the start. My best day on Bside, a five fish day including a 12, was with a walleye-sized flutter spoon.

If you don't have electronics, drop your lure to the bottom and bang it off the bottom a few times, then reel up a few feet and jig aggressively, working your way up the water column until you're right below the ice. Then drop the lure back to the bottom and do it again. Drill lots of holes around a piece of structure, because you may want to hole hop as the day goes on.

For my second line, it's always a tip-up, and unless I've got a dead frozen cisco sitting on the bottom hoping for one of those giant scavenger vacuum cleaner lakers to scoop it up, I never bother with dead bait, though lots of guys use dead cisco or smelt all the time.

My preference is a lively golden shiner or big rainbow chub half way down the water column about 30 feet from where I'm jigging. Often enough, I'll have a laker come in on my lure and not hit no matter what I do. Then, 30 seconds after it swims off for good I hear the jingle bells of my flag popping. I've had some days where I get more action on the tip-up than my lures.

To move or stay put when fishing lakers? Well, that's the question. Some days I like to jump around, but that's more me than the fish. If you're on a good spot, lakers will move through. So, electronics or not (they make it more lively), don't get impatient. You can jig and jig and jig for four hours until it seems like your arm is going to fall off and you believe the day is shot, but if lakers wake up or move through, you can get several fish in rapid succession, and all it takes is a couple nice fish to completely change the complection of the day.

I supposed I've had my most consistently fast action on high pressure days when it's clear and very cold, but I've had plenty of fast days when it's warm and cloudy, and slow days in all those conditions too.

[Jorgie]

Thats some great info guys. I'm looking to try laker fishing for the first time this year, so this is really helpful. When does the season start? I don't have my MN guidebook with me at work.

And where would be a good place to try my hand? I've been told Burntside is good because there is a good spot close to the landing.

[spivak]

Thanks for the gear information. What sort of structure do you target during the winter? I've read and tried many things on the BWCA lakes and I can't say I've convinced myself on what i need to concentrate on. Last winter i was fishing in the BWCA off the Gunflint and trying to hit several different structure types. I ended up creeping onto some flats with no apparant structure to speak of and that's where i found fish--I could only get them to hit on an 1/8 th ounce jig with a shiner head. I had to set the rod on the ice and watch the line for them to nudge it--this dead stick thing has worked for me a couple of times. All the theory makes so much sense until I'm on foot on the frozen expanse of a lake wondering where the heck to start.

[Steve Foss]

Jorgie: Inland season on lakes totally outside the Bdub starts Jan. 13. On lakes inside or partly inside, it starts Dec. 30. Burntside is good because it's easy to access, it's big, it's got lots of trout of all sizes and you can get to good fishiing easily from both public accesses.

Spivak: Sure you aren't talking about stream trout? Rainbows and brookies? What you described sounds like typical stream trout behavior. However, lots of times winter lakers will come into shallower flats to feed. Most guys just tend to target humps, main lake points and dropoffs around 50FOW because there are almost always lakers hanging around there, or traveling through, and the shallow flats are pretty hit or miss because you don't tend to find lakers there unless they've put on the feed bag.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

wow, i suddenly have that warm tingly feeling coarsing through my body. god i cant wat for laker season! i caught the bug BAD last year doing my research project on those buggers. Its pretty much all i think about when im ice fishing now. i catch myself playing the chase game with walleyes, and have to take a step back and remember what im fishing for again.

most of the lures ive used are basically walleye sized. i havent hooked into any MONSTER lakers yet through the ice, but i got a nice 27 incher last summer and that was on a 1/2 oz bucktail jig, so maybe i'll try going a little bigger this winter.

im with catfish on the line, i too prefer 10lb mono. those swimmers can SMACK that lure and its nice to have a little extra stretch to absorb that initial jolt.

oh my god, im getting the shakes!!!! what a buzz that laker fishin is! best crack on the market!

Steve, lookin forward to opener up there with BWtrout, Chunky and yourself. are you gonna spend the whole weekend on Da' B, or will you try the pit for a few 'bows? i'll be doin both, so im sure we'll see ya somewhere.

[Steve Foss]

Jason, with any given laker maybe being that magical 20, I just don't have much interest in streamers anymore, so I'm a Bside boy as soon as Jan. 13 rolls around. I imagine I may swing over on the sled to Brent's area of the pit over the weekend, tho.

[Duffman]

Quote:

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Jorgie: Inland season on lakes totally outside the Bdub starts Jan. 13. On lakes inside or partly inside, it starts Dec. 3.

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December 30th not 3rd.

[Northlander]

Like Steve said on Burntside I have had my best luck with a golden on a tip up and jigging either jigging raps or tinglers or flasher spoons. A slender spoon would be another great option. Small tubes got some lookers but no takers.

[Shawnny B]

What about a cisco or a smelt on the tipup?

ShawnnyB

[Northlander]

Yes you can do that as well.

[Leaky]

Good Stuff!!!

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Chunks of Ciscos on a jigging spoon is my go to. also a tipup with a cisco laying near the bottom, or also try varying layers of the water column and see where they want it. careful, cause once you get into fish, its an addiction that WILL consume you year-round

[2mar-oh]

Ok, I'm new to the site here, unless I'm reading something with Shawnny B. I've been tring to find some of the gear you have been talking about. but can't seem to find it. this has gotten me more interested in lakers from the research i"ve been doing, I don't want to get out there and find out I shoud have gotten this or gotten that, do you really need alot of the different equipment your talking about?

[2mar-oh]

You keep talking levelwind reels, will any bait caster reel do (low profile), or is there a problem with freezing up?

[Steve Foss]

Quote:

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December 30th not 3rd.

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Typo!!! Fixed it. Good catch.

[Steve Foss]

2mar:

Welcome to FM. Great to have you here.

A levelwind is an old man's (sorry Frank) way of saying baitcaster, because the pawl cycling back and forth keeps the line wound in a level way across the spool. Any baitcaster or spinning reel will eventually freeze up if you're jigging outside in cold weather, as water builds up.

Here's what I said above about walleye type lures/gear:

Quote:

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And a note on Bside lakers: You don't catch too many eaters on typical laker sized tubes, airplanes, etc, which tend to be a couple-three sizes larger than walleye lures. Burntside eaters (1-3 pounders) like it small, as in walleye sized. And the larger fish will readily smack a walleye-sized lure here, too.

So if you're in the market for stout laker gear, go for it, but don't be discouraged if all you have is walleye sized lures and walleye sized gear. My best day on Bside, a five fish day including a 12, was with a walleye-sized flutter spoon.

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[Surface Tension]

Actually Penn refers to its 920 LevelMatic as a levelwind and Garcia refers its C3 as a casting reel. Those two would be in the same class as far as internal clutches and brakes to ease in castability. In the case of Daiwa the Firewolf series which would also be a good choice and is called a levelwind.

Note, that some levlewinds aren't intended to cast.

Anyway what your looking for is a large open line guide.

Pick a reel with a small line guide and it'll plug up with ice fast. Next is retrieve ratios, pick something with a lower retrieve ratio. Reel size. just like open water you'll most likely palm your reel but you 'll have on mitts. The small low profile reels just won't do and most likely it'll have the small line guide as well.

I've missed a lot of lures but will have to mention the Slender Spoon by Custom Jigs & Spins.

Your allowed 2 lines so by all means set out a tipup or if the temps aren't too cold to where your hole isn't freezing a second rod. Go with a smelt, ciscoe or minnow.

I've always used smelt on tipups and did well till one trip ciscoes seemed to work better. I then switched to using ciscoes. My catch rate for lake trout using ciscoes on tipups went way down. Last winter I switched back to smelt and its game on.

Tipping lures, I use a half of minnow or cut ciscoe. Ciscoes have more scent and that tuff hide and hold onto a hook longer.

Thats important because Lake Trout will stun is prey by rushing in swatting it. Then they turn around and might swat at it again. If you bait falls off thats not a good thing.

This also leads into another topic. Watch your sonar, when a laker comes in give him just enough time to make a hit before it becomes bored of your offering. Spark that hunter in him and take the lure away by reeling up 5' and give a couple sharp lifts. Hes going to follow and you need to be reacting to what he does next which is a strike or a swat attack. If he comes up then disappears off the screen he made his pass and will come back to finish you off. Don't give him too much time before you take the lure away again.

This could go on all the way to the bottom of the ice.

Look down the hole and enjoy the show. Hopefully you hooked that bad boy but if you didn't take the lure out of the hole, quickly make sure you have meat on the lure still and send it back down to about 10' below the ice. Be ready because he might come charging in. What ever happens next will happen but one thing is for sure, your hooked on Laker fishin!

[Quickstrike]

Quote:

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Jorgie: Inland season on lakes totally outside the Bdub starts Jan. 13. On lakes inside or partly inside, it starts Dec. 30.

Hey Steve, isn't it lakes entirely within the BWCA that open Dec 30, while lakes partly inside and lakes outside open Jan. 13? I'm pretty sure they need to entirely within the BWCA to be eligible for the early start.

[Steve Foss]

Jeez, Kent. You're exactly right. Goofed that one, didn't I, and I knew better, just got my words mixed up. Darn good thing you were there to catch it. I must be getting old or something.

[Quickstrike]

I wouldn't say old.........just excited for that first laker of the winter!

[Steve Foss]

Thanks for being charitable, Kent. But old plus excited can lead to some very BAD moments. Ever watched grandpa scream and holler at idiots on the TV? NOT pretty, and there's always a mess to clean up after.

[Neiko]

I have never ice fished for Lakers but plan to this year. Could I use my summer rod with just half the rod and leadcore line with a mono leader?

[Quickstrike]

I would not use leadcore, I like using power-pro with a 6 ft fleurocarbon leader, while most guys go with straight mono. I don't know exactly you mean by "using half a rod" but I have seen people fishing on Superior for lakers with full sized rods through the ice. I personally would invest in a ice rod, you can get cheap ones for under 10 bucks.

[yukon]

I use my regular winter walleye jigging rod and reel. I have one loaded with 8lb spider wire. I like to jig spoons and tube jigs. I have tipped them with chunks of minnow or used without. Doesn;t really seem to matter. On my tipups I tie on a 10 ft mono leader and have used ciscos, smelt and minnows. On burntside I have had the best luck with small shiners way up in the water column.

[A1000HOOK]

Does anyone have any Tingler spoons for sale ? I tried the

Blue Fox company, no luck.

[Steve Foss]

They have been discontinued the last year or two. Try Custom Jigs & Spins Slender spoons. Virtually identical profile and action to the Tingler.

[Northlander]

Sadly enough the Tinglers are no longer made. We thought we had someone to make them for us again but he took the originals and I havent heard from him since.

The Custom Jigs and Spins Slender spoons will do the same thing and the paint on the slenders is much better and doesnt rust up like the old Tinglers did.

You can find them at Gander, Marine General and Fishermans corner may have them.

[sparetime]

Post deleted by sparetime

[sparetime]

Thanks for the info and post on Lake Trout gear and tactics.