Inland Lake Trout Gear & Tactics

[harvey lee]

If one is looking for the 1/4 oz Go Devils for the bash, check them out here. Tipped with a minnow they will catch lakers as we did fairly well with them on the Gunflint lake this past weekend.

http://outdoorprostore.com/glow-devil.html

[Huey]

GoggleEye-

It might not be the lake he's talking about, but I think Courthouse lake in Chaska has lakers. It definitely has rainbows.

Huey

[GoggleEye]

Thanks Huey. I will have to look further into it. I would love to find a lake around here with lakers in it. I already have a rainbow honey hole (not square, although there are some nice ones in there too) and a laker spot would be nice to add. Seeing how all the lakes are [PoorWordUsage] for panfish around here, I am going to go after trout and walleyes from here on out. Good luck to you.

GoggleEye

[DTro]

anyone ever tried a chubby darter for lakers?

[Northlander]

Yes and they do work. I havent found a fish yet that wont hit a chubby darter or jiggin rap in the right color and size.

[andrew chadwick]

I am almost all ready.

I got a stradic w/ 10 lb mono, and a twist bait caster with a reel with mono for outside, and powerpro for inside.

My question is how much does the 10 lb line affect the action of the small jigging spoons?

[Quickstrike]

I love Chubby Darters for Lakers. The blue and silver with the red belly is one of my favorites when fishing somewhat shallow water. The only problem is that when fishing deep water or water with current their light profile makes them hard to pick up on the Marcum.

[Surface Tension]

Chad, 10lb and 1/4oz Go Devils work just fine in 50' of water.

[Steve Foss]

I've also used chubby darters for lakers with good success. Even if the lakers won't end up going for them they are good call-in lures. That tight hard wiggle when you sweep the rod up sends vibration a long ways, and lakers will respond.

Then, if they go for the darter, cool. If not, I have a second and a third rod ready, the second rod with a Slender spoon or jigging rap and the third with a smaller offering like and Angel Eye or 1/4 oz Go Devil. They generally stay interested long enough for you to pull one lure if they don't want that and drop down the next one.

Gets to be a bit of an adventure.

[Steve Foss]

With the Burntside Bash only a week away, I thought I'd post my setup. It's tailored for Burntside, which is known as a lake in which the lakers may tell you to use smaller lures. Probably because the forage base is mostly stunted smelt. I had a request to post pics of typical lures and rod/reel setups on another FM board, so thought I'd put it in here, too.

First, two of my three typical laker setups. The baitcasting rig is an Amassadeur 5500c3 on a Berkley Genz Rod medium-heavy 36 inch rod designed for lakers. I've held the great Jason Mitchell Laker Rod, made by an HSO/FM site sponsor, and it felt just great, but don't have one yet.

The second is a Shimano Sonora 2500 on a Polar HT PL-34H 34-inch heavy action rod. The spinning rod looks longer than the baitcaster in the pic, but it's not. Just a trick of the camera angle.

I spool both with 12 lb Trilene XL, good old-fashioned limp Trilene. Superbraids work great in a heated house, but I do some hole-hopping outdoors, too, and braids grab water and freeze up faster than mono. I add a ball bearing swivel and three feet of 12 lb fluorocarbon leader, then a crosslock snap and the lure. The swivel is because most jigging lures spin to some degree and the swivel cancels that out. The fluoro just as a precaution. Lakers aren't line shy, but in the gin-clear water on most lake trout lakes, I don't take any chances.

Lures in the first two are the Slender spoon and a jigging Rap, both tipped with a chunk of cut cisco.

When downsizing (the fish will tell you do to this if they won't go for your larger lures,) I go for the angel eye (left) and 1/4 oz go devil (both also available in the online store). Note that when I say "larger" I'm only talking walleye sized lures or slightly larger.

Another lure I use a lot when downsizing is the Nils master jigger shad in its smallest size. All three of these last lures are designed for crappies and walleyes, but on Burntside, small rules on some days. Nils is in the online store, too.

[Northlander]

I dont think you can get the Nilsmaster jiggin shads online here. You can however get them at Gander, Marine General and several other places around Duluth/Superior and the range.

Another very simular lure is the rapala jiggin shads. I caught quite a few lakers on them last year in glow/green and glow/blue

I just picked up more of both these at the above mentioned stores. I also think Fishermans Corner carries some but supply is limited.

In my experience greens and blues work very good in B-side.

[nolte]

Have you guys found a preference for snipping off the nose/tail hooks on a jigging rap/shad for trout? I've caught eyes on mainly the nose and bottom treb, but very few on back one. I generally don't clip, because they haven't caused me any problems yet.

I've only caught a few lakers on them, and haven't noticed which one get's hit more often. Without clipping them, is hangup at the hole a problem?

[Northlander]

Ya some guys clip both some just clip one or the other. I leave them on most of the time. I have lost a few fish at the bottom of the hole due to the front or back hook snagging on the ice. Not enough to clip all them. Plus fish dont always hit just the treble. I also catch a lot of fish on the front hooks.

[Quickstrike]

I leave them as well. It seems that most of my fish do come on the treble, but I have gotten some on the front or back hooks as well.

[Steve Foss]

I clip all mine off. I did that after three years of using jigging raps a lot and noticing two things. One, while a front or back hook sometimes was hooked in the fish's mouth, the treble almost ALWAYS was. Two, I lost about one fish in five or six by those front and rear trebles catching on the bottom of the hole. So I figured my odds were better of actually landing more jigging Rap fish with the hooks cut off.

That was eight years ago, and I've fished next to folks with all the hooks on their raps and done as well, over time, so I don't think cutting them off hurts anything.

I also have a couple swim lures that only come with the dangling center treble and do well with those, too, further evidence in my book that the front and rear single hooks on raps and similar lures are there to catch anglers, not fish.

Now, that's just my take. Everybody's got a different way of looking at things, and nobody's is the only way.

[Quickstrike]

 Originally Posted By: Northlander

I dont think you can get the Nilsmaster jiggin shads online here. You can however get them at Gander, Marine General and several other places around Duluth/Superior and the range.

Another very simular lure is the rapala jiggin shads. I caught quite a few lakers on them last year in glow/green and glow/blue

I just picked up more of both these at the above mentioned stores. I also think Fishermans Corner carries some but supply is limited.

In my experience greens and blues work very good in B-side.

Actually I was just at Marine General and they do not have the Nils jigging shads. They do have the hali swim baits and the Rapala Jigging Shads however. I had to pick up in the colors that Northlander had success with last year. They are running out of Slender Spoons quickly as well.

[DTro]

Ok, I have 50lb (I think it’s green) colored PP spooled on my 5500C3, something tells me I won’t be doing a whole lot of hole hopping outside next weekend. Having said that, is the dark colored line in crystal clear water going to play against me?

Is it worth spooling some mono?

Or do the benefits of no stretch and power outweigh the visibility factor?

[Steve Foss]

No stretch is a good way to go inside. I've used dark green mono for lakers and caught fish, but I always tie on a ball bearing swivel and a fluoro leader of about three feet. The swivel takes out the line twist, and the fluoro eases my mind about the fish seeing the line. In my experience lakers are not line shy, but I figure why take chances?

[Surface Tension]

Dtro, if I had just one jigging rod for lakers it would have mono on it. You won't be able to go outside with the PP, then again if its cold you won't be outside anyway. I'd take off the 55lb PP and just spool up with 10 or 12 lb mono. Line stretch at the depths we fish lakers won't be a problem. Heck, when I troll for eyes I have a lot more the 60' of line out and I use 8-10 lb mono for that.

[Steve Foss]

I second the thoughts on line stretch. I've rarely got 50 feet of mono out when I set the hook (more often 20-35,) and that's not enough stretch to matter in these days of longer laker rods.

[Xplorer]

Well, after some quick financial decisions, I am now the proud owner of a 5500c3 and a Mitchell rod (which wont probably make it to me in time for the Bash, but it will keep me anticipating the mail every day next week when i get home

I got the 5500 for $49.95, does that sound right?? The price on the wall said 79.95, so i wasnt gonna whine. I even made sure that what i got was the right reel, and it is (very smooth by the way). I've got a spool of clear 10# XL at home that will have a new home!! Bring on the Bash.

[Steve Foss]

Chris, a $50 clearance sale price on the 5500 is about ballpark. Could be Ambassadeur is updating the series so all this year's reels gotta go. Best darn baitcasting series for the money (along with the 6500 series) that I've ever found.

You might be surprised how fast the Mitchell rod gets to you. Here's hoping! Have you got a baitcasting ice rod to use in the meanwhile in case it doesn't come in time?

[Jim Almquist]

Xplorer if you ordered it from the factory you will get on tue or wed. I got he last one at marine General for 20% off but it was the last one so I ordered one from them on sun received on wed. I was so impressed with the feel and build I had to order one for Lisa.

[northwoodsdreamr]

Xplorer, I broke down and ordered the Mitchell rod today also. I called after ordering it online and they said it would be here Mon. or Tue. at latest. The cheapest I have found the 5500C3 so far is 79.95 so it sounds like you got a great deal.

[Surface Tension]

That sounds like a good price for the reel.

You'll like that match up with the Jason Mitchell 36" Mackinaw rod.

Gosh with so many guys with the same rigs we better put our names on them.

[harvey lee]

Seems the Mitchell 36" maciknaw rod will be a popular rod along with all Jasons other models.

[Powerstroke]

Looks like no one will get confused with my Thorne Bros 36" Pro Graphite. It'll be the one with the "should-be retired" Shimano 4000 rear drag.

I caught all my lakers last year on the Rapala Jigging shads. Glow orange and glow blue. In the smaller sizes no doubt.

I'm hoping to get one on the tip-up this year though.

[Capt.Blaine]

Powerstroke, how do you like that rod? I just got mine Monday havent tried it out yet.

[Xplorer]

Dreamer,

I picked my 5500 up from Gander here in Duluth on lunch today. If I wasnt going out of town first thing tomorrow AM I'd go get another one for you and bring it to the Bash. If you've got a Gander near you I'd call to see what price comes up on it.

Thanks for the heads up on the quick shipping Jim as I did order it from the factory (with my luck tho it will show up on Wed when the Mrs is home )

Steve, BTW I did notice that they had a 5500c4 on the wall, so maybe you are right on the clearance/upgrade part, but i got a email notice today from Reeds of a ice fishing clearance sale, and their price was still 74.99 for the c3? And no, I dont have another baitcaster rod, except for the 6'6" that I use for bottom bouncing in summer. I dont think that will fit in the Otter tho

See what you started Frank?????!!!!

[andrew chadwick]

I just picked up a 42 inch genz stick It is now paired with a 2000 series stradic, and 10 lb mono. I like the feel, I just hope it fits in my house!