Inland Lake Trout Gear & Tactics

[Steve Foss]

Wanderer, I talked to a guy up on la Croix who does essentially the same thing, though he keeps his second line (with a plastic tube or plastic swimbait) about 5 feet under the ice at all times. Same philosophy tho.

On the 6 lb white braid, I dunno about the mono/fluoro leader. I generally use one because most of my rigs are mono in the first place, and it's easiest to just trim off about 3 feet and use it as a leader below my ball bearing swivel. On my superbraid rigs (15 lb, 4 lb diameter), I just use more superbraid for the leader below the swivel and that works just fine. But my braid is dark green.

I wonder if the white braid wouldn't disappear against the ice/sky when a laker is looking at it?

[Wanderer]

Yeah, I'm sure others have done this but I haven't read about it before. It's just something I learned from doing. It's tough to come up with a new one you guys haven't heard of or seen before!

[Murdock268]

The air bubbles in the line is an intersting fact, thanks. I will have another spool ready with some mono because I know it works. Rochester is too far a drive to have the wrong line.

[leech~~]

What is your personal slot for eater Lakers?

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Nothing over 25 inches for me. That starts getting to be an old fish and a good breeder size. I despise seeing big females of any species taken out of a system, but especially lake trout since they are found in so few lakes. And especially in B-Side since it gets pounded so hard.

[Murdock268]

I let as many as possible go. Sometimes they swallow the hook on my tip-up so those are the ones I end up keeping. Otherwise the rest go back regardless. That's one good thing about fishing is we can let 99% of the fish go. I know how long it takes for these fish grow and how long they can live. I always have my camera on me for the pic and back she goes for other HSO users to catch.

[Steve Foss]

And especially in B-Side since it gets pounded so hard.

And isn't getting stocked anymore.

[KingOscar]

For what it's worth I tried using a Macho Minnow tipped with a minnow head last year and the Lakers just loved it.

[leech~~]

For what it's worth I tried using a Macho Minnow tipped with a minnow head last year and the Lakers just loved it.

What kind of minnow head? I have one in my box and want the Lakers to love it too!

[KingOscar]

Shiner, chub, whatever. Doesn't seem to matter. I tried tail sections but that was a no go.

[JBMasterAngler]

I plan on trying a little bit of everything this weekend...rainbows and shiners, shiner heads, wether on a jig, spoon, or plane hook.

[jeremydeel]

nice topic. thanks

[rkhinrichs]

I normally use frozen ciscos in the summer time, but can i use rainbow or shinner minnows, for lakers to save some money??

[reinhard1]

plain frozen smelt or ciscos are now not legal to use for bait. they must be "preserved" and some bait shops have these. you must also have the package they came in when fishing. nothing wrong with using the baits you describe as long as they are in a non-designated trout lake. good luck.

[rkhinrichs]

yea a thing of 6 ciscos in canada is a little spending, i normally cut them in cisco steaks. and work good but still lose a lot of them to the lakers. so i think im going to shinners and rainbows to get more bang for my buck

[Mike Stark]

^^^

only 1 month till opener inside the BWCA.

[Jim Almquist]

Just thought I would give this a bump with the Burntside Bash only 2 weeks a way.

[Mike Stark]

This is Northland's new Rippin' Shad. I have caught a lot of trout on this lure this winter. The 2in Sexy Shad(Glow) has produced the best for me. They have lots of other colors that should work too. Red Rock Wilderness Store outside Ely has a great selection of them.

[KingOscar]

Mike, how do you fish that? Agressive jigging until the fish come in then hold it steady or keep it moving?

[Mike Stark]

Mike, how do you fish that? Agressive jigging until the fish come in then hold it steady or keep it moving?

I like to give it hard 3-4ft rips. Then giggle it. Then rip it. Sometimes the fish want it sitting still to eat and others like it moving away from them. Depends on the fishes mood. I usually always keep it moving(rattling)a little bit when fish are around. A couple fish have hit the lure sitting dead still tho.

[KingOscar]

Thanks Mike, got a couple ordered since Gander is already taking down the ice fishing tackle. Do you tip the rear treble with a minnow head?

[thatoneguy]

I do a bit of laker fishing when I go up to Ontario in the summer. Would that Rippin Shad be a decent bet for open-water vertical jigging as well?

[Mike Stark]

Thanks Mike, got a couple ordered since Gander is already taking down the ice fishing tackle. Do you tip the rear treble with a minnow head?

[Mike Stark]

thought it was time to give this a bump.

[Surface Tension]

Mike were two months away from Trout of the Laker Variety Season.

Where you going to open?

Whats new in gear and whats the hot?

I heard from GO VHS free ciscoes will be available without the all preservatives.

Discuss.

[JBMasterAngler]

I tried jigging rattle traps for the 1st time last year, this year I'm excited to try jigging rippin' shads. I was goofing around with this this past fall, and noticed they can put out a very good rattle/vibration with slower more subtle presentations.

[Early Riser]

I keep it very simple. In many lakes in the Grand Marais area my lake trout fishing, or any type of winter trout fishing, is done in lest than 15' of water, mostly in 6-12'. I use a gliding jig, any color, 8lb XL, with a small fathead or cut bait. Drill a line of holes along likely shorelines or points, drop jig to bottom, gently jig while maintaining a neutral feel on the drop. Most days they bite just as it is starting its decent. These are typically clear natural lake trout lakes. Most of our fish are 1-4 pounders, with the occasional bigger fish. I only spend a few minutes per hole to know if fish are there or not, work the line of holes, go back to cold holes occasionally to see if anyone is home. If they are biting I have caught as many as 15 lake trout out of one hole within 15 minutes. Most of the time it is one to three out of a hole before I move on.

I have fished Sag a few times. That fishing was in 25-40 feet with flashy spoons with a bit of cut bait, jigged in same fashion. These were bigger fish, up to 14 pounds.

The other main scenario for winter lake trout are bays on Lake Superior north of the border, up to and including Thunder Bay itself. This is done late winter into March, and sometimes even into early April. It is not for the faint of heart, but absolutely beautiful. It is done in a group, not typically alone. You are often snowmobiling or walking over snow free ice looking down into that mysterious dark clear water. One day you might be standing on cakes of thicker 12" ice. If the wind changes to the NE the ice that was relatively continuous out several miles can be all gone without one single trace to be seen the very next day. Some years the ice holds steady for a long time. This fishing is done in 20-40 feet for smelt and whitefish to catch some bait; moving out into 100-150' for the lake trout. This fishing is done with heavy gliding jigs designed by a friend of mine in Grand Portage, 14lb XL, with a smelt or other cut fish flipper on the jig. We have experimented with low stretch lines, but actually loose more fish from the hooks loosening as the fish is shaking and running as they near the hole. When they hit the jig in 100 or more feet of water, you can feel a muted bite, more like the trout just hanging on. At this point we run backwards from the hole to set the hook and crank like mad while walking back to the hole. It is not until the fish is within at least 40 feet of the hole that you can feel how big it is. These trout range up to 15-20lbs, but many from 4-8 lbs. We also catch some huge whitefish out deep as well. The ice is often clear and you can see your big fish in shifting hues of blue, indigo and white fighting below your feet.

[Mike Stark]

i will have plenty of rippin' shads and buckshot spoons with me this season. those were my two go to baits last winter.

this winter i am going to try out some spoons made by Reel Bait Tackle. the fergie spoon looks good for calling in big trout. if they dont want the fergie the "plain jane" looks like it will be a good throw back lure. on burnstide the plain jane may be the way to go. sometimes they want a smaller bait on burntside.

[Mike Stark]

BWCA opener is less than a month away. This thread has about everything you need to know for winter lake trout. I am hoping to be able to get into the BWCA for opener. Hopefully we don't get all the snow they are calling for in the next couple days. If we do it will really slow down the ice making process. Access into the BWCA for opener could be difficult. On the plus side we are getting some very cold temps after the snow storm. This should freeze up a lot of that wet snow and slush.

[kaparzo]

I'm planning my first BWCA laker trip after the new year. Is it worth the time & colder temps to fish for lakers after dark? Can anyone recommend lures / presentations / types of locations for after sunset? Thanks.