Inland Lake Trout Gear & Tactics

[Northlander]

Rapala Rippin Shad has been a hot lure down here lately and its deadly on the lakers.

[trumy]

Mike what kind of conditions you think we are going to have on b side for laker opener

[Mike Stark]

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.

[trumy]

Good to hear thanx Mike

[chaffmj]

As of Christmas day somebody had plowed out the Van Vac access parkling lot and went dowm the boat ramp and out on the lake about 5 yards plowing. There was also a hole drilled down about 6 inches and hadn't hit water but was good solid ice without any slush.

[trumy]

Thanx for the info chaffmj hope the conditions stay in our favor. Probably should have inquired on Ely ice site.

thanx again

. Trumy

[trumy]

Curious about what your thoughts are about using circle hooks for laker fishing are and what is the best size to use interested in pros and cons

[Great Outdoors]

When fishing Burntside for Lakers, you can't go wrong jigging a 3/8th oz. white bucktail jig tipped with a 3" Berkley Realistic Smelt, or any small (1/8-1/4 oz.) Kastmaster, Buckshot Rattle Spoon, Forage Minnow, etc. tipped with a Berkley 1" Power Nymph or Gulp hellgrammite.

I always jig with the lures mentioned above, and do very well on Burntside.

[Mike Stark]

Curious about what your thoughts are about using circle hooks for laker fishing are and what is the best size to use interested in pros and cons

I have never used them before.

I did order some of northland tackles 1/4oz buckshot spoons in a few of the new UV colors tho.

[trumy]

Got myself a couple of the UV buckshot spoons today looked but didn't find any white bucktails hopefully go has some on hand so I can pick up a couple when I come up laker fishing depending on business hours and how early I roll in and out of town

[drewbop]

I broke a medium rod last year on a lake trout, am thinking of upgrading to a couple of Medium Heavy rods this year. But wanted to confirm that's what a few of you guys use.

Man this post has a ton of great info!

[murphylakejim]

Ok i have a rapala heavy ice rod and 20# mono, along with other necessary ice gear. I'll be on snowbank the 17th and 18th. Im curious what depth might be a likely place to find any size laker. This is my birthday trip and i don't want to get skunked.

[Wanderer]

I broke a medium rod last year on a lake trout, am thinking of upgrading to a couple of Medium Heavy rods this year. But wanted to confirm that's what a few of you guys use.

Man this post has a ton of great info!

I like medium heavy in most of my laker rods but some mediums do fine. I'm usually using 36-45 inch rods though.

The worst rod I had that I expected to be good was a 36 medium rod that wound up having no backbone. That rod never loaded up till the handle. No hook set power with bigger bait in deeper water and the last 29 inch fish I caught on it made it feel like I was fighting it with a piece of stale licorice. It sits in garage by itself now - somewhere...

[Wanderer]

Ok i have a rapala heavy ice rod and 20# mono, along with other necessary ice gear. I'll be on snowbank the 17th and 18th. Im curious what depth might be a likely place to find any size laker. This is my birthday trip and i don't want to get skunked.

50 feet. And if you don't get anything there, try 50 feet.

That's the bread and butter depth to fish but really they can be anywhere. 10-70 feet can all be good. I haven't fished Snowbank at all but if I HAD to catch a laker of any size, I'd look for a reef that tops out at 45-50. A mix of rock and silt/muck on top just makes it better.

You might find the heavy rod and 20 lb mono to be a bit of fight killer though if you don't hook one over 5-7 pounds. Just sayin'. I usually run 10# if I'm jigging. I'd say it helps the action of the lure.

Good luck!

[eyesonly]

I have a huge amount of Berkley Gulp Minnows at home still from my last Summers BWCA trip . Do any of you guys use Gulp or any other plastics for Lake trout ? If so how do you fish them ? I plan on Tube Jigs but how about putting those Gulp Minnows on a Jigging spoon ? One more week till I leave for my 5 day camping trip for lake trout in the BWCA. Still not sure where I am going. Thought about the Long Hike to Knife. Also the hike to west pike and also Trout lake. Just too many lakes for a guy to decide on.....

If your looking for rod Ideas I took the guys advice on this thread and I picked up a sweet 38 inch Jason Mitchell Mackinaw series medium heavy Rod last week. It feels awsome and I cant wait to Jig some Tubes with it. I also picked up a 40 inch heavy Action Clam Split handle rod. I like that one too and I only paid $30.00 I think for it.

[Wanderer]

The Mackinaw is a nice laker rod. It's really well matched for the typical inland lakers we see.

The two best ways I've personally fished GULP is on a bucktail jig or threaded on light wire worm hook (think bass fishing) with a large split shot about 1 foot up the line. You can jig the hook and split shot rig or lay it on the bottom. I've caught them both ways. If you're going to lay it on the bottom you might want to consider a circle hook instead unless you're right by the line and can grab it quickly. Lakers don't nibble, they inhale, so its easy for them to swallow a baited hook.

I use a 3 inch on the bucktail and have used both 3 inch and 4 inch on the hook and split shot rig.

I've never thought to tip a spoon with GULP just because I think more about the action of the spoon being the enticer and would think the GULP would hinder it. I do know guys who've put big chunks of cisco on they're lures which totally killed the action but still caught fish.

Potato/potatoh

left twix/right twix

[Surface Tension]

20 lb mono is OK if all you use is(2oz)heavy jigs. Otherwise the coil is going to rob you off feel and slow your drops down. You'll like the feel and fishability of 10 lb mono much better.

Like Wander said about Gulp, bucktail jigs or Lindy Slick type jigs work well with Gulp. That along with the Tube jigs are part of my larger profile presentations. I wouldn't substitute it(gulp)for a piece of cisco or half minnow to tip a lure.

[murphylakejim]

thanks for the information. could you cover how you might set up a tip up for Lakers? I'm imagining braided line with some sort of leader to a massive something on my quick strike rig...? Is burbot sold as bait?

[JBMasterAngler]

Not so sure on the legality of burbot as bait...I wouldn't chance it. However, I've never seen it sold anywhere anyway.

Sucker minnow on a tip up works just fine. Or frozen cisco/smelt (pending forage in the lake).

[Mike Stark]

thanks for the information. could you cover how you might set up a tip up for Lakers? I'm imagining braided line with some sort of leader to a massive something on my quick strike rig...? Is burbot sold as bait?

Dacron tip up line connected to 5-10ft of fluorocarbon. I use one treble hook and a split shot. If I were going into the BWCA I would just take ciscos. Some guys really like suckers tho. On Burntside I like to use rainbows and shiners.

Gulp works great for lakers. I have caught some nice trout on a 4in gulp minnow on a 3/8oz jig head. The smaller gulp will work too. But if I were fishing lakes with ciscos I would stick with the bigger 4in.

[JerkinLips]

Isn't it illegal to use treble hooks on "live" bait, even if it is dead. I am always worried about that and add a spinner and beads to make it an "artificial lure" as the regulations read.

[Mike Stark]

Isn't it illegal to use treble hooks on "live" bait, even if it is dead. I am always worried about that and add a spinner and beads to make it an "artificial lure" as the regulations read.

No. They changed the law a couple years ago.

[eyesonly]

So now I dont have to put on a dumb little blade above my treble hook when I am fishing tip ups to be leagle ? I can just use a plain trebele ?

[trumy]

What size treble hook do you recommend to use may have to give the tip ups ago on opener

[Wanderer]

Personally I think using a treble hook with meat for lakers is purely psychological. Whatever floats your boat. But I can't recall ever missing a laker on a tip up if they've actually taken the bait and running with it.

I've mainly used 2/0 Gamakatsu straight shank, light wire worm hooks. They can be threaded into soft baits if needed and can pull clear of meat on a hook set with just a light tug. The gap is larger than most trebles you might use too. I learned this from some Indians I fished with in Ontario long ago. They were using Eagle Claw aberdeen hooks though.

Again, to each their own but I've never had better luck with trebles on lakers than single hooks. It's the same theory as putting Siwash hooks on trolling spoons in the summer. In fact, I DO recall losing the toughest laker battle I ever had when the treble from my jigging spoon hooked the bottom of the hole while trying to get the fish in it. Super tough battle with monstrous runs only to be left with the mystery of HOW BIG WAS IT REALLY?

[laker1]

Always single hook here and no loss fish.

[trumy]

I was more curious then anything found some treble hooks in old tackle box . Always fished single hooks in Ontario and did very well problem is don't remember hook size. Now I think my problem is I'm either using to big or little of a hook need to find what will work for me

[Mike Stark]

Single hooks work too. I like trebles. I think they are #4s.

[eyesonly]

How about the new mini Rippen Raps ? Has anyone picked up any yet. I went and bought a few today. Setting them next to the large chubby darters I think they are going to be a great bait for Lakers. With the thinner profile they have I really think they will be pretty enticing on the fall with a soft flutter all the way down. Besides white, what are the colors you guys stick to for hard baits for BWCA Lakers ?

[JBMasterAngler]

Those rippin' raps are awesome! I like the action they have. I tried one out this past summer...granted, I didn't catch anything, but liked it nonetheless. Am pretty excited to use it in the ice season. I only have white though. Don't plan on expanding my collection until I know I'll use it enough to validate another purchase. Can't go wrong with blue or purple though.