ICESHANTY.COM

Iceshanty.com sponsored in part by:

page 5

Jigging Strategies For More Lake Trout This Winter
Old timers used to jig with foot-long pieces of notched wood, wrapped in dacron line. One wrap of the line lowered the bait one-foot, and the fish was hauled to the surface hand over hand. Not much sport, but effective. Lake trout fight hard in any season, but catching one with a light action ice rod makes for outstanding fun. Coupled with a light, open faced reel and line testing from 8 to 12 pound test, there's nothing better. For shack fishing, rods of eighteen to twenty-four inches are best. When fishing outside, it's easier to handle rods up to and over three feet. The key is to use a rod that allows your line to fall directly down the center of the hole. When fighting a twisting, rolling laker, always be sure to keep the line away from the edge of the hole. Reeling in a good sized lake trout gives fishermen a real workout. I'll often do circles around the hole, in an effort to keep my line free and as perpendicular as possible.

Recent innovations in the field of braided and fused 'superline' technology take jigging to another level. Zero-stretch means that lakers can be hooked with a flick of the wrist, regardless of how deep you're fishing. Caution should be used, however. I've seen people snap stiff rods when hitting a fish too hard, or pull the hooks out completely. Softer action rods absorb more shock, and are very fun to fish with. Spiderwire Fusion and Berkley Fireline are outstanding. Twelve pound test has the same diameter as 8 pound mono, and will handle even the biggest lake trout. Adding a 2 to 3 foot leader of clear mono is effective, but not necessary. Lake trout are eating machines. Fish that see the bait or pick it up on their lateral line smack it, no questions asked.

next page
Contents page
back

Ice Fishing @ www.iceshanty.com Fishing @ www.myfishfinder.com Hunting @ www.myhuntingforum.com

Contact | Sponsor IceShanty.com | Disclaimer